Izzard begins the first of his 27 marathons

Eddie Izzard has kicked off his quest to run 27 marathons in 27 days.

The comedian aims to run more than 700 miles in temperatures of up to 30C in the gruelling challenge across South Africa.

His run is in honour of Nelson Mandela, and he started at the former South African president's birthplace of Mvezo, in the Eastern Cape.

This morning Izzard posted a picture of himself by the banks of the river Mbashe as he began his attempt, in aid of Sport Relief, soon after sunrise.

Just started running in South Africa. Trying to run 27 marathons in 27 days for @sportrelief pic.twitter.com/m6RoybA72t

— Eddie Izzard (@eddieizzard) February 23, 2016

His final run is planned for Petoria on Sunday March 20, ending at the Union Buildings where Nelson Mandela gave his inaugural speech as the first democratically elected President of South Africa in 1994.

Izzard previously attempted the same feat in 2012, but had to pull out for health reasons. And that attempt followed his 2009 achievement of completing 43 marathons in 51 days across the UK, raising more than £1.8million.

Izzard has chosen 27 marathons to reflect the 27 years that Mandela spent in prison. Over his journey he plans to explore the history of South Africa and Mandela as well as visiting communities that have been helped by Comic Relief.

The comedian said his effort – which will take in to the school and university that Mandela attended, then on to Cape Town and Robben Island where he was imprisoned – was 'a salute to all who struggled and fought against Apartheid'.

He added: '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.

'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.'

The will be a daily update on BBC Three, with his first video diary posted online this morning, showing him setting off with the South African flag in hand.

Comic Relief chief executive Kevin Cahill added: '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. We are beyond grateful for his continued support and will be with him every step of the way.'

Here Izzard explains his inspiration:

Published: 23 Feb 2016