Spencer Matthews, the reality TV star known for his appearances on "Made in Chelsea," has completed an extraordinary feat: running 30 marathons in 30 days in the Jordanian desert. This gruelling challenge, dubbed "The Great Desert Challenge," saw Matthews conquer 1,266km of sand, facing temperatures reaching 44°C.
Matthews undertook the challenge to raise funds for Global's Make Some Noise charity and in honour of his late brother, Michael, who tragically perished while descending Mount Everest in 1999. Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Matthews shared his thoughts on the experience: "I'll always look back at this time in my life. It's very special." He also revealed that his brother remained a constant source of motivation throughout the challenge: "A lot of my personal drive for challenges like this has him in the back of my mind... I had a little chat with Mike most mornings, as I do pretty regularly, and I like to think that if he was around, he'd be proud of the efforts that were made."
The physical and mental demands of the challenge were immense. Matthews shed 1.5 stone (9.5kg) in weight and sweated out nearly 5 litres of fluid daily. "It was a question of not being able to replace the calories lost," he explained. "I wear a device that has a pretty good guess of what I was burning on a daily basis - it's typically between 7000 and 8000 calories a day... So in order to retain muscle and weight through that period, you'd need to be eating an extraordinary amount, which I didn't have access to." His diet consisted primarily of rice and chicken, providing essential sustenance to fuel his body through the demanding runs.
Despite the challenges, Matthews finished strong, completing his final marathon distance in 4 hours and 17 minutes. He was greeted at the finish line by his wife, Vogue, and two of their three children, Theodore and Gigi. "It means the world that they're here," he shared, looking forward to spending quality time with his family upon his return. "Getting to spend time with them now is what I'm looking forward to the most when I get home."
Matthews's incredible achievement has secured him a Guinness World Record for most marathon distances completed on sand in one month by a male. His dedication to both charity and honouring his brother's memory, combined with his remarkable endurance, has made this a truly inspirational story.
