Sara Cox was left in tears after learning how much money her challenge had raised in just one day.
The BBC Radio 2 presenter, 50, has already brought in hundreds of thousands of pounds for Children in Need through her gruelling Great Northern Marathon Challenge — a five-day, 135-mile trek from the Scottish border to Pudsey in Leeds, the charity’s symbolic heartland.
Kicking off the mission in Hexham on Monday, Cox was cheered on by locals — including a bagpiper and a herd of alpacas — as she began the first leg of her journey.
By Tuesday, fellow presenter Vernon Kay broke the news live on air that donations had reached a staggering £439,225.
Overcome with emotion, Cox replied: “Wow! Oh my God, thank you so much. That’s incredible. The Radio 2 audience, as ever, are coming for me like a storm,” she said — fittingly while walking through an actual storm.
“Yay! We’ve raised some serious cash — you guys are amazing. Thanks so much for donating, keep going!”
Earlier that morning, Scott Mills had told her she’d already raised £331,000 in just a few hours. “Every penny is going to go towards changing and saving lives,” she said. “You’re making life so much easier for so many kids and their parents.”
By Tuesday evening, the total raised had shot up to more than £650,000.
Day Two saw Cox tackle a 1,500-foot ascent up Bale Hill from Hexham to Wolsingham in torrential rain, carrying a lightweight Pudsey Bear backpack made specially for the challenge.
“The weather’s pretty bad,” she admitted. “I’ve accepted I’ll be wet and cold. My anxiety was really high this morning, but as soon as I saw everyone who came out in the drizzle to cheer me on — with their kids, with their dogs — it gave me such a boost.”
Speaking about the mental strength required, Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill told Kay: “A lot of it is physical, but the mental side is the most important. Sara’s going to be feeling tired and fatigued — she’ll need a strong mindset and to keep thinking about the bigger picture, the difference she’s making.”
Cox’s challenge spans four counties — Northumberland, Durham, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire — and marks Radio 2’s longest-ever Children in Need expedition. She is completing it entirely on foot, with no vehicles allowed.
Locals lined the route to show support as Stuart Todd from Morpeth Pipe Band played her off and Andrea Foote from Riding for the Disabled Association sounded the starting horn.
Before setting off, Cox joked: “I’ll be running when I can, striding when I can, maybe occasionally stumbling, limping and weeping — but I’ll get myself to Pudsey by Friday. Pudsey’s even got his own rain mac, so we’ll look after each other all the way.”
