Eddie Izzard has announced that he will attempt to complete a staggering 27 marathons in 27 days across South Africa for Sport Relief 2016. This gruelling challenge will see Eddie aim to run over 700 miles in temperatures of up to 30°C. The new BBC Three will exclusively cover Eddie’s journey, from his first marathon on Tuesday 23 February to his last marathon planned for Sunday 20 March.
“BBC Three is uniquely placed to cover Eddie’s challenge on our new platforms and on social media – transforming the BBC’s offer for young people means we should do whatever we can, wherever we need to, with whoever works best and whenever is appropriate, to tell amazing stories just like this one.” Damian Kavanagh, Controller, BBC Three commented.

Mr. Kavanagh explained that Eddie’s route will trace the story of Nelson Mandela’s life, starting in his birthplace, before journeying to the school and university that he attended, then on to Cape Town and Robben Island where he was imprisoned. If Eddie completes all 27 marathons, he will end at the Union Buildings in Pretoria where Nelson Mandela gave his inaugural speech as the first democratically elected President of South Africa in 1994. Kavanagh went on to add that the challenge will be an important one for Eddie as he previously attempted a similar feat in South Africa in 2012, but had to pull out for health reasons. The 2012 attempt followed his fantastic effort for Sport Relief in 2009, when he completed 43 marathons in 51 days across the UK, pushing through both physical and emotional barriers to raise over £1.8m.
“Eddie is undoubtedly one of our Sport Relief legends, and we are absolutely thrilled that he is going to push himself to the physical limit once again. What he did for Sport Relief last time was truly astonishing and raised a staggering amount of money that has really helped to transform lives at home and across the world. We are beyond grateful for his continued support and will be with him every step of the way.” Kevin Cahill, Chief Executive at Comic Relief commented.
Mr. Cahill explained that the money raised for Sport Relief from the Eddie Izzard: Marathon Man challenge will be used to help transform the lives of some of the most disadvantaged people both at home in the UK and across the world’s poorest communities.
“I was inspired to run 27 marathons in 27 days for Sport Relief after seeing the film Invictus. The film featured a poem called Invictus – one of Nelson Mandela’s favourite poems during his 27 years in prison. He used it to give himself determination to keep himself going and keep his spirit alive. It’s a beautiful poem about being the master of your own fate and destiny. Watching the film I suddenly realised – I have to run in South Africa. I should run 27 marathons in 27 days as a salute to the great man. It is also a salute to all who struggled and fought against Apartheid. So I am delighted to be doing this for Sport Relief. But of course – 27 marathons in 27 days is nothing compared to what Nelson Mandela did by serving 27 years in prison. He was a great soul and leaves a fantastic legacy for the world.” Eddie Izzard commented “ps… I tried to do this four years ago and failed. This time I will succeed. But if I fail, I will come back again and again and again until I do succeed. Because that’s what Nelson Mandela would have done.”