Sarah Cox is a warrior. Children in Need 5 Marathons in 5 days. What is the most challenging thing you have achieved?

[TemperatureRising]

What a hero, her strength and resilience is amazing. Saw her yesterday, Gethin Jones running alongside her, she was so exhausted she could hardly speak. How she is keeping young, I don't know!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/live/cy7exkn0zjet

I think a long hike, doing my Duke of Edinburgh Award is the most physically exhausted I've ever bee, carrying a huge rucksack up hills and getting lost!

I find it very uncomfortable now the challenges have become so extreme. I can't listen as i think she'll end up with hip and knee damage which will stop her doing normal levels of exercise.

I just switch over when it covers this stuff.

As someone who does long distance stuff, do you think 12 weeks training is enough for a 50yo to do 5 marathons in 5 days? Or is it on the minimal side?

I think she’s amazing doing it. Can’t imagine how hard it is keeping going everyday. This thread has reminded me to donate.

I think warrior is a tad much no?

I hugely admire her but I also think it’s bloody ridiculous and irresponsible.

I do admire her resilience but I also think that she could do herself long term, even permanent, damage. I kind of hoped she would stop yesterday but I agree she must feel under insane pressure to finish 😬

completely depends on her level of fitness before, and how quickly she intended to complete the miles @pinkdelight. If she’s decently fit and was aiming to complete rather than smash it out quickly then it is doable - by no means is it a brilliant idea, and it will absolutely, 100% hurt like hell, but it is doable. If she is a couch potato and aimed to run the whole thing (which would be pretty unusual anyway with ultra running) then it isn’t an option.

Sara Cox isn't a "50yo non-sportsperson" as a PP said.

She's very fit and is always talking about the bootcamps, etc. that she's been doing.

I think she's great, there's no way I could do this and I think of myself as a 50yo fit woman. Every year a tv/radio presenter has to do one of these challenges now - I bet Trevor and Spoony are getting stressed thinking about who hasn't yet been called up!

Absolutely!

And yes a hero, she has raised nearly £3million so far.

Yesterday, standing with the disabled children and adults (and their dedicated staff) , at a riding school that benefit from CiN money, no doubt she is a hero.

CiN ‘past it’s sell by’ - I'm not sure that the staff from the hospice, or the families of those terminally ill children agree with you.

What kind of person thinks, oh - I wasn't going to donate to CiN, but here's a presenter dragging her weary arse around the place so, here, have a fiver. It's not even very interesting content. Just unnecessary whining that achieves nothing.

I don't like the casual dismissal of CIN on here. CIN is a really valuable funder of several community projects I've been involved with over the years. Everyone laments the closure of small charities and services for young people with additional needs when they go, but also want to dismiss a key funding stream as irrelevant, it doesn't make sense to me. Who else do you think will pay for these things, local councils certainly won't?

I'm not normally her biggest fan but I do think it's an amazing undertaking. I tend to think of heroism as requiring risk to life though which I think is a stretch.

Um, she isn't a sportsperson just because she does bootcamps. She's a radio presenter, not Sally Gunnell. Or Sara Cox MBE the rugby ref who is, I grant you, a sportsperson. I don't doubt she's fit, but it's not the same thing is being an athlete.

Bloody hell who pissed on your chips!? Every year people raise millions for charity by challenging themselves. People donate because it raises awareness and yes, the vast majority wouldn’t donate otherwise. That is just the way it is. Every school child realises this from doing sponsored walks etc, I raised a few thousand one year for breast cancer research by running a marathon. That’s a small thing I could do to make a difference.

I think good on her - she doesn't come across as a pushover who would agree to something she doesn't want to do, she keeps fit and strong, and she agreed to do it. If people want to donate to CIN in return then good on them too.

From the comfort of my keyboard, I wish her all the best.

I dont get why hospices and childrens charities are not properly.funded in the first place.

Sara is very sporty anyway but this exercise seems ott. Her knees will never be the same.

I would pay to see scott.mills to go up Nelsons.column like.john noakes with no safety harness.

The idea that running is bad for your knees was debunked years ago actually. It’s been proved in recent studies that it actually can be beneficial and provided some form of protection against arthritis.

I think whoever came up with the idea needs to be found a new job. It's hugely irresponsible to endanger a fellow employee's health and future like this.

I don't listen to R2 in the CIN era (about 4 weeks of the year I believe). It annoys the shite out of me.

Running can be beneficial in all sorts of ways, but if you overdo it you can get over use injuries.

I find it quite uncomfortable that clearly it is pushing her to her physical and psychological limits and is potentially going to cause her long term damage

As someone who runs long distances and is not far off her age (43), 12 weeks of marathon training (including strength and conditioning) is completely inadequate for a previously untrained individual. I say this as I'm currently nursing an injured leg during what is supposed to be my base building period before next year's marathon season.

People usually say this because they're:
Overweight
Overtraining
Increasing speed, distance roo fast
Running on different terrain
Not eating properly and not doing any strength work. Etc

Eddie Izzard has raised over a quarter of a million pounds for charity after completing 32 marathons and performing 31 comedy gigs in just 31 days.

So, yeah - been done.

I dont like her - well done for a gruelling challenge, but seriously agree, I cannot bear CIN

@pinkdelight I didn't say she was an elite athlete but she's clearly fit and is up to the challenge more than some. Anyhow, well done Sara - rather you than me!

CIN is exploitative. Donate directly to charities instead.

12 weeks training to run 5 marathons in 5 days?

Google tells me that most marathon training plans last 16 to 20 weeks.

Couch to 5k is 9 weeks