0:00:02 > 0:00:05This programme contains some strong language.
0:00:05 > 0:00:08Eddie Izzard - comedian, actor and occasional long-distance runner.
0:00:08 > 0:00:12Eddie's come to South Africa - and he's been here before.
0:00:12 > 0:00:14Is that from last time?
0:00:14 > 0:00:18It's his second attempt at a seemingly impossible challenge.
0:00:18 > 0:00:20Yes.
0:00:20 > 0:00:24It all began four years ago, in 2012, when Eddie set out
0:00:24 > 0:00:27on a super-tough South African journey -
0:00:27 > 0:00:30to run 27 marathons in 27 days.
0:00:30 > 0:00:31CHEERING
0:00:31 > 0:00:33CHILDREN CHANT
0:00:33 > 0:00:36And why did he set himself this mammoth task?
0:00:36 > 0:00:40To celebrate one of his great heroes - the anti-apartheid leader
0:00:40 > 0:00:43and South African President Nelson Mandela,
0:00:43 > 0:00:47who spent 27 years in prison for his political beliefs...
0:00:49 > 0:00:51..but four marathons in, on his original attempt,
0:00:51 > 0:00:53Eddie was struggling.
0:00:53 > 0:00:55His pee turned a darker shade of weird.
0:00:55 > 0:00:57It's still red.
0:00:57 > 0:01:01All was not right. The medics called a halt.
0:01:01 > 0:01:03You've got to go to Casualty.
0:01:03 > 0:01:06A devastated Eddie spent three days in hospital.
0:01:07 > 0:01:11The challenge was called off - but he made a promise.
0:01:13 > 0:01:14I don't want to give up.
0:01:18 > 0:01:20Looks like Africa beat me this time.
0:01:22 > 0:01:24I will return and finish this.
0:01:27 > 0:01:31Four years later, true to his word, a leaner, healthier Eddie
0:01:31 > 0:01:34has returned to South Africa to finish the job...
0:01:34 > 0:01:38It's just dawn. Over here, we've got donkeys at the bus stop.
0:01:38 > 0:01:41..and this time, he's given himself an added incentive -
0:01:41 > 0:01:44he's raising cash for Sport Relief.
0:01:44 > 0:01:45- CHILDREN CHANT:- Eddie! Eddie!
0:01:45 > 0:01:47We're just running for Sport Relief.
0:01:47 > 0:01:50I don't know if you've got any spare milk you can...?
0:01:50 > 0:01:54But second time around, the challenge is just as tough...
0:01:56 > 0:01:57..and just as painful.
0:01:57 > 0:01:59HE GROANS
0:01:59 > 0:02:00Spray me! Spray me like crazy!
0:02:00 > 0:02:02Ah!
0:02:02 > 0:02:04Agh!
0:02:04 > 0:02:07This time, can Eddie make it all the way to the finish?
0:02:07 > 0:02:09Oh, stop. I want to stop.
0:02:11 > 0:02:15This programme contains some strong language.
0:02:15 > 0:02:17Um... Hi.
0:02:17 > 0:02:23I have to run 27 marathons in 27 days, from tomorrow. No days off.
0:02:23 > 0:02:26I tried it four years ago and I failed.
0:02:26 > 0:02:28This time, I must succeed.
0:02:32 > 0:02:33I think I can do it.
0:02:35 > 0:02:38BIRDS TWEET
0:02:38 > 0:02:41That is sunrise. This is Africa.
0:02:41 > 0:02:43Um...
0:02:43 > 0:02:45I should just get this thing going.
0:02:46 > 0:02:48I just want to get it going.
0:02:48 > 0:02:50Can I go now? No, I have to go warm up.
0:02:50 > 0:02:52CREW LAUGHS
0:02:52 > 0:02:53- MAN:- Arms up.
0:02:53 > 0:02:57It's an early morning. Temperatures are still cool.
0:02:57 > 0:03:02Eddie's physio, Tim, walks him through the first of many warm-ups.
0:03:02 > 0:03:06This is the same flag that I ran with four years ago.
0:03:06 > 0:03:07It's a small psychological thing.
0:03:07 > 0:03:10Flags are bizarrely powerful and passionate.
0:03:10 > 0:03:13- Guys, I'll go.- OK, Eddie.
0:03:13 > 0:03:15- WOMAN:- Good luck. - Cheers.
0:03:15 > 0:03:17CREW CLAPS AND CHEERS
0:03:20 > 0:03:24Eddie's running route will trace the story of Nelson Mandela's life,
0:03:24 > 0:03:27starting in his birthplace, here in the Eastern Cape.
0:03:30 > 0:03:32It's this area that shaped a young Nelson.
0:03:32 > 0:03:35It's rugged, rural and tough -
0:03:35 > 0:03:38and tough for Eddie to run in, as it's hotter than hotness!
0:03:40 > 0:03:44Midday temperatures can push past 40 degrees.
0:03:46 > 0:03:49Yeah, I'm beginning to feel heat on this cheek.
0:03:49 > 0:03:53Yeah, it's going to get increasingly hotter.
0:03:54 > 0:03:57Well, that's a quarter of a marathon. Easy to do, really.
0:03:57 > 0:03:58- Looking good.- There you go.
0:03:58 > 0:04:02Then we'll fake the rest in post... What do you call it? Green screen.
0:04:02 > 0:04:04- Postproduction!- Yeah! - LAUGHTER
0:04:04 > 0:04:06Just put me panting. Slow it down.
0:04:06 > 0:04:08CHICKEN CLUCKS
0:04:08 > 0:04:12We are in Mvezo, and this is the birthplace of Nelson Mandela.
0:04:12 > 0:04:14Just in that area was where he was born,
0:04:14 > 0:04:18so this area, he would've been around here as a kid.
0:04:18 > 0:04:20- I'm just running around. - SHE LAUGHS:- Good!
0:04:20 > 0:04:22I like the flag.
0:04:25 > 0:04:28For Eddie, who has done no heat acclimatisation,
0:04:28 > 0:04:31having literally arrived last night,
0:04:31 > 0:04:33Day 1 is his extreme marathon-y way
0:04:33 > 0:04:36of getting used to soaking up the rays
0:04:36 > 0:04:40and familiarising himself with the route he's attempted before.
0:04:40 > 0:04:45- Hello. Good to see you again, Zim. - Yes, nice meeting you again, Eddie.
0:04:45 > 0:04:47- We saw each other four years ago. - Yeah.
0:04:47 > 0:04:50You said I was a little bit crazy, and I think I am a little bit crazy.
0:04:50 > 0:04:54- We are at Nelson Mandela's village. - Right.
0:04:54 > 0:04:57Right behind you, on the other side, is Nelson Mandela's house.
0:04:57 > 0:05:00- Oh, that's...?- His residence.- That's where he lived?!- Across the road.
0:05:00 > 0:05:03And, if you look up the road on the other side, there,
0:05:03 > 0:05:04mainly on the top of the hill,
0:05:04 > 0:05:06you will see his grave on the other side.
0:05:06 > 0:05:09I met him once. He didn't know who I was. He thought I was crazy.
0:05:09 > 0:05:12And the fact that I failed last time and I've come back -
0:05:12 > 0:05:15- he once said, apparently, "Don't judge me by my successes..."- Yes.
0:05:15 > 0:05:16"..judge me by the number of times
0:05:16 > 0:05:19- "I failed and got back up again." - Got up again.- Exactly.
0:05:19 > 0:05:23- Can I have a quick look through? - Yes, we can go inside. Let's go.
0:05:23 > 0:05:26He might be in the middle of a marathon, but Eddie can't resist
0:05:26 > 0:05:29finding time for Zim to show him the Mandela Museum.
0:05:31 > 0:05:32Oh, here's a good quote.
0:05:36 > 0:05:40He was a tonne of energy and charm,
0:05:40 > 0:05:43and I would've liked to have known him better.
0:05:43 > 0:05:46But instead, I'll have to do this and, er...
0:05:47 > 0:05:50Yeah, he's one of my inspirations.
0:05:54 > 0:05:58Topped up on inspiration, Eddie, now doing his own long walk, and run,
0:05:58 > 0:06:02has plenty of time to ponder the enormity of his own challenge.
0:06:02 > 0:06:04I can't read what it says.
0:06:04 > 0:06:06- MAN:- Yay! - WOMAN:- Wahey!
0:06:06 > 0:06:07APPLAUSE
0:06:07 > 0:06:10This is Africa, this is what I'll be running through.
0:06:10 > 0:06:11I'm running down to Cape Town.
0:06:11 > 0:06:13That's crazy - across the face of South Africa.
0:06:13 > 0:06:16And then, I want to run through that...
0:06:16 > 0:06:18cos it's good for the soul.
0:06:21 > 0:06:22So this is Day 2.
0:06:23 > 0:06:26I am kind of wondering...
0:06:26 > 0:06:30did I really...decide...to do this?
0:06:30 > 0:06:34Day 2's route will take Eddie from Nelson Mandela's homelands
0:06:34 > 0:06:37to the railway station where he left the provinces.
0:06:38 > 0:06:42Tim runs a check on the inside of Eddie's head.
0:06:42 > 0:06:44Enthusiasm for today's marathon?
0:06:46 > 0:06:48OK. Energy levels?
0:06:59 > 0:07:04Eddie flew through Day 1, but he's already suffering with sunburn.
0:07:04 > 0:07:09But the real issue is psychological. Rick Matthews has planned the route.
0:07:09 > 0:07:12There's a fairly rough gorge you've got to go through.
0:07:12 > 0:07:16- Rough ground surface or...? - Rough ground surface.- Right, OK.
0:07:16 > 0:07:19- Great.- OK?- OK.
0:07:19 > 0:07:23The worry is not completing all 27 marathons...
0:07:23 > 0:07:26rough ground has given Eddie's feet injuries before.
0:07:26 > 0:07:29- If we have tension here, we have tension here.- Exactly.
0:07:29 > 0:07:31So tension in the mind gives us tension in the body,
0:07:31 > 0:07:34so, if we can just focus on the task for right now...
0:07:39 > 0:07:42PEOPLE SHOUT ENCOURAGEMENT
0:07:46 > 0:07:48HE PANTS
0:07:48 > 0:07:51No, please, don't! Don't hurt my back!
0:07:51 > 0:07:53- HE PANTS:- Please, don't!
0:07:53 > 0:07:56Please don't hurt my back.
0:07:56 > 0:07:58Oh, fuck!
0:07:59 > 0:08:03This is the... It makes it so tough!
0:08:03 > 0:08:06Because there's no clear line to run on.
0:08:06 > 0:08:07Can you see all this?
0:08:07 > 0:08:09HE PANTS
0:08:09 > 0:08:11That's what makes it bloody hard!
0:08:11 > 0:08:14Eddie has run 22km this morning.
0:08:14 > 0:08:16- It's the halfway point. - I need a minute.
0:08:16 > 0:08:19- Is it that right-hand side?- Yeah. - But he's struggling.- This is hard.
0:08:19 > 0:08:22The rough roads have jarred his back.
0:08:22 > 0:08:25To monitor his health, he's brought a doctor -
0:08:25 > 0:08:28his old school friend Gary.
0:08:28 > 0:08:30God, this is tough!
0:08:30 > 0:08:32He's got a little bit of heat fatigue.
0:08:32 > 0:08:34His core body temperature's probably...
0:08:34 > 0:08:35has obviously gone up very high.
0:08:35 > 0:08:38It's making him feel a little bit dizzy and a little bit nauseous.
0:08:38 > 0:08:40HE PANTS AND GROANS
0:08:40 > 0:08:42Oh, stop. I want to stop.
0:08:42 > 0:08:45He's feeling pretty crap at the moment, but, hopefully,
0:08:45 > 0:08:49we can just get over this little hump and get things back on track.
0:08:49 > 0:08:52And, of course, he's worried that he's, second day, hurting -
0:08:52 > 0:08:54"Am I going to be able to do this?"
0:08:54 > 0:08:56HE GROANS
0:08:56 > 0:08:59Eddie has run endurance marathons before.
0:08:59 > 0:09:03He knows it's not just whether his body can take the pain,
0:09:03 > 0:09:06but also if he can beat the doubts in his mind.
0:09:06 > 0:09:07(Christ!)
0:09:07 > 0:09:12He always had a kind of dream - a kind of dreamy kid, fantasies -
0:09:12 > 0:09:14and, at that time, we just thought he was some kid
0:09:14 > 0:09:17who just was having impossible dreams.
0:09:17 > 0:09:19- HE SNIFFS:- It's tough.
0:09:21 > 0:09:23It's only Day 2.
0:09:23 > 0:09:25HE SIGHS
0:09:25 > 0:09:26But the amazing thing about him
0:09:26 > 0:09:29is that he's fulfilled many of those dreams -
0:09:29 > 0:09:31and continues to have mad dreams
0:09:31 > 0:09:34and then work bloody hard to achieve them.
0:09:34 > 0:09:38- I need someone to talk to.- OK. - WOMAN: Want to run?- OK.
0:09:38 > 0:09:42- MAN:- See you, Eddie. - EDDIE PANTS
0:09:42 > 0:09:46Gary is here as a doctor - but, for now, Eddie's got his old schoolmate
0:09:46 > 0:09:50to just chat and walk him through the day.
0:09:50 > 0:09:52We've known each other since we were 13.
0:09:52 > 0:09:54We went to school together.
0:09:54 > 0:09:56I have dragged him along. He's a good doctor.
0:09:56 > 0:09:58Um, he's a very thoughtful doctor.
0:10:01 > 0:10:05I was throwing up about half an hour ago.
0:10:05 > 0:10:07Now I feel a little better.
0:10:07 > 0:10:12It's all part of running in 35 degrees temperature.
0:10:12 > 0:10:14- Is this the finish, by any chance? - It is, mate.
0:10:15 > 0:10:19WHOOPING
0:10:19 > 0:10:23I run, I walk, I stagger, I crawl.
0:10:23 > 0:10:25Whatever, just get it done.
0:10:25 > 0:10:26Some coolness.
0:10:26 > 0:10:29HE PANTS
0:10:29 > 0:10:32This is the morning of the third marathon.
0:10:33 > 0:10:35I feel slightly more positive this morning.
0:10:40 > 0:10:42Today we're going to do one of the slowest marathons
0:10:42 > 0:10:43that history has ever seen.
0:10:43 > 0:10:47Dr Gary here has said today should be a recovery marathon.
0:10:47 > 0:10:49Recovery is normally what you do...
0:10:49 > 0:10:53You do a marathon and then you have your recovery day, week, whatever -
0:10:53 > 0:10:55but I'm not doing any recovery,
0:10:55 > 0:10:57so, the idea of a recovery marathon...
0:10:57 > 0:10:59- did you just come up with that? - Yeah.
0:10:59 > 0:11:00He just came up with that.
0:11:00 > 0:11:03We're having to invent systems as we go.
0:11:03 > 0:11:07Just got to get through these next couple of days.
0:11:07 > 0:11:09Psychologically, that was the barrier -
0:11:09 > 0:11:14we've got to get beyond the point where it all went wrong last time.
0:11:16 > 0:11:21In 2012, I attempted to run 27 marathons in 27 days.
0:11:21 > 0:11:26On the third marathon, I started to pee brown-coloured pee,
0:11:26 > 0:11:28so that happened on Day 3.
0:11:28 > 0:11:30That turned out to be rhabdomyolysis,
0:11:30 > 0:11:34where your muscles start shredding, going into your blood stream.
0:11:35 > 0:11:37Thank you.
0:11:39 > 0:11:43But on this attempt, so far, Eddie's body seems to be holding up.
0:11:43 > 0:11:46If there's a psychological barrier from last time,
0:11:46 > 0:11:47he's not only pushed through it,
0:11:47 > 0:11:52he's positively vaulted it and is frolicking in the fields.
0:11:52 > 0:11:56This is goats having a biff session. The ladies, well...
0:11:56 > 0:11:59The ladies back there are not that interested.
0:11:59 > 0:12:03I'm running to Cape Town for Madiba.
0:12:03 > 0:12:04You are running?
0:12:04 > 0:12:07- We started from Mvezo, where he was born. Nelson Mandela, yeah?- Yes.
0:12:07 > 0:12:10He was born in his home place and we went through Mqhekezweni,
0:12:10 > 0:12:12where he was a teenager
0:12:12 > 0:12:15and now we're just going through, we're going to run all the way down.
0:12:15 > 0:12:19I've come from England and I'm doing that and I'm a little bit crazy.
0:12:19 > 0:12:21I understand it very well.
0:12:21 > 0:12:23I like people!
0:12:25 > 0:12:27Good afternoon. We're...
0:12:27 > 0:12:28We're just running for Sport Relief.
0:12:28 > 0:12:31I don't know if you've got any spare milk you can...
0:12:32 > 0:12:34Oh, no, you're a he... Oh, no, no.
0:12:34 > 0:12:39Well, anything, anything cows could come up with.
0:12:51 > 0:12:53Day 4, South Africa.
0:12:54 > 0:12:58I think I'm a little stronger than I was.
0:12:58 > 0:13:00Today is a key day.
0:13:00 > 0:13:05Checking for my body and how it works
0:13:05 > 0:13:07and I'm very anxious about this.
0:13:09 > 0:13:11Eddie might be anxious
0:13:11 > 0:13:14and Dr Gary has to head back to the UK later today,
0:13:14 > 0:13:18but his team does include a dedicated medic and ambulance.
0:13:18 > 0:13:20Meet Tony.
0:13:20 > 0:13:23Exercise is 50% mental and 50% physical.
0:13:23 > 0:13:26I'm in the mental stage at the moment.
0:13:26 > 0:13:29- DR GARY:- What we're doing even more than anything is checking his urine
0:13:29 > 0:13:31just to see if there's any blood in the urine.
0:13:31 > 0:13:34As well as that, we're going to do some blood tests.
0:13:34 > 0:13:36The reason I'm doing the bloods
0:13:36 > 0:13:41is to make we're not having any incipient muscle damage
0:13:41 > 0:13:46ending up in rhabdomyolysis, which is obviously the big fear.
0:13:46 > 0:13:50Eddie's health is paramount, so there is a strict regime.
0:13:50 > 0:13:51We need a urine sample, as well,
0:13:51 > 0:13:54and we probably shouldn't do that on screen.
0:13:54 > 0:13:56Sure, we won't.
0:13:59 > 0:14:01Right, take care.
0:14:01 > 0:14:03- Keep running.- See you back in...
0:14:03 > 0:14:05- See you back in two weeks. - Two weeks.
0:14:05 > 0:14:07Two weeks? Two weeks' time?
0:14:07 > 0:14:09See you, Gary.
0:14:09 > 0:14:12As Gary goes to have the pee tested and head home,
0:14:12 > 0:14:14Eddie battles on through the rolling hills.
0:14:14 > 0:14:16He's off and I'm off.
0:14:17 > 0:14:21And a lone road and temperatures like being in a bush fire.
0:14:21 > 0:14:23I thought it was going to be quite hot,
0:14:23 > 0:14:25but I didn't quite realise it was going to...
0:14:25 > 0:14:27I thought we were going to get to 26s up to 30s,
0:14:27 > 0:14:29but we're hitting mid-30s every day.
0:14:31 > 0:14:33- 39.- It's 39, baby.
0:14:45 > 0:14:47But the weather here can change dramatically,
0:14:47 > 0:14:50as a local like Tony knows.
0:14:50 > 0:14:51You can see the wind.
0:14:51 > 0:14:52It's very, very heavy.
0:14:52 > 0:14:55Inside this, we could be having a lot of hail.
0:14:55 > 0:14:56If you get hit by hail,
0:14:56 > 0:14:59some of this hail appears very, very big and can do a lot of damage
0:14:59 > 0:15:02and on top of that, we've got a heck of a lot of lightning
0:15:02 > 0:15:03and that is not good.
0:15:03 > 0:15:07So I'm keeping an eye on that and if I'm not happy, I'm going to call it.
0:15:07 > 0:15:09- OK.- Cool, thanks.
0:15:10 > 0:15:12WIND WHISTLES
0:15:13 > 0:15:16THUNDER RUMBLES
0:15:20 > 0:15:23Coming into a storm in Africa.
0:15:23 > 0:15:27If you spin over to there, you can see it coming in.
0:15:27 > 0:15:33We're going to keep going. We've done 26km. There's another 16 to go.
0:15:33 > 0:15:36But we're heading into a storm. At least it's cool.
0:15:36 > 0:15:37The cows - not bothered.
0:15:37 > 0:15:40The cows, they're fine and they just carry on...
0:15:40 > 0:15:42Let's go.
0:15:42 > 0:15:44Thankfully, rain doesn't stop play
0:15:44 > 0:15:47and a cooler Eddie breezes through marathon four...
0:15:52 > 0:15:55..but next morning, Eddie's been stopped dead in his tracks.
0:15:57 > 0:15:59It's Day 5.
0:15:59 > 0:16:02I am not running today, which is not the message I wanted to give.
0:16:03 > 0:16:07What's happened is that every day we check my pee
0:16:07 > 0:16:10to make sure that everything's working internally OK.
0:16:10 > 0:16:12Yesterday, we took a safety blood check
0:16:12 > 0:16:14and Dr Gary was not happy with the result,
0:16:14 > 0:16:17so we're doing an extra safety blood check today
0:16:17 > 0:16:20and we're taking a day off, that's what's happening.
0:16:20 > 0:16:23To rub salt in his wounds, Eddie's had to return
0:16:23 > 0:16:24to the very same hospital
0:16:24 > 0:16:27where his attempt crashed to a halt four years ago.
0:16:28 > 0:16:30This is where I am at the moment.
0:16:32 > 0:16:36About to have my blood test.
0:16:37 > 0:16:40It's an anxious wait for the outcome of the tests.
0:16:40 > 0:16:42The morning of the fifth day and it's now about 11:30.
0:16:42 > 0:16:46I would already have run at least half a marathon by this time.
0:16:46 > 0:16:48So, we're now going to go inside.
0:16:48 > 0:16:51The results have been sent straight to Dr Gary,
0:16:51 > 0:16:52who phones in with the verdict.
0:16:54 > 0:16:56It's good news. Sort of.
0:17:02 > 0:17:05I can do a walking marathon tomorrow
0:17:05 > 0:17:07and we just monitor like crazy.
0:17:08 > 0:17:10OK.
0:17:15 > 0:17:17Yeah, thank you for that -
0:17:17 > 0:17:19my brisk walk is no different to...
0:17:19 > 0:17:21I know, this is the weird thing.
0:17:21 > 0:17:24- OK, talk to you later. - ALL:- Bye.
0:17:24 > 0:17:26It might only be to talk briskly,
0:17:26 > 0:17:30but the great news is that tomorrow, Eddie is back on track.
0:17:30 > 0:17:32I'm not doing this cos I'm a running nut,
0:17:32 > 0:17:36I'm doing this because it's positive and...
0:17:38 > 0:17:40I think about last time and...
0:17:43 > 0:17:44I don't like doing that.
0:17:47 > 0:17:51It is the morning of the sixth day.
0:17:51 > 0:17:53The sixth day, fifth marathon.
0:17:54 > 0:17:57And I will still have 22 marathons to go
0:17:57 > 0:17:59and I need 21 days to do it in.
0:18:03 > 0:18:05Eddie's a day behind his marathon schedule,
0:18:05 > 0:18:07but he's determined to hit the road.
0:18:07 > 0:18:09Dawn, dawn over Africa.
0:18:09 > 0:18:13Look at the sun, look at it! That's going to be burning into me.
0:18:15 > 0:18:18With Gary away, Tony has done the physical tests.
0:18:18 > 0:18:20Now it's up to Eddie to mentally power through.
0:18:22 > 0:18:25- APPLAUSE - Marching.
0:18:25 > 0:18:28We, as a team, will now monitor him today
0:18:28 > 0:18:31and we're just going to see how he handles the heat.
0:18:35 > 0:18:38Four and a half hours and, uh...
0:18:38 > 0:18:41Yeah, suddenly a wave of exhaustion. At least it's not nausea.
0:18:49 > 0:18:51He's going up, 36.7.
0:18:52 > 0:18:54It's not into the danger zone just yet.
0:18:57 > 0:19:00Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun.
0:19:00 > 0:19:03It's one o'clock - about quarter past one.
0:19:03 > 0:19:05Two thirds of the way through today's marathon,
0:19:05 > 0:19:08as well as tiredness and heat,
0:19:08 > 0:19:10Eddie's lower back is killing him.
0:19:11 > 0:19:15Physio Tim is worried that Eddie is ignoring his body's warning signs.
0:19:15 > 0:19:17Keeps clutching at his side -
0:19:17 > 0:19:18we're seeing the same thing
0:19:18 > 0:19:21that we've seen for the last four marathons,
0:19:21 > 0:19:24then this bit today, and he can't cope with the heat,
0:19:24 > 0:19:26he gets slightly delirious, a bit nauseous.
0:19:26 > 0:19:28There's something wrong with his right kidney
0:19:28 > 0:19:29and I don't know what it is,
0:19:29 > 0:19:31but I think that's what's giving him the pain,
0:19:31 > 0:19:33I think that's what's altering his blood levels.
0:19:33 > 0:19:36I hope I'm wrong, but I don't want to take the risk.
0:19:38 > 0:19:39I just need someone to tell me
0:19:39 > 0:19:43that that kidney on your right side is absolutely fine.
0:19:44 > 0:19:47Right-sided back pain, the inability to be able to cope with the heat.
0:19:47 > 0:19:51- The bad back we're saying is the kidney?- I think so -
0:19:51 > 0:19:53and I think it's all referred from the kidney.
0:19:53 > 0:19:56I think it's when your kidney is struggling to function.
0:19:56 > 0:19:57The team has decided that Eddie
0:19:57 > 0:19:59needs to be checked out in a hospital
0:19:59 > 0:20:02before he runs or walks another step.
0:20:02 > 0:20:05- I need to be checked out before I finish?- Yep.- Yep.
0:20:05 > 0:20:07- Like, now, because it's really, really hot.- It's too hot.
0:20:07 > 0:20:10- It's still boiling hot.- I can't afford to take this risk, Eddie.
0:20:10 > 0:20:12This is your life we're talking about.
0:20:12 > 0:20:14I know we want to raise money,
0:20:14 > 0:20:16I know we want to succeed doing the 27,
0:20:16 > 0:20:19but there's no point in me putting you at risk.
0:20:20 > 0:20:21It's not right, mate.
0:20:21 > 0:20:24You shouldn't be behaving like that in this heat.
0:20:24 > 0:20:26This isn't out-of-control heat.
0:20:28 > 0:20:32Needing a second opinion, the team phone Dr Gary.
0:20:32 > 0:20:33Eddie and Tim are here.
0:20:33 > 0:20:36I don't know if you agree, Gary - there are too many variables,
0:20:36 > 0:20:40too many things that are a bit weird and I just can't take the risk.
0:20:53 > 0:20:54- OK, let's go.- Lovely.
0:20:57 > 0:21:00- Lovely.- OK.- Thanks, Gary, we'll be in touch later.
0:21:02 > 0:21:05Already a day behind his schedule,
0:21:05 > 0:21:07Eddie is heading to another hospital
0:21:07 > 0:21:10for kidney scans that could call the whole thing off.
0:21:12 > 0:21:16The blood test results have been put on urgent
0:21:16 > 0:21:18and if they find them clear,
0:21:18 > 0:21:22then we'll be able to get back onto the road again.
0:21:22 > 0:21:24As well as the blood and kidney tests,
0:21:24 > 0:21:26Eddie is on a liquid drip for rehydration.
0:21:28 > 0:21:31Hours later, he's discharged.
0:21:32 > 0:21:34Something... It's good news.
0:21:34 > 0:21:40The doctor, he said it's not kidney, and he was banging around my kidney
0:21:40 > 0:21:42and he said, "That's where all your stuff was?"
0:21:42 > 0:21:45and he's a nephrologist, which means he's Captain Kidney.
0:21:45 > 0:21:49It turns out the problem wasn't his kidneys. It was chronic dehydration.
0:21:49 > 0:21:52The rollercoaster continues.
0:21:52 > 0:21:56Day 2, heatstroke, then go out, then it's on, it's off,
0:21:56 > 0:22:00day after day, now we're back, I'm marching, in the next day,
0:22:00 > 0:22:03we're out, it's now...
0:22:03 > 0:22:04HE SIGHS
0:22:13 > 0:22:16Today, after the hospital rehydration,
0:22:16 > 0:22:19Eddie's starting off by refreshing his mental fluids.
0:22:19 > 0:22:22No longer pounding the roads, he's running the labyrinth
0:22:22 > 0:22:27at Hogsback, an elaborate maze that twists and turns for 1.4km.
0:22:29 > 0:22:32It's here that people come to find the answers to life's questions,
0:22:32 > 0:22:35like, "Will Eddie make the finish line?"
0:22:35 > 0:22:36I don't know if I have my answer,
0:22:36 > 0:22:38but I'm taking it all one day at a time.
0:22:40 > 0:22:42We'd like dogs to help.
0:22:42 > 0:22:44If they could get together
0:22:44 > 0:22:47all the dog food... Oh, forget it, then.
0:22:47 > 0:22:50Two dogs there. Hello, dogs. Can you give to Sport Relief?
0:22:50 > 0:22:54No, they're saying no. That's dogs, but humans can give.
0:22:54 > 0:22:55Good morning.
0:22:55 > 0:22:59Yesterday's hospital visit lost Eddie another third of a marathon,
0:22:59 > 0:23:02but today has to be a change of pace.
0:23:02 > 0:23:05I'm taking everything very easy,
0:23:05 > 0:23:08like, cos of everything, I'm just being a little bit precious.
0:23:10 > 0:23:12There's monkeys over here.
0:23:13 > 0:23:15I've got monkeys here, monkeys in all...
0:23:15 > 0:23:18There's a monkey just there, if you can see him.
0:23:18 > 0:23:20There's one up there walking along.
0:23:23 > 0:23:24I feel great.
0:23:24 > 0:23:28Can we just stay here and run round and round and round?
0:23:28 > 0:23:30The deal with spiders is they kill flies.
0:23:30 > 0:23:31Have you noticed how many flies there are?
0:23:31 > 0:23:33They're not really working hard enough.
0:23:33 > 0:23:36Spiders just sit there going, "I hope a fly will come along."
0:23:36 > 0:23:38No. All the flies are elsewhere.
0:23:38 > 0:23:42If God was there going, "Yeah, I want creepy-crawlies.
0:23:42 > 0:23:44"Things that hang in webs and they go, 'La-la-la,'
0:23:44 > 0:23:47"and they bite you and your head falls off."
0:23:47 > 0:23:52This is Hogsback and there's this beautiful countryside behind.
0:23:52 > 0:23:55Madonna was here with her kid. One of her kids.
0:23:55 > 0:23:58- How do you know that?- It says that, "Madonna & Child Falls."
0:24:06 > 0:24:09Eddie's still a marathon and a third behind schedule.
0:24:11 > 0:24:13To even begin to get himself back on track,
0:24:13 > 0:24:16he wants to run an additional 14km today.
0:24:21 > 0:24:23- HE EXHALES - So I get up...
0:24:23 > 0:24:26with an air of despondency
0:24:26 > 0:24:28having had about four or five hours' sleep.
0:24:30 > 0:24:31This is very, very tough.
0:24:33 > 0:24:36I'd like to pick up this extra third of a marathon.
0:24:36 > 0:24:38Adding on an extra third of a marathon.
0:24:41 > 0:24:44If we get this going, then maybe I've got six hours' running,
0:24:44 > 0:24:46so I've got to get done and dusted
0:24:46 > 0:24:50and try and finish off all these marathons.
0:24:51 > 0:24:52I'm starting now.
0:24:54 > 0:24:58Anyone come with me if they're coming with me. If not, I'm going.
0:24:58 > 0:25:00Nine minutes late.
0:25:00 > 0:25:02OK, I'm off.
0:25:04 > 0:25:06To run an extra third of a marathon today,
0:25:06 > 0:25:08Eddie's really got to pick up the pace.
0:25:08 > 0:25:12He's raced off fast, but it's taking its toll.
0:25:14 > 0:25:16I'm just trying to get this done.
0:25:16 > 0:25:18I haven't got energy for anything.
0:25:18 > 0:25:20My leg hurts, we've dropped time.
0:25:21 > 0:25:22I'm not in a good place.
0:25:23 > 0:25:26Sarah, Yvonne, get out and get your spray guns going,
0:25:26 > 0:25:27just get 'em going.
0:25:27 > 0:25:30Spray me, spray me like crazy.
0:25:30 > 0:25:32We've lost a lot of time now.
0:25:33 > 0:25:34With the sun climbing
0:25:34 > 0:25:37and Eddie's body temperature going through the roof,
0:25:37 > 0:25:40the team are on standby to help him keep cool and moving.
0:25:41 > 0:25:44OK, that's the virtual runner. As that ticks down,
0:25:44 > 0:25:47if that gets to nought, then I'm behind time.
0:25:47 > 0:25:50I'm trying...trying to get the whole thing done.
0:25:57 > 0:26:01When he started, he started so fast, you know,
0:26:01 > 0:26:03which was surprising to me,
0:26:03 > 0:26:04and I can understand why -
0:26:04 > 0:26:08the mind-set of wanting to catch up, he's behind and whatnot.
0:26:08 > 0:26:13That's very admirable. His dedication is overwhelming.
0:26:14 > 0:26:16Big respect to the man, big respect.
0:26:16 > 0:26:19I say, if many people could be a bit more dedicated
0:26:19 > 0:26:22to life like that, this world would be a fantastic place.
0:26:22 > 0:26:25- THEY CHANT:- Eddie! Eddie! Eddie! Eddie!
0:26:25 > 0:26:26Thank you.
0:26:27 > 0:26:29Thank you.
0:26:29 > 0:26:31It's noon, and to everyone's amazement,
0:26:31 > 0:26:35Eddie has already battled through a full marathon to add to his total.
0:26:38 > 0:26:40I've done six and two-thirds marathons, that's what I've done
0:26:40 > 0:26:43and I'll finish off the third, then I'll have done seven.
0:26:43 > 0:26:45Psychologically, I'm good.
0:26:45 > 0:26:48I am tired, I did push it, but we got there.
0:26:50 > 0:26:56Today, the running gods delivered me a marathon runner.
0:26:56 > 0:26:59But marathon runner Eddie isn't stopping now.
0:26:59 > 0:27:02There's another third of a marathon to go today,
0:27:02 > 0:27:04but he's got some special inspiration.
0:27:04 > 0:27:0727 days is nothing compared to the 27 years
0:27:07 > 0:27:10that Nelson Mandela was in prison. It's just so nothing.
0:27:10 > 0:27:1510, 15, probably 20 years where he thought, "Am I getting out?"
0:27:15 > 0:27:17He could have felt, "This is just going to go on forever."
0:27:17 > 0:27:19Forever and ever and ever.
0:27:19 > 0:27:21CHILDREN SING
0:27:23 > 0:27:27This is the poem Invictus, by William Ernest Henley.
0:27:27 > 0:27:31It's a poem that meant a lot to Nelson Mandela,
0:27:31 > 0:27:34particularly when he was in prison for 27 years.
0:27:37 > 0:27:40Out of the night that covers me,
0:27:40 > 0:27:43Black as the pit from pole to pole,
0:27:43 > 0:27:46I thank whatever gods may be
0:27:46 > 0:27:48For my unconquerable soul.
0:27:51 > 0:27:53Beyond this place of wrath and tears
0:27:53 > 0:27:56Looms but the Horror of the shade,
0:27:56 > 0:27:58And yet the menace of the years
0:27:58 > 0:28:03Finds me and shall find me unafraid.
0:28:03 > 0:28:05It matters not how strait the gate,
0:28:05 > 0:28:07How charged with punishments the scroll,
0:28:07 > 0:28:10I am the master of my fate,
0:28:10 > 0:28:13I am the captain of my soul.
0:28:14 > 0:28:17I ran a whole marathon this morning
0:28:17 > 0:28:20I am now trying to run, walk, crawl
0:28:20 > 0:28:21another third of a marathon.
0:28:23 > 0:28:26We've got the wind in my face, the sun's going down.
0:28:30 > 0:28:33If you ever do running, this is kind of beautiful.
0:28:34 > 0:28:37Remember, I am the master of my fate and the captain of my soul.
0:28:37 > 0:28:40We are all masters of our fate and captains of our soul.
0:28:40 > 0:28:45And, if we choose it, we can do good and positive things.
0:29:20 > 0:29:23Eddie's determined to get the Sport Relief message
0:29:23 > 0:29:25out to as many people as possible.
0:29:25 > 0:29:27But running 27 marathons in 27 days
0:29:27 > 0:29:29means there's no time to stop and chat,
0:29:29 > 0:29:33so he's updating the British public whilst he's on the move.
0:29:36 > 0:29:40For the last week, comedian Eddie Izzard has been running
0:29:40 > 0:29:42across South Africa and he joins us live now.
0:29:42 > 0:29:45How are you? You are amazing! How are you doing?
0:29:45 > 0:29:47I'm not brilliant, to be honest, Lorraine.
0:29:47 > 0:29:49It is beautiful, but it's hotter...
0:29:49 > 0:29:53it is just way hotter than what you expect in the UK.
0:29:53 > 0:29:55What is your message to people
0:29:55 > 0:29:57to get off our backsides
0:29:57 > 0:29:59and try and do something as inspiring
0:29:59 > 0:30:01as the thing that you're doing?
0:30:01 > 0:30:02It's a very good question, Piers.
0:30:02 > 0:30:05OK, I'm a determined twit and I just want to keep going.
0:30:09 > 0:30:10If you do marathons a lot,
0:30:10 > 0:30:13you have to listen to the body, to the calfs talking to me -
0:30:13 > 0:30:16the underneath of the right foot is talking to me a bit.
0:30:16 > 0:30:17But not too bad.
0:30:17 > 0:30:20What do we do today? We run a marathon.
0:30:20 > 0:30:24Tim the physio has already put his special mixture of cream
0:30:24 > 0:30:27into my legs so that they feel good.
0:30:27 > 0:30:29Capsicum cream is basically chilli powder,
0:30:29 > 0:30:34so I put the capsicum on, and it just redirects the brain's focus.
0:30:34 > 0:30:38He's a brave man, he's put capsicum cream very close to where his...
0:30:38 > 0:30:41Very close to my gloobles.
0:30:41 > 0:30:44Very close to my ningles, my borombers, my nether regions.
0:30:48 > 0:30:51At the end of every long run, the feet,
0:30:51 > 0:30:54they do get squashed and your parexeous dingle and your dangles
0:30:54 > 0:31:00and your nuble rubens, they don't...it doesn't happen so well,
0:31:00 > 0:31:05so if you put it in water, then it freezes the sub-cortex
0:31:05 > 0:31:09strata, cumulonimbus part of your foot
0:31:09 > 0:31:11and it rearranges all the...
0:31:13 > 0:31:18..the doobly-doos to get them all straight and happy and laughing.
0:31:19 > 0:31:21Anyway, that's why we do the feet.
0:31:24 > 0:31:27Charlie trying to get across the road
0:31:27 > 0:31:28- without... - HE PANTS
0:31:28 > 0:31:33..getting squished by traffic, so we're going to help him.
0:31:33 > 0:31:35The sun's getting up, my legs are burning,
0:31:35 > 0:31:38but I'm just going to make sure that no traffic gets him.
0:31:38 > 0:31:39He's going for it.
0:31:39 > 0:31:42Go on, mate, you're almost there.
0:31:42 > 0:31:43Go for it, mate.
0:31:53 > 0:31:56With temperatures soaring to over 30 degrees centigrade,
0:31:56 > 0:31:58Eddie's finally acclimatised.
0:31:58 > 0:32:01He's becoming a nonstop running machine.
0:32:01 > 0:32:04Even though it's over 31 now,
0:32:04 > 0:32:07in the early days, the first week running,
0:32:07 > 0:32:10this, I'd have just gone, I'd be gone by now.
0:32:12 > 0:32:15But I just trot along, I trot.
0:32:17 > 0:32:19We're nearly there.
0:32:19 > 0:32:21THEY WHOOP AND CHEER
0:32:22 > 0:32:26I've always said when you finish ten marathons,
0:32:26 > 0:32:31you become an ultramarathon runner, but, yeah, it's good -
0:32:31 > 0:32:33ten marathons
0:32:33 > 0:32:35in 11 days.
0:32:35 > 0:32:38Only got 17 more to do.
0:32:45 > 0:32:51I'm running in the Mountain Zebra National Park,
0:32:51 > 0:32:52which is interesting
0:32:52 > 0:32:55and there's going to be a guy with a shotgun, I think, next to me.
0:32:55 > 0:32:58- A ranger, yeah. - A ranger's going to be next to me.
0:32:58 > 0:33:00Going, "Tee-aw!"
0:33:00 > 0:33:03If he has to use it once, it'll be weird. "Pow!"
0:33:03 > 0:33:05"What the hell was that?"
0:33:09 > 0:33:13But snakes, they can bite you, and they have no hospital
0:33:13 > 0:33:16and no antivenom in the area.
0:33:16 > 0:33:19There's tens of thousands of snakes coming down,
0:33:19 > 0:33:22they're all trying to get down and get their breakfast.
0:33:22 > 0:33:25This gun is for protecting our lives
0:33:25 > 0:33:27and even the life of this man
0:33:27 > 0:33:28already running, yeah?
0:33:30 > 0:33:33Yeah, the lions, they are here now, in this area.
0:33:33 > 0:33:36Lions have been spotted in the area.
0:33:36 > 0:33:38More news later at News At Ten.
0:33:42 > 0:33:45Apparently, there are 47 lions over there.
0:33:45 > 0:33:46All with guns.
0:33:48 > 0:33:50THUNDER RUMBLES
0:33:50 > 0:33:53Crazy lightning. Tell me if you saw that lightning, guys.
0:33:53 > 0:33:56The electrical storm rains down on Eddie.
0:33:59 > 0:34:02Then, suddenly, out of nowhere, he has an unexpected encounter...
0:34:02 > 0:34:04- Thank you very much. - ..with a super-fan.
0:34:04 > 0:34:07- Alan Denyer.- Alan Denyer. Hello, Alan.
0:34:07 > 0:34:09Alan's come 600km.
0:34:09 > 0:34:10With a letter.
0:34:10 > 0:34:12He's written me a letter.
0:34:12 > 0:34:14Thank you very much.
0:34:14 > 0:34:15It's a huge honour.
0:34:17 > 0:34:20Sir, it's an absolute honour.
0:34:23 > 0:34:25All the best.
0:34:25 > 0:34:28- Thank you, thank you so much. - Good luck!- Not at all, thank you.
0:34:28 > 0:34:30THUNDER CRACKLES
0:34:37 > 0:34:40It's dawn, it's this big, wide country area.
0:34:40 > 0:34:42This kind of looks amazing.
0:34:42 > 0:34:45- EXHALING:- It's marathon 12
0:34:45 > 0:34:47I'm tired, I've got...
0:34:47 > 0:34:49If there's zero energy,
0:34:49 > 0:34:52I'm just about at that level above zero energy.
0:34:53 > 0:34:56Yeah, I can't talk too much now. I've got to do this.
0:35:10 > 0:35:13Eddie's running through the Western Cape.
0:35:13 > 0:35:15It's one of the wealthier provinces of South Africa...
0:35:15 > 0:35:17- He's a leader. - BOY:- Yes.
0:35:17 > 0:35:19Leader of the pack.
0:35:20 > 0:35:22CHEERING
0:35:22 > 0:35:25..but the region still has its share of problems.
0:35:25 > 0:35:28Thousands of young people are unemployed, unsupported
0:35:28 > 0:35:30and neglected.
0:35:33 > 0:35:37Since 1990, Sport Relief has supported over 200 projects
0:35:37 > 0:35:38here in South Africa,
0:35:38 > 0:35:43helping almost three million people living in difficult circumstances.
0:35:43 > 0:35:45- CHILDREN SHOUT AND HOLLER - Hi!
0:35:45 > 0:35:47Eddie's come to a place called Pop
0:35:47 > 0:35:51that helps 5,000 children and young people living in poverty.
0:35:51 > 0:35:53What does P-O-P stand for?
0:35:54 > 0:35:56Path Out Of Poverty?
0:35:56 > 0:35:59There's a saying on the back of some of the T-shirts,
0:35:59 > 0:36:01it's a Mandela quote, yeah?
0:36:01 > 0:36:03"There's no easy walk to freedom,"
0:36:03 > 0:36:05cos he talked about the long walk to freedom.
0:36:10 > 0:36:12Right.
0:36:44 > 0:36:45Hello.
0:36:45 > 0:36:47Eddie.
0:36:47 > 0:36:48Very nice to meet you.
0:36:48 > 0:36:50Ah, books - I remember school. Oh!
0:36:50 > 0:36:55Where do you think you would be if the centre didn't exist?
0:37:12 > 0:37:13It's great seeing the project.
0:37:13 > 0:37:17I think the people who are donating need to see the project.
0:37:17 > 0:37:19You need to see what's happening.
0:37:19 > 0:37:21It's very good to come and see
0:37:21 > 0:37:24exactly where people's money is going.
0:37:24 > 0:37:28People in the UK are very generous.
0:37:28 > 0:37:32I'm running for Nelson Mandela, I'm running 27 marathons in 27 days.
0:37:34 > 0:37:37'Ingrid, she's come from a very impoverished background
0:37:37 > 0:37:39'and she's worked her way up,
0:37:39 > 0:37:42'running these centres like this and they're well maintained,
0:37:42 > 0:37:44'you can just feel that from inside there.
0:37:44 > 0:37:47'The kids come calm in a relaxed atmosphere,
0:37:47 > 0:37:49'they can play - it's what should be happening.'
0:37:58 > 0:38:01I want to keep up my speed, 7.5kph.
0:38:11 > 0:38:15- Cheers, everyone. Clink, clink, clink, clink.- Whoo!
0:38:15 > 0:38:19This is halfway, this is 13 and a half marathons and here we go.
0:38:19 > 0:38:22So mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun.
0:38:22 > 0:38:25That is what I have to now train to do -
0:38:25 > 0:38:27to be a mad dog.
0:38:29 > 0:38:32Sunrise in Africa.
0:38:32 > 0:38:33The colours are pretty good.
0:38:35 > 0:38:36- Hello! Hello!- Hello!
0:38:45 > 0:38:48COCKEREL CROWS
0:38:48 > 0:38:51There you go, 4:50am.
0:38:51 > 0:38:55Now, sunrise is, I think, in about an hour's time,
0:38:55 > 0:38:59so these cockerels, they haven't got a clue when it's sunrise or sunset.
0:38:59 > 0:39:01The cockerel is crowing way too early.
0:39:02 > 0:39:05Eddie has been powering through the marathons,
0:39:05 > 0:39:08but he's still a whole marathon behind schedule.
0:39:11 > 0:39:14And to make up for it, he's come up with a cunning plan.
0:39:14 > 0:39:17He's going to run two marathons on his final day.
0:39:19 > 0:39:22Eddie's never done a double marathon before
0:39:22 > 0:39:24and today he's pushing himself extra-fast
0:39:24 > 0:39:26to see if he has what it takes.
0:39:29 > 0:39:31Two minutes to spare.
0:39:31 > 0:39:34- HE GROANS - Tim, my legs are on fire.
0:39:34 > 0:39:36The back of my legs.
0:39:36 > 0:39:40- EDDIE GRUNTS LOUDLY - Relax, relax!- Fuck!
0:39:40 > 0:39:41Argh!
0:39:41 > 0:39:42Agh!
0:39:43 > 0:39:46HE PANTS AND GRUNTS
0:39:47 > 0:39:50What happened there was you saw an exact example
0:39:50 > 0:39:53of the brain letting go and suddenly giving him
0:39:53 > 0:39:56all the information about what was going on.
0:39:56 > 0:39:59Well, it's just like your feet are in two furnaces.
0:39:59 > 0:40:03He's an enigma. I don't know how he does it, but he just did.
0:40:03 > 0:40:05What he needs to do to get anywhere close
0:40:05 > 0:40:07to being able to do what he needs to do on Sunday...
0:40:11 > 0:40:13God, that's so hot.
0:40:16 > 0:40:19Eddie's finally arrived in Cape Town,
0:40:19 > 0:40:23his first big city, on the ocean and tucked under Table Mountain.
0:40:25 > 0:40:28His next marathon takes him right through town.
0:40:30 > 0:40:31Morning.
0:40:31 > 0:40:32Morning!
0:40:35 > 0:40:36But after a hard day's run,
0:40:36 > 0:40:40there's no better way to unwind than by getting your nails done.
0:40:42 > 0:40:45I use it as a badge of identity.
0:40:45 > 0:40:49I am a transgender guy, I did come out 31 years ago,
0:40:49 > 0:40:51but it was a very hard journey.
0:40:51 > 0:40:53Very, very hard.
0:40:53 > 0:40:57A lot of people said very nasty things to me,
0:40:57 > 0:40:59fought me in the streets.
0:41:00 > 0:41:01Fuck them.
0:41:02 > 0:41:07Doesn't matter what sex or sexuality, how you self-identify,
0:41:07 > 0:41:10or who you fancy, it matters not one whit.
0:41:10 > 0:41:13What do you do in life?
0:41:13 > 0:41:18What to you create? What do you add to the human existence?
0:41:18 > 0:41:19That is what matters.
0:41:24 > 0:41:29It is the morning of the 20th marathon. This is what I've been...
0:41:31 > 0:41:34..looking forward to get to. I don't think...
0:41:34 > 0:41:37I have this idea that I don't think anyone's really going to...
0:41:37 > 0:41:41think this is possible or really pay attention or whatever
0:41:41 > 0:41:43until I've done 20 marathons.
0:41:43 > 0:41:46I kept waking up and thinking about the last day.
0:41:46 > 0:41:47That was not very good.
0:41:48 > 0:41:51I woke up about five times.
0:41:51 > 0:41:53I have to do a double marathon on the last day...
0:41:55 > 0:41:58..and it would be nice to be able to do it in 12 hours.
0:41:58 > 0:42:00That's 7.5kph
0:42:00 > 0:42:02for 12 hours.
0:42:05 > 0:42:07Dr Gary has returned to South Africa
0:42:07 > 0:42:11to make sure Eddie reaches the finish line in one piece.
0:42:12 > 0:42:15- OK, I'm going.- I'm absolutely certain he's going to do it.
0:42:15 > 0:42:18The biggest muscle that man has got is in his head
0:42:18 > 0:42:21and once that muscle starts pumping, nothing's going to stop him.
0:42:21 > 0:42:26"Select distance - marathon - yes." I'm going, all right.
0:42:26 > 0:42:27Bye-bye. Which way do I go?
0:42:33 > 0:42:36Today's run is taking them around the Solms-Delta Vineyard
0:42:36 > 0:42:40and Dr Gary has prescribed a very different kind of medicine -
0:42:40 > 0:42:41wine.
0:42:41 > 0:42:44A shiraz, I'm going to have a taste of a shiraz.
0:42:44 > 0:42:47Eddie's taking the chance to swig a glass of the good stuff
0:42:47 > 0:42:48every quarter of a marathon.
0:42:49 > 0:42:51Well, we're only having a little tasting.
0:42:51 > 0:42:55Psychologically, it's a great thing. We're using it as a pacing.
0:42:55 > 0:42:58It's only a small glass of wine. I think it's OK.
0:42:58 > 0:43:00HE CHUCKLES
0:43:00 > 0:43:03For him, this is a great psychological boost.
0:43:03 > 0:43:07He likes this and he comes in,
0:43:07 > 0:43:09he has a bit of wine and he's enjoying it.
0:43:10 > 0:43:12I am off, ladies and gentlemen.
0:43:16 > 0:43:19HE PANTS
0:43:22 > 0:43:24WHOOPING
0:43:36 > 0:43:39Eddie starts day 24 with an early-morning ferry ride
0:43:39 > 0:43:41from Cape Town.
0:43:41 > 0:43:43He's heading to Robben Island,
0:43:43 > 0:43:47where Nelson Mandela spent 18 of his 27 years in prison.
0:43:49 > 0:43:55I've had this idea of running round Robben Island for six years now.
0:43:55 > 0:43:57It's been a long time waiting to do this.
0:43:58 > 0:44:00I'm doing a little amount of suffering
0:44:00 > 0:44:03and these guys suffered in jail, day after day,
0:44:03 > 0:44:06month after month, year after year,
0:44:06 > 0:44:07with no change.
0:44:09 > 0:44:12So it just brings attention to that, maybe.
0:44:15 > 0:44:17Here goes 23rd, Robben Island.
0:44:19 > 0:44:21HE EXHALES
0:44:25 > 0:44:28The prison has been closed since the '90s,
0:44:28 > 0:44:32but people still come here to remember the dark days of apartheid.
0:44:34 > 0:44:36- BIRDS SCREECH - Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds.
0:44:39 > 0:44:44It's kind of magnificent when they all fly. This is their island now.
0:44:48 > 0:44:52Just over 30 years ago, Mandela and other prisoners of apartheid
0:44:52 > 0:44:55were marched out for hard labour every day.
0:44:59 > 0:45:03Eddie's Robben Island marathon has brought him to the lime quarry
0:45:03 > 0:45:06where Mandela slaved away for 13 years.
0:45:06 > 0:45:10It was here that political prisoners excavated rocks used to build
0:45:10 > 0:45:11the island's roads.
0:45:13 > 0:45:16You had the leaders of the different political movements working here.
0:45:16 > 0:45:17Right.
0:45:17 > 0:45:20They never wanted a leader to influence the other prisoners,
0:45:20 > 0:45:22so by keeping leaders together,
0:45:22 > 0:45:25they thought they could control things better within the prison.
0:45:25 > 0:45:26I don't think it worked.
0:45:26 > 0:45:29The shovel, the pick axe, the hammer, the chisel,
0:45:29 > 0:45:32the rudimentary hand tool was just a way of excavating lime,
0:45:32 > 0:45:38but at the same time, this became a space where they would debate,
0:45:38 > 0:45:41discuss, educate each other.
0:45:41 > 0:45:45For me, the debates and discussions that have taken place in this quarry
0:45:45 > 0:45:48is what we could record as our constitution today.
0:45:55 > 0:45:57After each day of back-breaking labour,
0:45:57 > 0:46:01Mandela was locked in a seven-by-nine-foot concrete cell.
0:46:07 > 0:46:10Here's Mr Mandela's cell.
0:46:10 > 0:46:13It's quite an eerie feeling if you look down this corridor.
0:46:16 > 0:46:19Mandela's cell is normally kept locked,
0:46:19 > 0:46:21but Eddie's being given special access.
0:46:23 > 0:46:27- So what I'm going to do now is I'm going to give you the key.- Wow.
0:46:37 > 0:46:40For most of his 18 years, he slept on the floor.
0:46:42 > 0:46:45Blankets. The bucket would have been the toilets.
0:46:54 > 0:46:56I think Nelson Mandela already had
0:46:56 > 0:46:57the power of forgiveness already in him.
0:46:59 > 0:47:01I think a lot of people do.
0:47:03 > 0:47:07But he learned stamina.
0:47:07 > 0:47:09He developed stamina, strength, endurance.
0:47:11 > 0:47:13And...
0:47:13 > 0:47:14And...
0:47:16 > 0:47:17..sharpened his wisdom.
0:47:20 > 0:47:23He was constantly trying to work it out, 27 years.
0:47:25 > 0:47:27And then he left prison without bitterness.
0:47:31 > 0:47:33It's kind of amazing.
0:47:35 > 0:47:37Would have thought revenge would be on his mind.
0:47:46 > 0:47:47Eddie's back in Cape Town,
0:47:47 > 0:47:50with volatile weather rolling in for Day 25.
0:47:54 > 0:47:57The last three days, the last four marathons.
0:47:57 > 0:48:00Mathematics is still not perfect.
0:48:02 > 0:48:04It's Sport Relief day.
0:48:04 > 0:48:07Lots of activities happening back in the UK
0:48:07 > 0:48:09and we'll be the one weird outside broadcast
0:48:09 > 0:48:12that'll be coming from across the globe.
0:48:16 > 0:48:19I've just talked to BBC Breakfast, BBC Lunchtime, Mid-morning,
0:48:19 > 0:48:22Mid Morning Matters with Alan Partridge, that'd be quite nice.
0:48:25 > 0:48:28And BBC Three has been following Eddie all the way,
0:48:28 > 0:48:30on the road with a mobile edit suite,
0:48:30 > 0:48:33charting his progress, all the ups and downs,
0:48:33 > 0:48:34with loads of updates every day.
0:48:40 > 0:48:43Eddie takes his media duties in his stride,
0:48:43 > 0:48:44before finishing today's leg,
0:48:44 > 0:48:48which he's turned into a fun run marathon around Cape Town.
0:49:00 > 0:49:02WHOOPING AND APPLAUSE
0:49:07 > 0:49:10After the run, Eddie has got a special phone call,
0:49:10 > 0:49:13all the way from space with astronaut Tim Peake.
0:49:19 > 0:49:20Well, tomorrow, I do...
0:49:20 > 0:49:25From 7am to about 1pm in Cape Town, I do a sort of recovery marathon,
0:49:25 > 0:49:31my final recovery marathon and then I fly tomorrow, Saturday afternoon,
0:49:31 > 0:49:36then Sunday do a double marathon up to the steps of the Union Buildings
0:49:36 > 0:49:39in Pretoria where Mandela was made president.
0:49:46 > 0:49:48Thanks very much.
0:49:54 > 0:49:56It's the penultimate day.
0:49:57 > 0:50:00Obviously anxious about tomorrow.
0:50:02 > 0:50:04I've got a queasiness feel going on.
0:50:05 > 0:50:07Which is not a nice feeling.
0:50:07 > 0:50:10Understandably, he's getting a little bit nervous, a bit anxious.
0:50:10 > 0:50:12We just had to give him some medication,
0:50:12 > 0:50:14because he's getting a bit of acid in his stomach.
0:50:14 > 0:50:16That's a consequence of the anxiety.
0:50:16 > 0:50:19I've never felt sick in any of my...
0:50:19 > 0:50:22Except it is your brain starting to prepare you for tomorrow.
0:50:22 > 0:50:2570 marathons now and I've never felt sick, so it's a bit weird.
0:50:25 > 0:50:27Obviously, he's desperate to do this
0:50:27 > 0:50:29and he's absolutely determined to do it.
0:50:29 > 0:50:32If he has to pull himself centimetre by centimetre
0:50:32 > 0:50:36by his highly polished fingernails over that finish line,
0:50:36 > 0:50:37he's going to do that.
0:50:38 > 0:50:41But we need to make sure that whilst he's pulling every sinew,
0:50:41 > 0:50:43that he is not putting himself at risk.
0:50:43 > 0:50:47It's not about me being his friend, it's about me being his doctor
0:50:47 > 0:50:50and I feel I'm in a place that if I sense something is going on,
0:50:50 > 0:50:52I'm going to pull us.
0:50:52 > 0:50:54I have no qualms about that.
0:50:54 > 0:50:56APPLAUSE
0:50:57 > 0:50:59CHEERING
0:50:59 > 0:51:015:47:27.
0:51:03 > 0:51:06- Well done. - That was the last single marathon
0:51:06 > 0:51:09that I have to do, let's look at it that way.
0:51:09 > 0:51:11Hey, I don't have to do any single marathons any more.
0:51:11 > 0:51:13Um...
0:51:13 > 0:51:15now all I've got to do is one double marathon.
0:51:17 > 0:51:21Eddie's got to fly from Cape Town to Johannesburg,
0:51:21 > 0:51:25ready for the final double marathon push, starting at 5am.
0:51:29 > 0:51:30Uh, my stomach feels tight.
0:51:32 > 0:51:33Some acid going on there.
0:51:38 > 0:51:40I've just got to get this fucker done.
0:51:40 > 0:51:42We're going to be going through the Cradle of Mankind,
0:51:42 > 0:51:46which is going to be a challenge. It's sloping, rises up and down.
0:51:46 > 0:51:49But he is going to work. He is going to work.
0:51:50 > 0:51:54- What's your main anxiety or concern for today?- Oh, you know what it is.
0:51:56 > 0:51:58I mean, what is it?
0:51:58 > 0:52:00What do you think it is?
0:52:02 > 0:52:04- DR GARY:- Everyone thought he was completely mad,
0:52:04 > 0:52:08but here we are, we're on the cusp of a fantastic achievement,
0:52:08 > 0:52:10so... Right, we're off.
0:52:10 > 0:52:11Right, see you later.
0:52:16 > 0:52:20With dawn breaking, Eddie has already done 10km -
0:52:20 > 0:52:24and news comes in from London that he's now raised over £1 million,
0:52:24 > 0:52:27but Eddie's mind is elsewhere.
0:52:27 > 0:52:29- TIM:- His head space isn't where it needs to be.
0:52:29 > 0:52:31He's all stressed out and a bit worried
0:52:31 > 0:52:33and thinks that he's not going to do it.
0:52:34 > 0:52:37They're not good signs, not within the first 10km.
0:52:39 > 0:52:42- BREATHLESSLY:- I've just got so used to the flat
0:52:42 > 0:52:44in the last two days.
0:52:44 > 0:52:46These are not big hills, but...
0:52:49 > 0:52:50If you go off too fast,
0:52:50 > 0:52:53the brain detects that you're using energy too quickly,
0:52:53 > 0:52:55so it shuts you down and that's what the wall is.
0:52:55 > 0:52:58It's called the wall because people just stop in their tracks,
0:52:58 > 0:52:59they can't go on any further.
0:53:03 > 0:53:05Wahey! Cheers, mate.
0:53:05 > 0:53:07Determined not to stop,
0:53:07 > 0:53:09even breakfast is on the run.
0:53:09 > 0:53:11- How are you feeling now, Eddie? - MUFFLED:- Lot better.
0:53:11 > 0:53:12Good.
0:53:16 > 0:53:18Are we nearly there, Eddie?
0:53:18 > 0:53:20We're there, we've done one.
0:53:21 > 0:53:22I've done...
0:53:22 > 0:53:26nearly 26 marathons. Very tired.
0:53:26 > 0:53:28Going to keep going.
0:53:28 > 0:53:32Done over 40km, but still got 42km.
0:53:38 > 0:53:40With no time to stop,
0:53:40 > 0:53:44Eddie pushes straight on into his second marathon of the day.
0:53:47 > 0:53:50And it's just pain, pain, pain.
0:53:56 > 0:53:58I've done another marathon this morning.
0:53:58 > 0:54:00This is my second marathon..
0:54:00 > 0:54:02in a day.
0:54:03 > 0:54:0550km is all in...
0:54:05 > 0:54:08and...I'm struggling.
0:54:08 > 0:54:09I'm really struggling.
0:54:11 > 0:54:16I've done about 50km. Got another 40km to go.
0:54:19 > 0:54:21So we're ahead of schedule.
0:54:21 > 0:54:24I don't know, looking right now, he's struggling,
0:54:24 > 0:54:26but in these kind of runs, these kind of races,
0:54:26 > 0:54:28you think you're just about to die,
0:54:28 > 0:54:33then ten minutes later, you feel like, "Oh, I feel OK,"
0:54:33 > 0:54:34so it's impossible to predict
0:54:34 > 0:54:38whether he's going to make this or not.
0:54:38 > 0:54:42Every part of Eddie's body is telling him to stop running.
0:54:42 > 0:54:44And I'm tired.
0:54:44 > 0:54:45I'm tired.
0:54:45 > 0:54:48Eddie's body is now in unknown territory.
0:54:53 > 0:54:57We're just at 70km, which is exactly where we need to be.
0:54:58 > 0:55:00As Eddie nears the home stretch,
0:55:00 > 0:55:02he has barely enough breath left in him
0:55:02 > 0:55:06to keep the people back home updated on his progress.
0:55:06 > 0:55:10We think we can cross live to South Africa to speak to Nick,
0:55:10 > 0:55:12who's running with Eddie Izzard now.
0:55:12 > 0:55:16Now, then, Nick, can you ask Eddie how he's feeling at this point?
0:55:16 > 0:55:18How's it all going?
0:55:18 > 0:55:21It's your 27th marathon, how are you feeling, how's it going?
0:55:21 > 0:55:26- BREATHLESSLY:- Well...not brilliantly...right now.
0:55:26 > 0:55:32I've done...77km, that's about almost 50 miles today.
0:55:32 > 0:55:34I've done one marathon this morning.
0:55:34 > 0:55:36This is my second marathon.
0:55:36 > 0:55:39And I'm trying to finish... I'm trying to finish.
0:55:41 > 0:55:43It's just a little difficult.
0:55:46 > 0:55:48The end is finally in sight.
0:55:48 > 0:55:50Straight up that statue, go.
0:55:50 > 0:55:52Across the grass, go.
0:55:53 > 0:55:56The Union Buildings, where Nelson Mandela was sworn in
0:55:56 > 0:55:59as the first freely elected president of South Africa.
0:56:01 > 0:56:03But Eddie's not crossed the finish line yet.
0:56:07 > 0:56:09SOUND FADES OUT
0:56:14 > 0:56:17- MUFFLED CHANTING:- Eddie! Eddie! Eddie!
0:56:29 > 0:56:32WHOOPING AND APPLAUSE
0:56:52 > 0:56:58Eddie Izzard - actor, comedian and, now, running legend.
0:56:58 > 0:57:00It's been the hardest thing I've ever done.
0:57:00 > 0:57:02I'm very tired.
0:57:04 > 0:57:06HE PANTS
0:57:09 > 0:57:11CHEERING
0:57:11 > 0:57:16He has run 27 marathons, 707 miles,
0:57:16 > 0:57:19in just 27 days
0:57:19 > 0:57:22in honour of his hero, Nelson Mandela.
0:57:24 > 0:57:2627 years.
0:57:26 > 0:57:2827...
0:57:28 > 0:57:30So...
0:57:30 > 0:57:33that, I did that for Nelson Mandela.
0:57:33 > 0:57:35He said, "Don't judge me by my successes,
0:57:35 > 0:57:38"judge me by the number of times I failed and got back up again."
0:57:38 > 0:57:41So I failed four years ago and got back up again.
0:57:41 > 0:57:46So thank you for everyone who's, uh...uh, donated.
0:57:46 > 0:57:48Uh, this was tough.
0:57:49 > 0:57:52So...don't do this at home.
0:57:54 > 0:57:58But what you can do at home is show Eddie your support
0:57:58 > 0:58:01by donating to Sport Relief.
0:58:01 > 0:58:06So far, Eddie's amazing efforts have raised over £1.7 million,
0:58:06 > 0:58:08but it isn't too late to join in.
0:58:34 > 0:58:37MUSIC: Runnin' (Lose It All) by Naughty Boy ft. Beyonce
0:58:38 > 0:58:42# Runnin', runnin', runnin', runnin'
0:58:42 > 0:58:44# Runnin', runnin', runnin'
0:58:44 > 0:58:48# Ain't runnin' from myself no more
0:58:48 > 0:58:51# Together we will win it all
0:58:51 > 0:58:56# I ain't runnin', runnin' runnin', runnin'
0:58:56 > 0:58:58# Runnin', runnin', runnin'
0:58:58 > 0:59:01# Ain't runnin' from myself no more
0:59:01 > 0:59:05# I'm ready to face it all... #