Sara Cox begins five-day BBC Children in Need marathon challenge

Radio 2’s Sara Cox set off from Kielder Forest this morning, beginning a five-day challenge to carry a specially made Pudsey Bear backpack all the way to Pudsey in Leeds by 14 November.

The journey marks the start of her Great Northern Marathon Challenge for BBC Children in Need.

Covering 135 miles on foot across four counties – Northumberland, Durham, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire – Sara’s trek is the longest in duration of any Radio 2 challenge.

Relying entirely on her own two feet, she’ll walk or jog the route without any vehicles, armed with determination and what she called “a generous helping of great northern grit.”

Locals turned out to cheer her on at Kielder Forest Park, where Stuart Todd from Morpeth Pipe Band played as she set off.

Andrea Foote from Morpeth Riding for the Disabled Association was the official horn-blower to mark the start of the challenge.

Speaking live on BBC Breakfast this morning, Sara said: “I am going to be running when I can and then striding along. I may be occasionally stumbling, limping and weeping, but I’ll get my sorry self to Pudsey in Leeds on Friday.”

She added that the 270-gram Pudsey backpack had even been fitted with a rain mac to handle the northern weather.

Talking later to Scott Mills on the Radio 2 Breakfast Show, Sara said she felt “more relaxed than I have been for weeks” as she set off. “People have turned up with banners and their dogs – it’s absolutely gorgeous actually. Pudsey is here obviously. And a man with bagpipes!”

You can follow Sara’s progress live throughout the week on Radio 2, BBC Sounds and across Radio 2’s social channels.