Former Lioness footballer Jill Scott has set off on a five-day Sport Relief cycle and marathon challenge.
She will travel 388 miles (624km) from Wembley Stadium – the site of her historic 2022 Euros win – to her home town club at Sunderland’s Stadium of Light.
Scott will do a mixture of running and cycling, stopping along the way at football stadiums and community hubs that have been a part of her life and career.
Before setting off, she said she was “very excited and a little bit nervous” about the challenge ahead of her.
‘Really going to hurt’
Along the way she will drop in on Aston Villa, Everton, Man City and grassroots community team Bishop Auckland FC Ladies.
She said she thought the running sections would be harder than the cycling, with the 38-mile (61km) running section from Everton Hill Dickinson Stadium to Manchester described as sounding particularly “brutal”.
But she also said the cycling part could be painful too.
“Your bum hurts on the bike,” she said.
“When you’re sat on that saddle for 112 miles (180km) that is really going to hurt.”
Scott said the thought of raising funds for the “amazing” Sport Relief projects she had visited would keep her going.
“It is incredible the work they do, kids having somewhere to go after school, play football, make friends,” she said.
“Hopefully we can raise as much money as possible and put smiles on people’s faces.”
She set off on a 112-mile (180km) bike ride from Wembley Stadium to Villa Park on the first day of the challenge.
Next she would take on another bike ride – 99 miles (159.3km) to Everton Hill Dickinson Stadium.
She would then do a 38-mile (61km) run to Manchester before a “Tour-de France style” 111-mile (178km) cycle to the north-east of England on day four.
The challenge will end on 12 June with a 28-mile (45km) marathon finish to the Stadium of Light.
More information can be found on the Sport Relief 2026 website.
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