BBC Radio 2 star Sara Cox is proving she’s made of tougher stuff than anyone knew. The 50-year-old presenter is currently slogging through a brutal 135-mile ultra-marathon across the Pennines for Children In Need — and every freezing, painful step is raising life-changing money for disadvantaged kids.

Day 4 (November 14, 2025) saw Cox battling horizontal rain, 80 km/h winds, and temperatures barely above freezing, yet she still managed to clock 31 miles — bringing her total to 108 miles with one day left.

“Every step hurts — but every step helps someone who needs it,” Cox posted mid-run, voice cracking in a raw Instagram video. Blisters the size of 50p coins, black toenails, and chafing that “feels like fire” haven’t stopped her.

The star-studded support has been unreal:

Dame Judi Dench surprised her at a checkpoint with tea and a hug, calling her “a bloody warrior.”
Sir Mo Farah ran three miles alongside her, giving pacing tips and joking “even I’d struggle with this wind!”
Mel C turned up in neon leggings, blasting Spice Girls on a portable speaker to power Cox up the final hill.
Ronan Keating, Fearne Cotton, and Vernon Kay formed a surprise cheer tunnel at mile 100.

But the moment that broke the internet came at 7:42 p.m. when the donation total hit £1 million live on BBC One. Cox dropped to her knees in the mud, hands over her face, sobbing uncontrollably as Pudsey Bear enveloped her in a giant hug. “I can’t believe it,” she wept. “A million quid for the kids. I’m in bits.”

Viewers flooded social media:

“Sara Cox crying when she hit £1M just ended me 😭”
“This woman is running herself into the ground for children she’ll never meet. Hero.”
“Judi Dench handing her a flask of tea in the pouring rain is the most British thing ever.”

As of Friday night, the total stands at £1.18 million and climbing. Cox has one final 27-mile push tomorrow from Hebden Bridge to the finish line in Manchester, where Children In Need’s live show will welcome her.

Medics say she’s running on pure adrenaline and Haribo at this point, but Cox insists: “I’m finishing this if I have to crawl.”

From the bubbly voice of drivetime radio to a mud-covered, tear-streaked ultra-runner — Sara Cox is giving Britain the feel-good, heart-exploding moment of the year.

Donate here: bbc.co.uk/pudsey