Jamie Laing raises £2 million for charity in ultramarathon challenge

The former Made In Chelsea star and current BBC Radio 1 DJ challenged himself to run five ultramarathons in five days for Comic Relief and Red Nose Day. He says he had never gone further than a 5k before starting.

The BBC Radio 1 DJ and former Made In Chelsea star Jamie Laing has completed his ultramarathon challenge, running five full marathons over five consecutive days.

Jamie’s attempt to complete such a tough feat has been highly publicised in the UK, and he managed to raise over £2 million for charity as part of his efforts. The route across the week was from London to Salford and covered 150 miles (241km) in total.

 

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At the finish, he thanked everyone ‘who’s donated, who’s supported, who’s sent me messages. That was a wild ride everyone. That was intense at times. That was emotional. I’ve never cried more in my life.’

The event coincided with Red Nose Day celebrating its 40^th anniversary, with a night of live television scheduled this Friday. Jamie himself says that the experience has changed his outlook on life significantly.

 

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‘It’s made me more vulnerable, thankful, grateful,’ he said. ‘It’s made me realise humans are amazing and that life is beautiful.’

During the challenge, Jamie spoke candidly about his struggles with mental health throughout his twenties, describing years of intense anxiety.

‘I didn’t know who to turn to,’ he said. ‘I’m running to raise money for people who are affected with loneliness, anxiety, depression, OCD, insomnia, whatever it may be.’ At the finish line he also stressed the importance of being open about your struggles.

‘Being vulnerable is the greatest thing in the world,’ he said.

Jamie follows on from another previous Made In Chelsea co-star Spencer Matthews who also undertook his own fitness challenge. Spencer ran 30 marathons in 30 days across the Jordanian desert last year and is a close friend of Jamie’s.

He is currently training to complete ironman challenges across all seven continents as part of a Guinness World Record attempt.