0:00:10 > 0:00:13I've come to Namibia in southern Africa
0:00:13 > 0:00:17to take on one of the toughest challenges in Blue Peter's history.
0:00:19 > 0:00:20The Namibia Ultra Marathon
0:00:20 > 0:00:23is among the hardest endurance events in the world.
0:00:23 > 0:00:25I can't believe I've got sunburn!
0:00:27 > 0:00:32If I'm to complete it, I'll have to cover 78 miles in 24 hours
0:00:32 > 0:00:34through the oldest desert on Earth.
0:00:34 > 0:00:35It's so, so difficult.
0:00:38 > 0:00:40I'll have to battle through the extreme heat of the day
0:00:40 > 0:00:42and the total darkness of the night.
0:00:42 > 0:00:45I don't want to stop, I really don't want to stop.
0:00:45 > 0:00:47SHE SOBS
0:00:49 > 0:00:53Namibia is 5,000 miles from the UK in southern Africa.
0:00:58 > 0:01:01I heading out to the camp where I'm staying till the race starts.
0:01:01 > 0:01:04And this is probably wrong, but I don't feel nervous
0:01:04 > 0:01:06I just feel excited.
0:01:06 > 0:01:08This place is amazing.
0:01:08 > 0:01:11It seems like a really beautiful country.
0:01:11 > 0:01:16The whole thing is worlds away from where I started back in January.
0:01:19 > 0:01:22'My preparations began in the depths of winter.
0:01:22 > 0:01:26'Most ultra runners start training as much as a year beforehand.
0:01:26 > 0:01:28'I had just three months.
0:01:29 > 0:01:32'After finishing my first race, I called my coach Rory
0:01:32 > 0:01:34'to tell him how I'd got on.
0:01:34 > 0:01:36'I was in for a surprise.'
0:01:36 > 0:01:39- I'm running quite happily. I don't want to stop.- Yeah.
0:01:41 > 0:01:43SHE SCREAMS Ha-ha!
0:01:43 > 0:01:45'Rory hadn't come to celebrate with me,
0:01:45 > 0:01:47'he'd come to get me to do even more miles!'
0:01:47 > 0:01:51- Are you kidding or not? - No, I'm not kidding.
0:01:51 > 0:01:54Oh! I was glad to see you two minutes ago!
0:01:54 > 0:01:56This is not fun any more.
0:01:56 > 0:01:59'I didn't find it easy but I knew I needed to be constantly pushing
0:01:59 > 0:02:01'how far I could run.'
0:02:01 > 0:02:05I know there's not far to go. I know I have to stay positive...
0:02:05 > 0:02:06And I want to.
0:02:06 > 0:02:10'After that first training weekend things intensified massively.
0:02:11 > 0:02:16'Within a few weeks, I did my first long distance run -
0:02:16 > 0:02:20'a 26.2-mile marathon through the streets of London.
0:02:21 > 0:02:23'I enjoyed my first marathon.'
0:02:23 > 0:02:26- It feels so good when you've done it.- Well done!
0:02:26 > 0:02:29But much tougher times lay ahead.
0:02:30 > 0:02:34These hailstones actually hurt they hit me in the face so hard.
0:02:34 > 0:02:38'The most intense part of my training took place in Cumbria,
0:02:38 > 0:02:39'where I grew up.'
0:02:39 > 0:02:41It's 6am.
0:02:41 > 0:02:43'And I've got a day of running ahead of me.
0:02:43 > 0:02:47'This was where I attempted my longest single run before Namibia -
0:02:47 > 0:02:50'50 miles in one day.'
0:02:50 > 0:02:52We're going to run for about the first 50 minutes,
0:02:52 > 0:02:55- then we're going to go into a run-walk...- OK.
0:02:55 > 0:02:58..all the way to the football ground. It's a long, long way.
0:02:58 > 0:03:01'Having my friends and family there to cheer me on
0:03:01 > 0:03:03'helped me through the final miles.
0:03:03 > 0:03:05'After 12 hours, I made it to the end.'
0:03:05 > 0:03:08Well done!
0:03:09 > 0:03:12Three weeks before coming to Namibia, I went to Morocco
0:03:12 > 0:03:14in North Africa.
0:03:14 > 0:03:16My ultimate challenge takes place in a desert
0:03:16 > 0:03:20so I needed to find out IF I could handle running in the heat.
0:03:20 > 0:03:22It wasn't long before I started suffering.
0:03:22 > 0:03:26This is happening and I am going to Namibia to attempt to run 78 miles.
0:03:26 > 0:03:29It's going to be like this, only harder and hotter!
0:03:29 > 0:03:33'I got through my marathon in Morocco but I knew the Namibia race
0:03:33 > 0:03:36'would be three times as long in temperatures far hotter.'
0:03:36 > 0:03:38I know I can do this!
0:03:42 > 0:03:46'After three months of training I'd covered a total distance of...
0:03:49 > 0:03:52'I'd trained for...
0:03:52 > 0:03:55'..and run...
0:03:55 > 0:03:58'Now there was just one challenge left.'
0:04:03 > 0:04:06The 2009 Namibia Ultra Marathon was now
0:04:06 > 0:04:10just hours away. For the 23 others who were going to attempt it
0:04:10 > 0:04:13it was time for final preparations.
0:04:13 > 0:04:16Steve, the race director needed to make sure
0:04:16 > 0:04:19we all had the right equipment in our backpacks.
0:04:19 > 0:04:21OK, Helen, shall we go through your kit?
0:04:21 > 0:04:24- This seems like a lot of stuff. - So, the running shoes...
0:04:24 > 0:04:28'I'd be carrying all my own food and cooking equipment,
0:04:28 > 0:04:31'enough water to get me between checkpoints,
0:04:31 > 0:04:34'and emergency supplies like a first aid kit.'
0:04:34 > 0:04:37- It's a lot to carry, isn't it? - Yeah, definitely.
0:04:37 > 0:04:39- That's why it's a tough challenge. - Thanks, Steve.
0:04:39 > 0:04:43Next was a medical briefing from Amy the race doctor.
0:04:43 > 0:04:46I knew what I was about to do was extreme
0:04:46 > 0:04:50but Amy left none of us in any doubt about the dangers lying ahead.
0:04:50 > 0:04:54The first thing with this race is it's an endurance race, 24 hours
0:04:54 > 0:04:58Or 15 - 20 hours, depending on how fast you're running, and it's hot.
0:04:58 > 0:05:01All of you have experienced the heat. Heatstroke is the most severe
0:05:01 > 0:05:05of all the heat-related illnesses. Your symptoms will be headache -
0:05:05 > 0:05:08all of you will suffer a headache - nausea and vomiting.
0:05:08 > 0:05:11Vomiting is a particularly important sign, OK?
0:05:11 > 0:05:14Let us know if you're vomiting. Muscle cramps.
0:05:14 > 0:05:20We pulled a guy last year, he had spasms so agonising he was in tears.
0:05:20 > 0:05:22Dizziness, confusion and irritability -
0:05:22 > 0:05:25those are late signs and are significant signs as well.
0:05:25 > 0:05:27We need to act on those.
0:05:27 > 0:05:30So please, please let someone know if you feel unwell.
0:05:32 > 0:05:36I think the medical briefing was meant to...
0:05:37 > 0:05:39..make us all take this really seriously.
0:05:39 > 0:05:42It has actually really freaked me out.
0:05:42 > 0:05:45I needed reassurance, so I spoke to the runners
0:05:45 > 0:05:48who came first, second and third in last year's race.
0:05:48 > 0:05:50You're letting yourself in for a shock.
0:05:50 > 0:05:52It's like being in an oven.
0:05:52 > 0:05:55It's an incredibly beautiful place but it's hard to enjoy
0:05:55 > 0:05:58because you're struggling with heat exhaustion
0:05:58 > 0:06:01and you're carrying all that weight of water and food and equipment.
0:06:03 > 0:06:06Focus on the positive things that you've done in your training,
0:06:06 > 0:06:09the results, and you focus on that as you go into the race.
0:06:10 > 0:06:16If it's very difficult, think about a couple of positive mental points.
0:06:16 > 0:06:19There will be times when you will be very dark, but
0:06:19 > 0:06:22then you can also bring yourself out of that.
0:06:25 > 0:06:28'I went to bed that night with a lot on my mind.'
0:06:32 > 0:06:34My head is scrambled right now.
0:06:34 > 0:06:36Totally scrambled.
0:06:38 > 0:06:41This is the biggest thing I've ever taken on in my life.
0:06:46 > 0:06:48And I can't mess it up.
0:06:48 > 0:06:51I really don't want to mess it up.
0:07:02 > 0:07:06It's less than an hour until we start the race, so I have
0:07:06 > 0:07:09some recorded messages from my friends and family that I'll watch
0:07:09 > 0:07:13and hopefully these will give me a boost and something to think about
0:07:13 > 0:07:15when I want to quit.
0:07:15 > 0:07:18I know that out of anybody that I've ever met in my life,
0:07:18 > 0:07:21you are going to do it. I have no doubt.
0:07:21 > 0:07:22You're going to do this.
0:07:22 > 0:07:25You're a winner. Eye of the tiger, stay positive!
0:07:25 > 0:07:27Hi, Helen. We're really proud of you.
0:07:27 > 0:07:31And I know you're going to do it cos you're so determined.
0:07:31 > 0:07:32OK. Love you loads.
0:07:34 > 0:07:38Having support like this is what's going to get me through it.
0:07:38 > 0:07:41I haven't done the years and months of training that these lots have.
0:07:41 > 0:07:44It is in my head whether I can do it or not.
0:07:44 > 0:07:45It's about whether I can...
0:07:45 > 0:07:48be positive and get myself to the finish.
0:07:48 > 0:07:51She's been training for the last four months or so
0:07:51 > 0:07:53which is a short period for a race like this.
0:07:53 > 0:07:55I'm looking at one or two runners coming out
0:07:55 > 0:07:59for probably heat-related illness problems. Maybe an injury too.
0:07:59 > 0:08:01So that can often stop someone running.
0:08:02 > 0:08:07'The race was now just moments away. Ahead of all of us,
0:08:07 > 0:08:10'a 78-mile route divided into six stages
0:08:10 > 0:08:13'by checkpoints every 13 miles.
0:08:13 > 0:08:16'We'd have 24 hours to get to the finish
0:08:16 > 0:08:19'on Namibia's Atlantic coast.'
0:08:20 > 0:08:23CHEERING
0:08:23 > 0:08:26SHRIEKING AND LAUGHTER
0:08:28 > 0:08:29'This was it!
0:08:29 > 0:08:31'The race I'd been preparing for
0:08:31 > 0:08:33'for months was underway.
0:08:33 > 0:08:36'And although I knew it was going to be hard
0:08:36 > 0:08:38'it felt great to be getting stuck in.'
0:08:46 > 0:08:49It's really warm already and it's just the start of the race.
0:08:49 > 0:08:51And the thing I didn't think about
0:08:51 > 0:08:54is how sandy and how difficult underfoot
0:08:54 > 0:08:57it's going to be. There are holes and branches
0:08:57 > 0:09:00and all kinds of things. The grass is knee length.
0:09:00 > 0:09:02Not the easiest of running.
0:09:02 > 0:09:04It's weird. I'm actually enjoying this.
0:09:04 > 0:09:09I just feel like I have been preparing for this
0:09:09 > 0:09:13for three months now and this is the end - this is the final challenge.
0:09:13 > 0:09:16So I'm just going to enjoy it.
0:09:18 > 0:09:22'Not everyone was enjoying themselves though.
0:09:22 > 0:09:26'The raise was still in its early stages but already
0:09:26 > 0:09:29'some of the other runners were struggling to keep going.'
0:09:30 > 0:09:36I felt wiped from half an hour in. Absolutely spent -
0:09:36 > 0:09:38like I haven't slept for days.
0:09:38 > 0:09:41It's just the heat. It's like being smacked.
0:09:41 > 0:09:45'The heat had claimed its first victim. Steve's race was over.
0:09:45 > 0:09:51'Checkpoint 1 was a wake-up call for everyone taking part in the event.
0:09:51 > 0:09:54'We were only a sixth of the way through the race
0:09:54 > 0:09:58'and runners were already dropping out.'
0:09:58 > 0:10:01Two runners have pulled out. One has just been a bit slower.
0:10:01 > 0:10:04He's feeling the heat. The second has a heat-related illness.
0:10:04 > 0:10:06He is not able to cool his body down.
0:10:06 > 0:10:10He's needing a lot of water. These are the early signs of heat stroke.
0:10:11 > 0:10:14'No-one expected this many casualties so early on.'
0:10:14 > 0:10:16On we go.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19'And as I was about to leave the first checkpoint another shock.'
0:10:19 > 0:10:21Are you all right?
0:10:21 > 0:10:24'One of the strongest runners, Andy, had hurt his back
0:10:24 > 0:10:27'and was out of the race.'
0:10:27 > 0:10:32That actually quite shocked me. Andy did this last year and came second
0:10:32 > 0:10:34and he was helping me through this
0:10:34 > 0:10:37and he's just pulled out of the race because he's struggling.
0:10:38 > 0:10:42And...one of the guys who was leading - he's pulled out, as well.
0:10:43 > 0:10:44Mmm...
0:10:44 > 0:10:47this has just stepped up a gear, hasn't it?
0:10:47 > 0:10:50'It was now the hottest part of the day.
0:10:50 > 0:10:55'The temperature in the desert had risen to 43 degrees.
0:10:55 > 0:10:58'I needed to pace myself to have any chance of surviving the heat.'
0:10:58 > 0:11:02If I run now, I'll be exhausted and I won't be able to do the 78 miles
0:11:02 > 0:11:06but if I walk in this bit of the day, I should be able to finish.
0:11:06 > 0:11:08It's hard because I want to run
0:11:08 > 0:11:11because I want this to be over. I want to get through it.
0:11:11 > 0:11:13But I've got to be sensible
0:11:13 > 0:11:16and the fact that people have dropped out already
0:11:16 > 0:11:18at the first checkpoint proves that...
0:11:18 > 0:11:22you can't take this lightly. You've got to be sensible about it.
0:11:22 > 0:11:26I put loads of cream on this morning. I don't normally burn
0:11:26 > 0:11:30but then I don't normally hang out in Africa.
0:11:31 > 0:11:34I can't believe I've got sunburn!
0:11:35 > 0:11:37'I was desperate to push through the heat
0:11:37 > 0:11:40'so I decided to run again. Bad idea -
0:11:40 > 0:11:43'before long I started to feel sick.
0:11:43 > 0:11:45'My body simply couldn't cope.
0:11:45 > 0:11:48'My race was about to grind to a halt.'
0:11:48 > 0:11:52I'm so hot and so thirsty and I feel sick and...
0:11:52 > 0:11:54Phew!
0:11:54 > 0:11:56I feel really sick.
0:12:11 > 0:12:12I can't...
0:12:13 > 0:12:15I can't talk about how hard it is
0:12:15 > 0:12:17because it just puts my head in a really bad place
0:12:17 > 0:12:20but, please, take my word for it, this is...
0:12:20 > 0:12:23so hard. It's so, so difficult.
0:12:27 > 0:12:29My legs are burning.
0:12:35 > 0:12:37SHE PUFFS
0:12:42 > 0:12:46I don't know what to do either. I've been drinking all the stuff but...
0:12:46 > 0:12:47Right...
0:12:49 > 0:12:51Look like I've lost the plot, don't I?
0:12:53 > 0:12:56I kept saying before, "Every time I put my feet to the ground,
0:12:56 > 0:12:58"it's one step nearer to the end."
0:12:58 > 0:13:02Actually now, it feels like every time I put my feet to the ground...
0:13:02 > 0:13:04You know when you stub your toe? That's what it feels like -
0:13:04 > 0:13:09EVERY step. Stub, stub, stub, stub, stub.
0:13:09 > 0:13:12I am going to do this in a minute.
0:13:12 > 0:13:14..Right.
0:13:14 > 0:13:15'One of the other runners,
0:13:15 > 0:13:19'Fran, caught up with me. It was time to get back on the move.'
0:13:19 > 0:13:23- Thanks, Fran.- OK, rock'n'roll, baby.
0:13:23 > 0:13:27'Being with Fran was just the distraction I needed.'
0:13:27 > 0:13:29How far do you reckon to the next checkpoint?
0:13:29 > 0:13:31'With the worst of the heat over,
0:13:31 > 0:13:35'I pushed on to checkpoint 2 - the 26 mile mark.'
0:13:35 > 0:13:37You look better than the rest of us.
0:13:37 > 0:13:40- That's a marathon.- Well done.
0:13:40 > 0:13:42'This was a massive relief.
0:13:43 > 0:13:47'It didn't take long to see that I wasn't the only one suffering.
0:13:47 > 0:13:52'By now, six of the original 23 runners were out of the race.'
0:13:52 > 0:13:55This is likely to be a good point to read some of your messages
0:13:55 > 0:13:59because, quite frankly, I need the motivation.
0:13:59 > 0:14:03Everybody's saying, "Believe in yourself. just keep going."
0:14:03 > 0:14:05And you're right - I've got to keep going.
0:14:05 > 0:14:08And I will. I promise.
0:14:08 > 0:14:11'With your good luck messages in my head
0:14:11 > 0:14:14'and some clean clothes, I was ready to set off again.'
0:14:14 > 0:14:16I've dealt with the heat - only just -
0:14:16 > 0:14:18and now I've got to deal with the night.
0:14:24 > 0:14:27'Ahead of me, ten hours of darkness
0:14:27 > 0:14:29'and two more marathons.'
0:14:29 > 0:14:32I got a real boost coming out of that checkpoint
0:14:32 > 0:14:35because it wasn't just me, everybody found it hard.
0:14:35 > 0:14:38I'm concerned that everyone that was behind me
0:14:38 > 0:14:40has either dropped out or been stopped.
0:14:40 > 0:14:43So it's kind of like time's snapping away at my heels
0:14:43 > 0:14:46so I've really just to get on with this.
0:14:47 > 0:14:50Phwoar! Oh, my Lord, this is hard!
0:14:52 > 0:14:55'We were closing in on the next checkpoint,
0:14:55 > 0:14:58'the halfway mark of the 78 miles.'
0:15:02 > 0:15:04Come on. Come on. Come on.
0:15:04 > 0:15:06Positive. Positive. Positive.
0:15:06 > 0:15:09I can do this. I can so do this.
0:15:09 > 0:15:12- How are you going, Stew? - How are you? How's your feet?
0:15:12 > 0:15:15Oh, agony - I just stubbed my toe.
0:15:15 > 0:15:21- How's your blister?- Popped.- Oh, nice(!) Come on, Stew, we can do it!
0:15:22 > 0:15:26'Checkpoint 3 at last! We were 1½ marathons in.
0:15:26 > 0:15:30'It was here that you could really see the toll this race was taking.
0:15:30 > 0:15:35'By now, a third of the field had dropped out. Those of us still in it
0:15:35 > 0:15:39'were suffering with tired bodies, broken spirits
0:15:39 > 0:15:41'and, in my case, battered and blistered feet.'
0:15:41 > 0:15:43Argh!
0:15:44 > 0:15:47Oh, that's so sore.
0:15:47 > 0:15:51'With a hot meal inside me, it was time to push on.'
0:15:51 > 0:15:55Being in there is really making me realise how tough this is.
0:15:55 > 0:15:59But it's motivating me. I'm going to get through.
0:15:59 > 0:16:00'I was feeling positive again
0:16:00 > 0:16:04'but within minutes the pain from my blisters became unbearable.'
0:16:04 > 0:16:08Honestly, my feet are unbelievably sore.
0:16:08 > 0:16:14I've never had a single blister. Why have I got 10 or 15 today?
0:16:14 > 0:16:17Oh, my God!
0:16:17 > 0:16:20Ow, my...
0:16:20 > 0:16:23Every step is agony and every time I step on a rock...
0:16:23 > 0:16:27it feels like someone's shoved some sort of razor blade into your foot.
0:16:27 > 0:16:29This is intense pain
0:16:29 > 0:16:33OW! Ah!
0:16:33 > 0:16:34'I was in serious trouble.
0:16:34 > 0:16:37'I desperately needed the pain in my feet to go away.'
0:16:37 > 0:16:40Cannot quit, I cannot quit, I cannot quit.
0:16:54 > 0:16:57- Hi!- Do you want those blisters popped?
0:16:57 > 0:16:58'I was running out of options.
0:16:58 > 0:17:01'Amy the medic offered to pop and drain my blisters
0:17:01 > 0:17:04'in the hope it might give me some relief.'
0:17:04 > 0:17:06Ow!
0:17:09 > 0:17:12Oww!
0:17:14 > 0:17:18'Amy had done all she could for me but the agony continued.
0:17:18 > 0:17:19'For the first time,
0:17:19 > 0:17:22'I had to seriously consider quitting the race.'
0:17:22 > 0:17:28I don't think... This moment in time...I can't keep going.
0:17:28 > 0:17:31I can't.
0:17:31 > 0:17:34I can't put my feet down.
0:17:34 > 0:17:36SHE SOBS
0:18:22 > 0:18:23SHE SOBS
0:18:23 > 0:18:27I don't wanna stop, I really don't wanna stop.
0:18:31 > 0:18:33'The pain in my feet was terrible
0:18:33 > 0:18:36'but the thought of giving up was even worse.'
0:18:38 > 0:18:40Checkpoint 4 wasn't far.
0:18:40 > 0:18:43If I could get there, I'd be two thirds of the way through the race.
0:18:43 > 0:18:45Where is everyone?
0:18:45 > 0:18:47They've all come and gone, nearly.
0:18:47 > 0:18:50- I'm gonna have to sit down for two minutes.- Yeah, lie down.
0:18:50 > 0:18:52I'm worried about time.
0:18:52 > 0:18:58Yeah. We're on about 3.05 at the moment, 3.10.
0:18:58 > 0:19:01'This was bad news. I'd arrived at Checkpoint 4
0:19:01 > 0:19:04'half an hour after Amy had planned to close it.
0:19:04 > 0:19:07'I was still in the race, but only just.'
0:19:07 > 0:19:12- OK. So I've got to pick it up. - A little bit.- Yeah.- Yeah.
0:19:12 > 0:19:15I can't not do it. I can't not finish.
0:19:15 > 0:19:19Get yourself sorted with water and food.
0:19:19 > 0:19:22And then think about the time.
0:19:24 > 0:19:27I'll never eat a cereal bar ever again.
0:19:29 > 0:19:32Oh. Ah.
0:19:32 > 0:19:36Oww!
0:19:36 > 0:19:42'This was now a race against time. I'd been awake for 21 hours.
0:19:42 > 0:19:45'It was 18 hours since the race started
0:19:45 > 0:19:47'and I still had a marathon to go.
0:19:47 > 0:19:50'If I was to have any hope of finishing the race in time,
0:19:50 > 0:19:53'I'd have to run the final 26 miles
0:19:53 > 0:19:56'quicker than any marathon I'd done before.'
0:19:56 > 0:20:00I've just seen Fran go by in one of the support vehicles.
0:20:00 > 0:20:03He's either stopped or he's been stopped.
0:20:03 > 0:20:05And he got me through the hardest part of the race
0:20:05 > 0:20:08so I'm gutted that he's finished.
0:20:09 > 0:20:11And I'm pretty sure now there's no-one else behind me,
0:20:11 > 0:20:14everybody's dropped out the race.
0:20:14 > 0:20:17I'm up against time so I've got to get on with this.
0:20:17 > 0:20:19I don't want to be the next person stopped.
0:20:20 > 0:20:23'It was now day two of the race.'
0:20:24 > 0:20:25Come on, me!
0:20:25 > 0:20:29'I was closing in on Checkpoint 5.'
0:20:30 > 0:20:32Come on, Helen.
0:20:32 > 0:20:35Come on, come on, come on.
0:20:35 > 0:20:36I can do this.
0:20:36 > 0:20:40This is it. It all comes down to this last half-marathon.
0:20:40 > 0:20:43I've got one half-marathon to go, I am so close.
0:20:43 > 0:20:46I cannot stop. I have to do it.
0:20:47 > 0:20:50I just keep thinking about all the nights I spent in the gym,
0:20:50 > 0:20:53staying in there on my own till half nine, Billy No-Mates!
0:20:53 > 0:20:57Getting up early to go for a run or fit in training before work.
0:20:59 > 0:21:02It's come down to this and that's why I did it, so...
0:21:02 > 0:21:04I've really just got to push on.
0:21:04 > 0:21:08One half-marathon is so do-able.
0:21:08 > 0:21:11Checkpoint 5 - the final stop before the finish.
0:21:13 > 0:21:16Well done, Michael. Well done, Helen.
0:21:16 > 0:21:17- Brilliant effort.- The smile's back.
0:21:17 > 0:21:20- Well done, Helen. - Brilliant effort.- Well done.
0:21:20 > 0:21:23Brilliant. Very proud of yourself.
0:21:23 > 0:21:25Thank you. I'll see you in a bit.
0:21:25 > 0:21:28'At previous checkpoints, I'd stopped for as long as an hour.
0:21:28 > 0:21:30'But this wasn't the time to stop.
0:21:30 > 0:21:34'After a two-minute break, I was back on the move.'
0:21:34 > 0:21:37There's a long way to go, so I shouldn't get carried away.
0:21:37 > 0:21:39But... I'm feeling good.
0:21:40 > 0:21:43Soon, I'll be into single figures!
0:21:55 > 0:21:57'The final few miles were hard,
0:21:57 > 0:22:00'but I kept telling myself that the worst was over.
0:22:00 > 0:22:05'The finish line was now so close quitting was not an option.'
0:22:05 > 0:22:08One final push and this is all over.
0:22:08 > 0:22:09CHEERING
0:22:09 > 0:22:13'The finish line was in sight. After 23 hours and 50 minutes,
0:22:13 > 0:22:17'I made it, with just ten minutes to spare.
0:22:17 > 0:22:18CHEERING
0:22:18 > 0:22:19Woo!
0:22:20 > 0:22:22Oh! Thank you!
0:22:25 > 0:22:27You all right?
0:22:27 > 0:22:29Oh, it's you! Do you know what, Freya?
0:22:29 > 0:22:32Freya's been with us all week and I kept thinking,
0:22:32 > 0:22:35"If I don't finish it, she's going to think, 'Why?'"
0:22:35 > 0:22:37And I could just picture your sad face!
0:22:40 > 0:22:43That is the most difficult thing I've ever done in my life.
0:22:43 > 0:22:47And there were two occasions when I thought, "I can't do this."
0:22:47 > 0:22:49I thought I was gonna pull out twice.
0:22:49 > 0:22:52- Well done, you!- Absolute granite. Absolute granite, mate, well done.
0:22:52 > 0:22:55Well done.
0:22:55 > 0:22:59'With the last runners across the line, the race was over.
0:22:59 > 0:23:01'But there was one more surprise for me.
0:23:01 > 0:23:03- SHE SCREAMS - 'My mum!'
0:23:03 > 0:23:06What you doing here?
0:23:06 > 0:23:10'She'd come all the way from the UK to see me at the finish.'
0:23:10 > 0:23:12I had no idea you were coming!
0:23:12 > 0:23:14Well done. I'm so proud of you.
0:23:14 > 0:23:17You would never get on a plane to Africa!
0:23:17 > 0:23:18She doesn't like long flights.
0:23:24 > 0:23:25What she managed to achieve
0:23:25 > 0:23:29with the short time she had for training was absolutely incredible.
0:23:29 > 0:23:33She came eighth out of 23.
0:23:33 > 0:23:37I think if you finish this, it's mainly down to your mental strength
0:23:37 > 0:23:40She had the attitude, "I've just gotta finish this race"
0:23:40 > 0:23:43She did that with a lot of pain in her feet as well.
0:23:43 > 0:23:46She did fantastically well on this event.
0:23:46 > 0:23:47When I started this,
0:23:47 > 0:23:50I kind of wanted to find out something about myself.
0:23:50 > 0:23:53And I kind of wanted to know what I was capable of.
0:23:53 > 0:23:59But...it soon became about not letting people doubt you.
0:23:59 > 0:24:02And do you know what? If anyone says you can't do anything,
0:24:02 > 0:24:05just get your head down and get on with it.
0:24:05 > 0:24:07Cos you probably can.