After an exhausting eight days, Greg James has finally completed his mammoth 630-mile Comic Relief bike ride challenge in Edinburgh.
Tackling Radio 1’s Longest Ride for Red Nose Day, the Breakfast Show presenter kicked off in Weymouth on March 13 and ended at Murrayfield Stadium on Red Nose Day, March 20.
Stars have been joining Greg in the back seat of his tandem bike at various points along his journey, including the Prince of Wales and former Made in Chelsea star Jamie Laing.
Listeners have been donating to Comic Relief all week and, so far, have raised over £4 million, which will be used to support numerous causes aimed at tackling poverty and injustice in the UK and abroad.
“I can’t believe it’s done! I couldn’t see; I just kept bursting into tears at everyone I saw. Please, let me get off this bike,” James said once the challenge was over.
“It feels amazing to complete that, to have done that amazing, to have pushed through it all, to be part of an amazing team, to have raised so much money, and to have finished!
“It’s been such a struggle at times, but everyone has got me through it. The thing I will remember the most is the joy of seeing everyone. There was so much joy on that whole journey.”
James joins a long line of celebrities who have tested their physical limits for a good cause. From completing 30 desert marathons in 30 days to cycling 300 miles on a humble Raleigh bike, these stars have proven just how far they’re willing to go to make a difference.
Sara Cox is expected to complete the 135-mile challenge on Friday afternoon.
Sara Cox completed an epic endurance challenge
In November, Sara Cox completed her ambitious Great Northern Marathon Challenge for Children in Need, having covered the equivalent of five marathons in five days.
Over five days, the BBC Radio 2 and TV presenter travelled across some of Northern England’s most scenic landscapes, covering a demanding 135-mile route that combined running, jogging, and walking, raising vital funds for the Children in Need charity.
“We’re talking 135 miles of hills, moors and blisters — but I am ready for the challenge, and I will absolutely be giving it everything I’ve got,” Cox said previously.
Her effort marked BBC Radio 2’s longest-ever challenge, an impressive feat given the station’s history of presenters taking on tough fundraising missions.
Jamie Laing at the starting point of his ultra-marathon challenge for Red Nose Day Run.
(Ian West – PA Images via Getty Images)Jamie Laing undertook a five-day ultramarathon
Jamie Laing was tearful when he completed his Ultra Marathon Man challenge for Comic Relief 2025, raising money for charities that help people suffering from mental health issues such as anxiety and depression.
The former Made in Chelsea regular and BBC Radio 1 presenter ran from London to the northern city of Salford — a journey that saw him run the equivalent of five ultramarathon distances over five days.
Shortly before the BBC’s Comic Relief show aired on Friday, 21 March 2025, he completed his challenge, tearfully hugging his wife Sophie Habboo. He was told the total raised was £2,007,114, which the star said was “unbelievable”.
“At one point, I thought I was down and out,” he admitted after finishing.
“Mentally, I was gone; physically, I was broken. I didn’t have anything left in me. Something pulled me out.” He added that the last kilometre “was the most euphoric thing I’ve ever had.”
Spencer Matthews arrives back in London to celebrate 30 marathons in 30 days challenge and his Guinness World Record.
(Yui Mok – PA Images via Getty Images)Spencer Matthews completed 30 marathons in 30 days
Fellow former Made In Chelsea star Spencer Matthews made history in 2024 by completing a record-breaking and incredibly tough 30 marathons in 30 days in the Jordanian desert, where temperatures exceed 40C.
“I DID IT!!! I CAN HARDLY BELIEVE IT!! 30 DESERT MARATHONS IN 30 CONSECUTIVE DAYS… ALL ON SAND,” the dad-of-three wrote after completing the extreme challenge. “I am now a Guinness World Records holding endurance athlete – the first and only person to successfully run this many back-to-back marathons in these extreme conditions. Just over 42.2km or 26.2 miles, every single day.”
Having made £342,508 in funding for Global’s Make Some Noise, which helps small charities across the UK, Matthews urged more people to donate following his extreme challenge.
The journey had a huge impact on his body, too, with Matthews revealing he lost two stone while doing the 30-marathon challenge. The Made In Chelsea star said the exercise was “quite extreme” and he was burning as many as 7,000 calories a day while running in the heat.
Paddy McGuinness completed a gruelling cycling challenge for Children in Need.
(PA/BBC)Paddy McGuinness cycled 300 miles on a Raleigh Chopper
In 2024, TV and radio presenter Paddy McGuinness completed an incredible charity bike ride for BBC Children in Need, with the fundraising total exceeding £9 million.
The extreme challenge saw McGuinness, 51, travel 300 miles from Wales to Scotland on his dream childhood bike, a Raleigh Chopper, which was painted in the colours of the charity’s mascot, Pudsey.
After crossing the finishing line, the Radio 2 presenter, also known for Take Me Out and Top Gear, said he was “absolutely physically broken” but also “the happiest person around” after the BBC Radio 2 ultra endurance cycle challenge, which saw him travel through three nations and eight counties.
In order to prep for the extreme challenge, McGuinness trained with champion cyclist Sir Chris Hoy, who also joined him for part of his journey.
Vernon Kay raised £4 million for Children in Need after taking part in an ultra marathon.
Vernon Kay ran 115 miles in four days
Back in 2023, Vernon Kay raised more than £4 million after completing a gruelling ultra-marathon challenge for BBC Children in Need.
Kay, who presents Radio 2’s mid-morning show, was challenged to travel on foot from Leicester to his home town of Bolton in just four days, seeing him clock up over 115 miles.
The broadcaster first set out from Victoria Park in Leicester and crossed the finish line four days later at Bolton Wanderers’ football stadium.
Speaking to Zoe Ball on BBC Radio 2, he said: “I’m absolutely exhausted… There is nothing in the tank.” He went on to joke: “Is there anyone here who can replace a knee?”
Kay, who is married to Strictly Come Dancing host Tess Daly, became emotional as he reflected on the incredible feat.
“It’s been one of the most painful and joyous experiences I’ve ever had. We’ve met some brilliant people who’ve donated all they can,” he said of the challenge.
“Just one foot in front of the other, that’s what it was. And we had a great team pushing me along, motivating me. Thanks to the gang.”
Singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor completed an incredible 24hour danceathon in 2021.
(Scott Dudelson via Getty Images)Sophie Ellis Bextor danced for 24 hours straight
In 2021, Sophie Ellis Bextor completed a 24-hour Kitchen Disco danceathon, raising more than £800,000 for Children in Need.
The Murder on the Dancefloor singer began her danceathon, inspired by her Kitchen Disco video series, at the BBC Radio Theatre and completed the challenge an entire day later.
The singer was overcome with emotion as she was reunited with her husband Richard Jones and their five sons toward the end of her stint, and they danced with her as she performed her hit Take Me Home.
“Sophie’s done it!” a message on her Twitter account read. “After 24 hours of dancing, that’s an incredible total to finish on – and with the entire family too, in true Kitchen Disco style. Well done Sophie, and thank you so much for all your support during a marathon.”
To help get her through the challenge, Ellis Bextor was joined by a range of famous faces both in the theatre and virtually, including Simon Pegg, Rick Astley, Tony Blackburn, Gemma Collins, Belinda Carlisle, Natalie Imbruglia, Tamsin Outhwaite and Michael Ball.
Emma Willis, Oti Mabuse and Rylan Clark completed a Red Nose Day challenge in 2023.
(Comic Relief via Getty Images)Rylan Clark, Oti Mabuse and Emma Willis spent three days climbing Cairngorm Mountain
In 2023, former Big Brother hosts Rylan Clark and Emma Willis joined forces with ex-Strictly professional dancer Oti Mabuse to raise money in a Red Nose Day challenge, which saw them climb the snow-capped summit of Cairngorm mountain.
The celebrities described the freezing conditions they faced while tackling the Scottish mountain climb for Comic Relief. “When we got to camp, I fell to my knees, and I felt like crying at the end of day one; day two is even more walking,” Mabuse said.
Battling 70mph winds and aches from three days of hiking, the trio relied on crampons and ice axes to navigate the final metres of the climb.
Thankfully, despite the difficulties, the group managed to reach the summit of the mountain, which is 4,085ft (1,245m) above sea level.
The following year, Willis joined other celebrities, including Giovanna Fletcher, Angela Scanlan and Sara Davis, to embark on a four-day trek in the Indian Himalayas for the breast cancer charity CoppaFeel!
Singer and Radio DJ, Mollie King completed a solo 500km cycle across England to raise money for Red Nose Day.
(Comic Relief via Getty Images)Mollie King cycled 500km (311 miles) for Comic Relief
In 2024, Mollie King tackled a huge endurance challenge to raise money for Comic Relief. The Saturdays star cycled from London to Hull, a journey of roughly 500 kilometres, stopping at some of the UK’s most iconic cities along the way.
King was inspired to undertake the gruelling fundraising project after her father, Stephen King, died of a brain tumour in 2022, just days after she gave birth to her first child.