Davina McCall faced torrential rain and gale force winds of up to 70mph during the weekend as she kicked off Day One of her BT Sport Relief Challenge: Davina – Beyond Breaking Point, a seven day ordeal which will see the her attempt to run, swim and cycle over 500 miles from Edinburgh to London – entirely under her own steam.
The challenge is sponsored by BT, a long-term supporter of Comic Relief challenges since 2009.
Leaving Edinburgh Castle at 7:45am on Saturday, she kissed husband Matthew goodbye and waved to gathered crowds including her proud parents before starting Day 1’s gruelling 14 hour, 130-mile cycle to Keswick.
Speaking at her first pit stop in Biggar, South Lanarkshire, Davina said: “Oh dear, I think I’ve bitten off more than I can chew – I want to stop now and I’ve only done 30 miles! I just hadn’t mentally prepared for the wind – I’m cycling against it so I’m even having to pedal when I’m going downhill! There’s still a long day ahead of me and then have to start it all again tomorrow.”
Davina’s celebrity friends including John Bishop, Chris Moyles, Dermot O'Leary, and Kirstie Allsopp took to twitter to wish her well, with Kirstie tweeting “Woke in my cosy bed & stayed there for a bit while @ThisisDavina was up at sparrow fart cycling 130 miles through vile weather”
Davina’s challenge is all about girl power. She’ll be joined by famous female friends along the route and will be spurred along by her ultimate goal of helping projects that work to help women. In many developing countries, simply being born female can mean a lifetime of added dangers and challenges, and money raised from the challenge will be spent to help change the lives of thousands of women and girls in Kenya as well as transform lives in the UK and around the world.
Davina needs the public’s support to keep her going as she goes Beyond Breaking Point. Sponsor Davina at sportrelief.com/Davina.
Find out more here.
