Made in Chelsea star Jamie Laing pushed his body to the limit by taking part in five ultramarathons to raise money for Comic Relief, as he received support from fans
Jamie Laing has raised an incredible sum through his gruelling marathon challenge, but it hasn’t been easy.
The Made in Chelsea alum, 36, has been flooded with support, especially from his wife, Sophie Habboo, as he took on the challenge of running five ultramarathons in five days to raise money for Comic Relief this week in partnership with BBC Radio 1. Over five brutal days, Jamie has pushed his body to the limit, battling exhaustion, throwing up and powering through the pain – all for a good cause.
Novice runner Jamie had never run a 10k, never mind a marathon, before signing up for the epic challenge.
READ MORE: Inside Jamie Laing and Sophie Habboo’s marriage from bedroom confessions to heated rows
He started at the BBC’s studios in London on Monday, March 17 and is set to complete the challenge in Salford, Manchester this afternoon (Friday, March 21). By Thursday, Jamie had already surpassed the half-million mark, raising £674,453. However, on Friday he shared the news with fans that he’d been able to raise a whopping one million pounds.
After finishing day one of the ultramarathon in an impressive 5 hours and 44 minutes, he had already burned more than 4,000 calories, according to The Daily Mail.
On day three, the TV and radio personality received an outpouring of support, and he was visibly moved. Choking up during an interview with a BBC Radio 1 reporter, he said: “It’s emotionally draining and physically draining, and it’s amazing. If I’m being really honest, I’ve struggled with accepting love. So the love that comes in is pretty overwhelming. That’s probably my kryptonite.”
On crossing the finish line, he said: “That was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life, hands down. There was a point today where we were about halfway, 25 kilometres, in and I just didn’t think I had it. That was it. I was done.”
The star admitted he was given a pleasant surprise from his beloved wife, saying: “But it was amazing to run into the crowd at Loughborough, it was incredible – and for Oli [Proudlock] and Soph to surprise me today, I couldn’t believe it.
“Everything is quite overwhelming at the moment – I’m a broken man right now and although my body is seizing up and I’m mentally drained and scared about tomorrow, somehow it is still a good feeling. We go again.”
Fans rushed to support him on social media, with one person commenting “This has just been unbelievable. I don’t think I’ve listened to the radio all week without crying. What a legend this man is!”
Another person added: “It’s always wonderful to hear a man being so forward with his emotions. Jamie – you have been honourable in so many ways in this challenge.” A third person penned: “In a world where the news is full of meanness & hate, to see & hear the love & support from Matt & Greg & the others, to allow space for vulnerability & silliness is a reminder of our humanity. And the tenacity of Jamie – awesome.”
Jamie began day four optimistically, even making a pub pit stop at The Red Lion in Cranford, Northamptonshire, where he and his crew were treated to complimentary refreshments as Jamie enjoyed a well-earned short break during his ultramarathon fundraising challenge.
However, later in the day, Jamie appeared visibly drained as he pushed through the intense challenge. His body struggled to keep up with the gruelling demands, and he was forced to take a break after vomiting. Despite the setback, he showed incredible determination to keep going, refusing to let the exhaustion stop him from finishing the race, and he was later comforted by his wife Sophie.
Jamie shared a heartfelt message to his supporters who had followed his journey.
His lengthy Instagram Story message read: “As I kick off my last Ultra Run. I wanted to take a moment to say a huge thank you to everyone. Everyone who has messaged me (I’m sorry I haven’t been able to reply) and everyone who’s DM’d me on social. Again I wish I could reply to them all. Thank you for being behind me all the way and a part of this. It makes me emotional even writing this but I truly couldn’t have done it without you. Truly…thank you for all your donations.
“Thank you for every single kind moment. Message everything and hopefully I make it to Salford today. My body is broken. It’s screaming to say stop but I’m going to do my best! Love every single person. And just remember you are stronger than you think. Better than you will ever know and you can achieve anything if you put your mind to it.”
Meanwhile, Sophie penned: “What a superstar. I’ve cried and laughed listening along this week. 26 miles a day, Christ mighty.
Adding: “What I love about @jamieliang is he’s absolutely f*cked physically and emotionally. His body is broken, He barely did any training to run these ultras for charity, he’s not hiding behind thrills, he’s being raw. Emotional and real.
“Breaking down, asking for help, showing us it hurts, he can’t do it but he will do it. The why is bigger than giving up!!
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