Children, parents and commuters sent in voice notes, cheering, crying and telling Sara Cox to “keep on moving.”
“I just woke up and I just thought, I don’t know… I don’t know I’m gonna do this today.”
“They promised me undulating today — that was a lie.”
“You’ve completely broken me… everybody who’s donated, thank you so much.”
💛 Sara Cox’s Great Northern Marathon Challenge – Day Three
It was an emotional Wednesday morning on the Scott Mills Breakfast Show as the nation tuned in to hear Sara Cox hit her hardest day yet of her Great Northern Marathon Challenge for BBC Children in Need.
By sunrise, Sara had already been awake since half past midnight, her voice trembling as she told Scott, “I just woke up and I just thought, I don’t know if I’m going to do this today.” Exhausted, aching and sleepless, she admitted to tears at 5.30 a.m. and confessed she’d asked her physio for toast just to get through.
Scott, visibly moved, promised her that the entire country was behind her. “Just bit by bit,” he said gently, while Tina Daheley and Ellie Brennan kept the rhythm of the show ticking with news and travel as donations began to pour in. Children, parents and commuters sent in voice notes, cheering, crying and telling her to “keep on moving.”
🚂 A Weardale Railway Send-Off to Remember
In true Radio 2 style, Scott decided to “supersize” Sara’s morning launch. Broadcasting live from the Weardale Railway, he spoke to general manager Claire, engineer Wayne and volunteer Logan – all in Pudsey ears and rain gear.
“Have you got a horn?” Scott asked, half-joking. Claire laughed: “Of course we have!” Moments later the sound of that Sentinel diesel horn roared through the Dales as Sara set off from Walsingham.
The atmosphere was pure joy. “Go, Sara Cox – you are a warrior!” shouted Scott as the steam-train horns echoed across County Durham. Listeners flooded in with messages of pride, one texter saying, “That sound gave me goosebumps on the M6.”
🎙️ Sara Cox Speaks from the Edge
When Sara returned to air later in the show, the exhaustion was palpable. “They promised me undulating today – that was a lie,” she said, voice cracking through laughter. “This is mountainous. Up Dale and down what’s-it.”
She described her knees as “like someone’s put a bolt through either side” and joked that walking backwards helped. Still, she found the humour that’s made her so beloved: “The cool thing is, it just looks mega as well!”
Scott reassured her, reading out messages from across the UK: Lucy in York whose sons Seb and Ellie gave their pocket money; Jay and Shana reminding her how resilient she was; even little Archie from Aberdeen who declared, “I can do hard things – so can Sara Cox!”
⭐ Peter Kay, Five & a Radio 2 Choir
To lift her spirits, Scott called in the big guns. Peter Kay appeared with that unmistakable warmth and mischief: “What’s next? Scott Mills skipping up the M1. Your poor little feet.” It sent Sara – and everyone listening – into laughter.
Then came a showstopper: a brand-new version of Five’s “Keep On Movin’”, re-recorded especially for Sara by Scott, Richie Neville and the Radio 2 presenters. Even Vernon Kay and Jeremy Vine joined in. The whole network became a choir.
Listeners called it “Band Aid for Breakfast.” One wrote, “Why am I crying to a Five song?” The reworked lyrics – “One foot up and one foot down, Sara take a good look around” – instantly became the soundtrack to her marathon.
💰 “You’ve Completely Broken Me” – The Million-Pound Moment
Then came the payoff. After hours of emotional radio, Scott revealed the new total:
£1,002,869 raised for BBC Children in Need.
Sara gasped, then sobbed: “You’ve completely broken me. Everybody who’s donated, thank you so much… that’s amazing!” Listeners across the country joined in – car horns, workplace cheers, more donations pinging in by the second.
Scott reminded everyone, “We can’t stop here. She’s still running – let’s keep it climbing.” Donations continued for the rest of the show.
🙏 Pause for Thought: A Moment of Calm
At 7:45, Ramona Ali’s Pause for Thought brought serenity to the morning. She shared stories of faith, friendship and resilience, saying, “Seek the ones who never stop caring, who break down your walls and help you come back to yourself.”
Scott told listeners Sara was hearing it live and “smiling through the dip.” It was the perfect moment of stillness amid a hectic, rain-soaked, emotional broadcast.
🎧 Paddy McGuinness in for Vernon Kay
By 9:30, it was time to pass the baton. Scott announced a “handover to Vernon Kay”… only for Paddy McGuinness to appear instead. “I know, disappointment for both of us!” he joked.
Once he settled in, Paddy shared heartfelt advice: “When I did my challenge last year, it was people power that got me through. If Sara’s passing your town, get out there. Cheer her. Draw a placard. She needs you now.”
That rallying cry carried perfectly into the next hour, keeping Sara’s story alive beyond breakfast.
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