Olly Murs said he is putting his body “on the line” while trying to keep a “brave face” after the third day of his 400km endurance challenge for Soccer Aid’s 20th anniversary.
The singer, 42, is taking on the five-day Into The Unknown challenge by running, cycling and rowing for 249 miles between Manchester and London to raise money for Unicef.
The third and longest day of the challenge was dogged by torrential rain and an unexpected reroute caused by a fire.
The Troublemaker singer - who wanted to “quit” on day two - was seen lying exhausted on the ground when he got to the end of the route on Wednesday.
Murs said: “I put a brave face on it today. I felt like I needed to really.
“I needed to kind of hit it, I needed to kind of tackle it full on and there were times that I was really struggling but, you know, all the people that have come along today, I really appreciate it. It means a lot.”
On Wednesday, the singer and presenter had to have a toenail removed before setting off into Cannock Chase.
Murs then walked 62 miles through the centre of Lichfield, travelling along an ancient Roman road and passing through Nuneaton.
He then ran in the dark to Nether Heyford, where he was greeted by supporters singing an early Happy Birthday at the finish line, ahead of his 42nd birthday on Thursday.
The singer added: “I feel bad I didn’t get a chance to see everyone and thank them personally but it really means a lot.
“I’m putting my body out there on the line and the donations really help so thank you.”
The challenge has already raised more than £260,000.
Murs is only informed about his route for the day before he sets off each morning and has “no clue when he’ll be scaling the steepest peaks, biking the most brutal uphill climbs or facing his long-held fear of deep water”, organisers said previously.
The singer recently travelled to Romania with Unicef where he visited the Pipera Primo Hub in northern Bucharest, a play, learning and parenting project, which supports Ukrainian children, who have been displaced by conflict, as well as Romanian children.
Murs will chronicle his journey in a one-off documentary, which will be available to watch on ITV1, ITVX, STV and STV Player on May 29 at 9pm.
