Comic Relief: Billy Monger finishes 'epic' charity challenge

Monger at Brands HatchImage source, Comic Relief
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Monger says the challenge is one of the toughest things he's ever done

Young racing driver Billy Monger has finished his epic challenge for Comic Relief.

The 21-year-old completed a gruelling 140-mile triathlon-inspired event where he walked, kayaked and cycled across England...in four days!

That's hard work for anyone, but it was made even more of a challenge by the fact that Billy lost both legs in a crash four years ago.

He crossed the finish line at around 8pm on Friday night.

'Hard to explain what it means'

Image source, Comic Relief
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Billy Monger walked 18 miles on Monday, passing the Angel of the North in Gateshead

Monger said he rode a bike for the first time since the crash about a month ago and that it was "hard to explain what it means to have been able to ride again".

The challenge started with an 18-mile walk in the North East of England on Monday, which left him feeling "battered and bruised and sore".

On Thursday, Monger completed a 65-mile bike ride from Birmingham to Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire.

He finished with 18 laps of Brands Hatch - his home track in Kent - and was joined by TV presenter Zoe Ball, who cycled 355 miles for Sport Relief in 2018, before he finished with several laps on foot.

Image source, Comic Relief
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Monger had never used a kayak before training began for the Comic Relief challenge

Bad weather had forced Monger to delay plans to kayak in the Lake District on Tuesday. He took to the water on Wednesday and covered 6.5 miles across Ullswater, joined by BBC Breakfast's Dan Walker for the closing stages.

Cycling up steep hills on Thursday had forced him "to dig the deepest that I think I've ever had to".

Thinking about the people who benefit from Comic Relief helped motivate him through the difficult moments, he said.

What do you think of Billy's amazing achievement? Let us know in the comments below.