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Alex Jones tackles Helvellyn range in the Lake District on day two of Sport Relief’s Mother of All Challenges
TV presenter Alex Jones kicked off day two of the epic Mother of All Challenges for Sport Relief today. Alex and the mums headed to Cumbria to tackle the Helvellyn range in the Lake District. Bodies already fatigued from yesterday’s cold Scottish waters, the team battled poor visibility and snow on the ground, pulling together as a team to make sure no mum was left behind.
Speaking ahead of the climb this morning Alex said:
“Out of the five challenges I thought the hike would be the most straight forward one, however I’ve been told it’s the equivalent of an hour and a half session on the step machine which doesn’t sound like my idea of fun. Down at the ground the weather is okay, a bit drizzly, but this will only get worse the further we go so I’m anticipating a challenging climb, particularly as we reach the top as there will be snow – I’ve been told it looks like Narnia. Wish us luck!"
Joining the mums throughout the challenge is world-renowned sports scientist and physical activity expert, Professor Greg Whyte OBE. Commenting on the conditions the mums will face, he said:
“Yesterday was a tough day in freezing conditions at Loch Ness, so inevitably that’s going to have an impact on today's challenge – and today is not an easy one. The conditions are forecast to be incredibly bad and on top of that the mums will be battling not only physical fatigue, but mental and emotional fatigue from swimming yesterday – so this is going to be a very, very tough climb indeed.”
To find out how the mums got on, and to watch the climb in action, tune in to The One Show tomorrow night (13th March) at 7pm on BBC One.
The four mums are:
• Amal Hassan, 31, a mum of one from London. Amal is a trained doctor specialising in Sports Medicine.
• Debbie Williams, 50, a mum of four from Bristol. Debbie is a support worker for adults with learning difficulties.
• Jodi Dowse, 28, a mum of two from Bristol. Jodi works at BlueBell, a charity providing emotional wellbeing services to families during pregnancy and after birth.
• Leigh McLean, 44, a mum of three from Glasgow. Leigh works for a construction company.
What’s coming up for the mums?
• Starting at Loch Ness on Sunday 11th March – Mother’s Day – the team braved the freezing cold as they swam a section of Scotland’s most famous loch.
• Day two on 12th March the team laced up their hiking boots to conquer the Helvellyn range in the Lake District.
• On Tuesday 13th March, the team will test their endurance; cycling up three of the Lake District’s toughest passes: the Kirkstone Pass, Hornister Pass and Newslands Pass.
• Our mums will next travel to Alex’s home country of Wales. On 15th March, they will head deep underground, crawl their way through tight passages and a maze of dark caverns to make it out of Porth Yr Ogof cave in the Brecon Beacons.
• Friday 16th March will culminate in a marathon finish. Our fearless mums will tackle a relay coastal run across the hilly Welsh coast. The test will finally end with a triumphant crossing over the finish line in Swansea.
Out intrepid team of mums want the public to support their efforts with donations to help vulnerable people in the UK and across the world live happier, healthier and safer lives as well as raise awareness of maternal health issues. Maternal health is one of the causes funded by Sport Relief money and something close to the group’s hearts as each of the four mums have experienced their own maternal health issues.
You can sponsor the team at SportRelief.com/mums.
For the first time ever Sport Relief 2018 is asking the entire nation to take on a huge collective challenge – beating a billion steps a day, every day, from 17th-23rd March. For more information on how to get involved with this year’s Sport Relief campaign, download the Sport Relief App or go to sportrelief.com.
For media enquiries contact:
Harsha Sharma
07738735562 / H.Sharma@comicrelief.com
Sophie Moran
020 7820 2534 / S.Moran@comicrelief.com
ENDS
NOTES TO EDITORS:
Sport Relief brings the nation together to get active, raise money and change lives. Since 2002, Sport Relief has raised over £335 million. The money raised by the public will be spent by Comic Relief to tackle the critical issues affecting people across the UK and the world. This year, Sport Relief culminates in a week of activity from Saturday 17th to Friday 23rd March, leading to an unmissable night of TV on the BBC.
Comic Relief is a UK charity which aim to create a just world, free from poverty – where everyone is safe, healthy, educated and empowered. Since 1985, Comic Relief has raised over £1 billion. That money has helped, and is helping, people living incredible tough lives, both here at home in the UK and across the world.
For information about Comic Relief and the work it carries out, please visit comicrelief.com.
Comic Relief, registered charity 326568 (England/Wales); SC039730 (Scotland).
For the latest news, statements and exclusive content direct from the Comic Relief Press Office follow @ComicReliefNews(opens in new window).
