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 found it uncomfortable listening to her trying not to cry in pain on Wednesday morning. Then off again to run.

I get she agreed to do this, but she possibly hadn’t expected to pick up an injury (she hurt herself a couple of weeks ago). The pressure she must be under to complete the challenge once it got close to it /she’d done the first day will be intense. Dropping out now would be near impossible.

I also think recording her crying in pain and clearly struggling and then putting it on the radio for additional fund raising is unacceptable.

This one should be the last endurance based fundraiser for CIN radio 2 does.

I think with these things it's impossible to give in. I'm listening to it thinking what if she really can't go on? I know someone who did a very public challenge like this who actually wanted to stop but felt he couldn't.

I prefer to give to individual charities but I will donate to Children In Need because of Sara. She is doing something very difficult.

Sara isn't starting at zero- she is very fit and does endurance anyway. Obviously this is a whole different thing. She also has a cold! I really admire her.

Well I think it's brilliant as it gets her off the radio for a week😆.
She is such a boring presenter, always trying and failing to be funny. Let's have Anita Rani or Gary Davies instead. Maybe we can get Scott Mills to run as well!

What a mainly miserable thread!

(when so much good is created for so many vulnerable children)

@TemperatureRising people are allowed to criticise someone who is obviously doing a hard thing but is also potentially injuring themselves permanently.
we are also allowed to criticise Radio 2 for changing the schedule of the shows to constantly beg for money of people who actually pay their wages.
also people are allowed to Choose other local charities over CIN.

It makes for boring radio, though, and hearing people phoning in to donate £30 and £50 must be pretty miserable listening for those who are struggling with the cost of living.

Not to denigrate the charity or what she's doing herself, but it's all a bit arm-up-the-back when it's blanket coverage.

What? 🙄🤔

@TemperatureRising it is deeply uncomfortable viewing watching her do this and even the monetary amounts given to her (by male DJs) seems exploitative that almost she is being paid via charity to do something that causes her extreme pain (she has existing hip and knee issues) and could cause lasting damage

Hear hear! I’m in awe of her determination - go Sarah!

Well I did! I don't usually take much notice of these huge telethon appeals as I think they are rather twee, but I did donate to CiN via the Sara Cox challenge as I've heard so much about it on my morning commute and it sounds remarkable. The poor woman must be so worn out. The Pudsey stuff is still twee though.

Here to serve.

I think she’s commendable for doing this, but I do agree with a lot of posters here. She is not adequately prepared or fit enough for this, from the beginning her running style was really odd & she looked like she was struggling.

It’s one thing doing such an extreme activity when she is properly trained for it and while it would still be hard, it would be doable. It’s quite another watching her hobble even on day 2 & 3, in massive amounts of pain, and barely coping. It’s very reckless to allow her be in this situation.

She sounds like she is in absolute agony and there is no way she should be pushing through the level of pain she is in. I really feel for her.

For people saying people should donate directly to charities instead - having worked for many small charities over the years, I can confirm it's very rare for people to actually do this. Occasionally a particular local cause gets picked up and people fundraise but while i'd agree it would be better than having to have CIN, it just doesn't happen.

Most small charities get most funding from the wide array of funding organisations and trusts like CIN.

What's with the first post?

I think it’s completely admirable of her and she is showing huge resilience. I don’t like the mean comments.

I am a bit worried about her. Her knees are turning in massively when she runs which will be putting huge stress on other parts of her body and she could really do some serious damage.

12 weeks is nowhere near enough time to prepare for this. I used to run around 25 miles a week (can’t due to long Covid now) and I wouldn’t consider 12 weeks enough for me to train for a marathon off that base let alone 5 in one go. I get she’s not going for speed but still.

Anyway. Fair play to her but it’s upsetting to hear her in pain. I hope she’ll be ok and no permanent damage.

I'm amazed at her yes

But yes i also find it worrying and upsetting

This. Absolutely hate it

I think she’s doing amazingly well! Didn’t think she would appear this morning for Day 4 as she was clearly in pain at the end what with the awful weather too and having only 3 hours sleep!

She looked in much better spirits this morning as she had managed some sleep.

Hope she makes it!

I think she mentioned that she had always been “knock kneed” as she called it, and had been bullied for it at school.

I really like Sara and I think she's doing an amazing job, but I do hope she doesn't do herself any long term damage. Yesterday, she hadn't slept much and seemed totally overwhelmed with the thought of her day ahead. To be fair to her, I've felt like after a bad night's sleep when all I have to do is go to work. She seemed a lot brighter this morning, though I've not seen how she's got on throughout today.

Jamie Laing did something similar on Radio 1 last year. He really struggled and he must be 20 years younger than Sara and has the natural advantage of male strength.

I do hope she is able to stop if she needs to and isn't put under too much pressure. The only one of these endurance challenges I recall not being completed was Greg James' bike ride for Sport Relief which had to be cut short because of the Beast from the East snowstorm. I think he did go back and finish it later. His contribution this year was to fly with the Red Arrows, not quite the same hardship!

What miserable comments.

Sara is doing amazingly. I am following on Instagram. I agree she looked broken yesterday but seems to have dug deep today. I am in awe at what we can put our bodies through.

Also love her podcast teen commandments that she does with her bestie, Clare.

I'm not even a mother ,by choice, but can't understand why so many actual mothers, who are supposed to love children ,(!), have been so negative about something that has helped and still helps disadvantaged / seriously ill/ disabled children to the level CIN has for so many decades,.

Putting fake concern & fake empathy , for a celebrity ,whilst simultaneously slagging her & the cause off , is toxically negative.

Sara Cox is a tough, outdoors, fit ,strong. ,mature adult who is doing something none of the spiteful keyboard warriors could or would even do half of...

The nasty online comments are shameful, over soneone raising literally millions for children much less fortunate than their own.

Life makes you bitter, or it makes you better. It depends which you choose.

Also, she's no elite athlete but does seem very fit and active. She has horses and does a lot of exercise, so she's not starting completely from nowhere. I'd assume she's had a proper training plan over the last weeks as well, not just got out for a 5k pootle round the park.