Go Sara, go!

Trevor Nelson
BBC Radio 2 Presenter

Beyoncé - Crazy in Love

Sara, huge respect for what you're doing for Children in Need. To run the Great Northern Marathon takes heart, focus and real determination, and you have all of that in spades. Stay in the zone! But when you need that extra boost, there's only one choice, as far as I'm concerned. The drums, the horns! It's Beyoncé and Crazy in Love!

From Scott Mills and Greg James to Michelle Visage and Jeremy Vine, hear more stars picking Songs For Sara Cox on BBC Sounds.

Day 3 yesterday was the most difficult so far - Sara's spirits started low after a sleepless night, leaving everyone worried whether or not she would get to Richmond.

Sara liked to use a unique analogy to describe the day, the "toothpaste" method: "Where you think there's nothing in the tube, and you just keep rolling and rolling, then a tiny bit comes out. I've basically just had to squeeze it out today."

There must have been plenty left in the tube, as Sara got herself to Richmond where a crowd of 2,000 people greeted her at the finish line!

Sara Cox
BBC Radio 2's Great Northern Marathon Woman

The listeners have been amazing. All the people who come to the side of the road were seeing some right faces from me.

If you walk for a second, then have to start running again, it really hurts. I was counting myself in, essentially doing birthing breathing for the first ten steps, and then just grinding through the miles.

Sara is on the penultimate day of her Great Northern Marathon Challenge for BBC Children in Need.

If you'd like to support Sara with a text or online donation, and spur her on even further, you can find all the details below or at bbc.co.uk/sara!

Catch up on the moment that Sara Cox heard the latest total of £2,680,747 earlier today whilst chatting with Vernon Kay on Radio 2.

Sara is eternally grateful for your donations, whether it's helping to keep youth clubs running or providing hygiene packs for children. Every penny is making a difference!

The donations and messages of support are the much-needed fuel she needs to get today's 29-mile trek in the bag, so please do keep them coming!

Watch the moment in the clip below:

If Sara's epic challenge has inspired you to dig out those old running trainers and get moving, we've got the perfect music companion for you!

Over on BBC Sounds, you can enjoy a special edition of the Pace Setter mix, with some of Sara Cox's favourite workout tunes.

Get in the mood with motivating tracks from Chase & Status, Rudimental, Groove Armada and many more - all handpicked by Sara herself to mark her Great Northern Marathon Challenge for this year's Children In Need!

Listen to Pace Setter: Train with Sara Cox at BBC Sounds.

Ant and Dec deliver a special message of support for Sara all the way from Australia!

These motivational messages are what pushes Sara forward, one step at a time, so please do keep them coming!

Keep up the amazing work, Coxy!

Sara Cox
BBC Radio 2's Great Northern Marathon Woman

I’m having chips and gravy with loads of vinegar. It was tough, grinding away those last five miles. The chips and gravy are taking my mind off my shins for a moment.

Physiotherapist Jeff Ross, aka Jeff the Thumbs, was on hand last year when Paddy McGuinness took on his challenge. He was in the Radio 2 studio today to give Jeremy Vine a first-hand experience of what a physio session entails, and what might be helping Sara to recover each day.

This is what he told Jeremy...

"What Sara has been doing is incredible, the impact that goes through her legs day in and day out and what happens is you start getting tightness that builds and builds and builds throughout the day. Then unfortunately for Sara, she does it all in one day and she finishes her day and she'll be getting treatment at every pit stop, and then in the evening she'll get some more treatment and rest and food. And that inflammation builds throughout the day and then she wakes up the next day and do it all again!"

Jeff then gave Jeremy a rather lengthy massage on air - which was quite an eventful listen...

You can listen back on BBC Sounds - at the 1.26 mark.

Vibes were upbeat and positive this morning ahead of the longest day of the Great Northern Marathon Challenge.

It sounds like Sara's sleep schedule was a nationwide worry last night, but fortunately... SHE SLEPT BETTER!

Crowds gathered for the starting line in Richmond, although the big send off was paused briefly due to the crew car taking it's sweet time to get started.

Sara has a whopping 29 miles to cover in total today.

Watch her setting off for Day 4 below:

Nick Grimshaw
BBC 6 Music Presenter

Madonna - Like A Prayer

Sara, what you're doing for Children in Need is so phenomenal. We are all rooting for you. We're so so proud of ya! Just remember, when it starts to get tough, put this on and let the Queen of pop music get you through! Let's have some Madonna, for you Sara.

From Scott Mills and Greg James to Michelle Visage and Jeremy Vine, hear more stars picking Songs For Sara Cox on BBC Sounds.

The moment from yesterday that Sara's dear friend and fellow presenter Gethin Jones surprised her - by popping out of a tractor at a transportation yard!

Donning his whitest trainers, Gethin vowed to run with Sara on Day 3 for as long as she needed.

It certainly gave Sara a boost, as she continued to put one foot in front of the other to get Pudsey... to Pudsey!

Revisit the brilliant moment that Gethin popped out of that tractor to surprise Sara below!

Thanks to you all, Sara is staying strong!

Your support - from home, through your messages, your kind donations, and those out there cheering her on - is what’s carrying her through this.

If you're just joining us, here are a few ways you can keep up-to-date with Sara's progress this week, during her Great Northern Marathon Challenge for Children in Need.

You can follow Sara’s journey right here - we'll be providing regular updates, photos, videos and more highlights throughout each day this week.

You'll also be able to follow her every move with our new Sara Tracker, external.

Listen along live to Radio 2 by clicking or tapping the audio icon at the top of the page. Or ask your smart speaker to 'Play BBC Radio 2' - get more help with using smart speakers here.

And you can take Sara with you via the BBC Sounds app if you're on the move - if you've not downloaded it, here's some help in getting started.

Plus, don’t miss a BBC One special following Sara's journey airing next Wednesday, 19 November.

Sara was treated to a brilliant mash-up of Five's hit Keep On Movin' this week, featuring extra vocals and lyrics from the Radio 2 family.

Recorded specially to help Sara along the way, Scott Mills aired it on Radio 2 yesterday when she was at a low ebb - the perfect time to give her a boost. She'll certainly need it to keep her going today too, on the longest day of her mammoth challenge.

Throughout the challenge, the messages of support have been flooding in for Sara.

Earlier this week, Vernon Kay checked in with retired British athlete and Olympic champion Jessica Ennis-Hill to share her words of wisdom for when times get tough, the doubt sets in and the positive sheen from Day 1 has faded.

Jeremy Vine
BBC Radio 2 Presenter

So, if you go on the online tracker , externalyou can see where Sara is. She's heading to Masham, and the town's four-legged fan club is assembling there - dozens of dogs and their human owners are lining up to give her the warmest, waggiest welcome that Sara's ever had.

Sara is on the penultimate day of her Great Northern Marathon Challenge for BBC Children in Need.

If you'd like to support Sara with a text or online donation, and spur her on even further, you can find all the details below or at bbc.co.uk/sara!

Well, it's been an eventful morning already on BBC Radio 2 as we follow Sara's Great Northern Marathon Challenge!

If you missed any of these highlights from Vernon Kay's show this morning, ask your smart speaker to play BBC Radio 2, then 'Ask BBC Sounds to rewind to' the times below. Get more help with using smart speakers here.

• 10:35 - "C'mon Coxy!" Sara's sister, Dot and other family members surprise her on the route, tears all around!
• 11:23 - Vernon reveals a new total of £2,680,747! Thank you to everyone that has donated so far.
• 11:55 - Supporters brave the weather to greet Sara in Patrick Brompton, North Yorkshire, including Jude from The One Show's Challenge Squad
• 12:03 - A Lioness' advice; England international and Manchester United player Ella Toone talks to Vernon about keeping motivate

You can also catch up on Vernon's show below, or via our Watch & Listen tab at the top of the page for the rest of today.