Olly Murs broke down in tears after finishing his Soccer Aid challenge. He said the challenge had surpassed all his expectations.
The singer-songwriter crossed the finish line at the London Stadium in Stratford in east London. He was wrapping up his gruelling five-day Into The Unknown challenge.
Murs’s gruelling journey
Murs took on a 249-mile journey from Manchester to London by running, cycling and rowing. Each day’s route was kept secret until just hours before he set out.
He has raised more than £830,000 for children’s charity Unicef, which organises Soccer Aid.
Speaking to ITV’s This Morning, Murs thanked the public for donating, adding that their support had kept him going.
He said: “I am in bits. That run from central London to here was so painful, but I just kept thinking, I gotta get to the end.
“Thank you to everyone. The donations have been amazing, and it surpassed my expectations how amazing this has been.
“To be given the opportunity from Soccer Aid, who have been an amazing part of my life, so to be able to do this and to raise that sort of money, I’m just really proud of myself and proud of the fact that Soccer Aid, still to this day, is such a huge charity that does so much with Unicef to help kids around the world, it’s amazing.”
Challenges along the way
The third and longest day of the challenge, on Wednesday, was dogged by torrential rain. There was also an unexpected reroute caused by a fire.
What’s next for Murs?
Murs is due to compete in a Soccer Aid charity fundraising match on 31 May for Team England. He will play alongside actor Tom Hiddleston, former England player Wayne Rooney and Adolescence star Owen Cooper.
The singer added that the first thing he was going to do was see his children and “give them a big hug” before going home and getting some pizza.
Murs will chronicle his journey in a documentary on ITV on 29 May.