Izzard completes 27th marathon in 27 days

Eddie Izzard has finished his 27th marathon in 27 days across South Africa.

The comedian had to run two marathons today to reach his target, after falling behind earlier in his Sport Relief challenge.

He finished in Pretoria, beneath a giant statue of Nelson Mandela – in whose honour he was running. Each marathon represented one year the former President spent in jail.

Izzard, 54, raised more than £1.35million for charity from his efforts, which involved running more than 700 miles in temperatures of up to 30C.

'That was very, very tough,' a clearly exhausted 54-year-old Izzard said after crossing the finish line. ‘It’s been the hardest thing I’ve every done. I’m very tired.Thank you to everyone who’s donated. this was tough.. so don’t do this at home. I don’t think I can say much more.’

He then opened a bottle of bubbly and took a swig.'

He ended his gruelling challenge on the spot Mandela gave his inaugural speech as the first democratically elected President of South Africa in 1994.

HE'S DONE IT.

27 marathons in 27 days by the astonishing Eddie Izzard.
The #MarathonMan pic.twitter.com/xcgCXrFzpI

— Sport Relief (@sportrelief) 20 March 2016

Before he started the marathons, Izzard said: '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.'

He previously tried the the same challenge in 2012, but had to pull out after just four days on health grounds.

In 2009, he completed 43 marathons in 51 days across the UK, raising more than £1.8million.

Published: 20 Mar 2016