Race Across the World (2019–…): Season 3, Episode 4 - Churchill - Manitoba - full transcript
The teams head for the fourth checkpoint, the remote outpost of Churchill, on Hudson Bay. The only transport is a twice-weekly train, and they have just three days to catch it.
The desire to explore our planet
has never been stronger.
But in travelling over,
are we missing the joys
of journeying through?
Canada, the second largest
country in the world.
From Pacific to Atlantic Ocean,
flight time seven hours.
From Pacific to Atlantic Ocean,
flight time seven hours.
But could you successfully navigate
this gruelling
16,000km route
at ground level...
..all for the price
of doing it by air?
Five pairs of ordinary Brits
are about to undertake just that.
Go, Dad! Go, go, go.
In a demanding
and challenging race...
All I'm saying is I'm going to die.
We're all going to die.
..they'll head deep into the wild...
Oh, my God. The sea is ice!
..they'll head deep into the wild...
Oh, my God. The sea is ice!
..cross vast prairies...
This is awesome. Road trip!
..soar high into the Rockies...
Just once in a lifetime, isn't it?
If we see a bear,
I'm going to kill you!
..to the very edges
of civilisation.
We are going to go into remote
wilderness here.
We can't get a bus out of here.
We can't get a train out of here.
Without smartphones
or bank cards,
and with a limited budget...
It's dark, it's raining.
We've got no money.
We are going to have to find
a car share.
I don't like this!
..they'll need charm...
Parlez-vous Anglais?
Mission accomplished!
..hard work...
We're absolutely brassic.
We can claw the money back.
Yeah, we'll work.
..and ingenuity to get them through.
I can give you a ride.
Are you going to kill us? No.
Have they got what it takes,
both physically...
Just the hardest thing
I think I've done.
..and emotionally?
It is hard. But you've just made us
feel like family.
I believe in you. I know.
I just don't believe in me.
I'm not giving up.
The rewards are great.
Mother Nature at her best.
Never seen anything like it.
And for the first team
to the finish line,
a prize of £20,000.
Every second counts.
In a race... If they come behind us,
I'm taking the bag off you.
..across the world.
Breathe through it! You can cry
when you're sat down!
The midlife crisis
is going really well!
Yeah, I'm quite enjoying my crisis!
Yeah!
Previously,
the teams raced to Banff...
We've got a hell of a lot
of catching up to do.
..in a surprise elimination leg.
The team that reaches there
in fifth place
will be eliminated from the race.
Yeah, but we've got 48 hours
on the others.
Risking the Rockies...
It is absolutely crazy here.
..Tricia and Cathie's lead
was slashed.
There's no buses!
I feel like I'm swimming uphill.
We were feeling quite smug.
That came back and bit us.
This is awesome! Road trip!
Zainib and Mobeen cruised
to safety...
So we weren't even close
to being eliminated! Yeah.
..while a chance meeting...
You can use our van,
drive it to Edmonton.
Is this really happening?
..was a godsend
for Claudia and Kevin...
The kindness of people
is just bloody mad.
..edging out Monique and Ladi...
I can't really run,
I can just about walk.
..who limped to fourth place...
Oh, my God! This is brutal.
MESSAGE ALERT
Four teams have arrived in Banff.
..meaning brothers Mark and Michael
were out of the race.
I just feel really fortunate to have
shared those experiences with you.
After traversing 6,500 kilometres
of Canadian wilderness...
After traversing 6,500 kilometres
of Canadian wilderness...
..the four remaining teams
have reached the exclusive resort
of Banff.
Oh, my word!
Oh, my God! Oh, my word!
Amazing! Wow!
And are looking to make the most
of their 36 hour break.
I can't believe we've waited
three weeks for pancakes!
After just eating
cream cheese crackers.
I'm so sad about the boys going.
Somebody had to go. I know.
And I feel really guilty for being
relieved that it's not us.
With the elimination, the
competition became a bit more real.
That race element is there,
but we're getting to see places
that we probably wouldn't
have thought to come.
It's a privilege, really.
I don't think anyone will ever
understand what we've gone through
in the last five days.
The last three weeks.
It's bloody hard.
But we're here.
And I'm bloody loving it!
We're last in the pack.
But in the grand scheme of things,
we're trying to get to St John's
and that's where it counts,
right at the very end.
Now that we're still in it,
I can take a breather.
But I'm exhausted.
I just need to sleep.
4:30 am.
With the local wildlife
known to wander into town
in the hours of darkness,
the teams must wait till sunrise
to get going.
Hey. Good morning. Morning.
Meaning the others
will luckily make up time
behind current leaders,
Tricia and Cathie.
Ready? Yep.
Churchill.
I need to check the map,
but I think I know where it is.
It's there. Holy shit.
The world's
northernmost and coldest ocean,
the Arctic,
flows into the Hudson Bay.
On its shores, Churchill.
Home to just 900 people,
and each autumn,
the favourite destination
of a similar number of polar bears.
I'm really excited
about going there.
Somewhere that most humans
have never been.
This remote outpost is not connected
to the rest of Canada by road,
This remote outpost is not connected
to the rest of Canada by road,
but by a twice weekly train.
And the next one starts
its journey north from Winnipeg
in three days' time.
If we don't get on that train,
then we might as well
book our flights home. Yeah.
To catch the Churchill train,
the teams will need to cross
the flattest, and with just
two people per square kilometre,
the flattest, and with just
two people per square kilometre,
most sparsely populated province
of mainland Canada, Saskatchewan.
They could head to Alberta's cities,
Calgary and Edmonton,
to join the Trans-Canada Highway,
bisecting the Great Plains
and vast prairies
through Saskatchewan's
largest city, Saskatoon.
Or choose to strike out on their own
through the Southern Badlands,
Or choose to strike out on their own
through the Southern Badlands,
a classic Western movie landscape
of buttes, hoodoos and salt lakes.
a classic Western movie landscape
of buttes, hoodoos and salt lakes.
It's more direct,
but less travelled.
We need to use public transport
as much as we can, don't we?
So I think Calgary is definitely
our first stop because that's
the transport hub. Yeah.
Let's go to Churchill!
Let's go, go, go, go, go!
I hope that there's a bus
to Calgary.
Sunrise in Vancouver. Wow!
We've lost our lead,
which is really infuriating.
But we move on.
Our friendship and our bond
is definitely key to this race.
Definitely.
Oh, look, look, look, look!
So the first bus, 6:20.
Yeah, ten minutes. To Canmore,
ten minutes out of town.
Ahh.
We've worked really well
together.
We have. Yeah.
Not a single cross word. No.
Well, I didn't expect there to be.
Not a single humph!
So, OK, we'll do that then.
Two tickets to Canmore, please.
Tricia and Cathie opt to get
the first bus out of town.
A short hop that will drop
them 103km short
of their desired destination.
From Canmore, we can then get
a bus straight to Calgary.
Yeah, maybe.
With the sun up...
So, a 36 hour train journey! Nice.
I'm looking forward to it, actually.
..the other three teams
are also on the move.
Don't climb the moose, Dad.
Churchill!
Oh, look, there's an Ilford,
Dad, and a Southend.
They just steal all the names
from London, don't they!
So the priority, to bring in
some stuff that we enjoy,
to scrape back some money...
What are you feeling?
What are your thoughts?
I just need to sleep!
Sometimes I forget that Dad
is older than me!
Where's Saskatchewan?
Oh, that's a whole province.
That's a whole province.
That he is not as quick
and ready to bounce back
as he once was.
I think this leg's going to be hard,
Dad.
My foot is still giving me gyp,
but I need to lift the spirits
and get out of here as quickly
as possible.
It would be good to get to Calgary
and then Edmonton today.
We're looking to book a coach trip
to Calgary.
Already on their way out of town,
Claudia and Kevin,
unlike rivals Tricia and Cathie,
on a bus direct to Calgary.
We've taken over three weeks
to get on a coach!
I thought we would have done
a bit more often, to be honest.
Cheaper than a taxi, though.
Since spending big
in the first leg,
father and daughter have less than
half their budget remaining.
I think we'll have to continue
to camp. Yeah. Forget the sleep.
Yeah. Forget the food.
Yeah.
I know we have our moments,
but I do think we're getting
the hang of this. You know,
we are working as a team now
and I think that's made
a massive difference. Mm.
By the end of this race,
I want to have sorted out
all our little niggling bits.
Stop being so annoying then!
First stop en route to Calgary,
Canmore.
Here's the bus, I can see it.
Look, there they are! Hi, there.
We're trying to get to Calgary.
Have you paid for your ticket?
No, we were trying to.
But we've got no phone,
so we couldn't book online.
I can't give you a free ride.
No, no, no, no.
I'm not asking for a free ride.
What we're asking is,
can we buy a ticket from you?
It's kind of too late now.
The people are waiting.
Can we pay when we get to Calgary?
Sorry, it doesn't work like that.
OK. Thanks.
Thanks for your help.
Right. Is it too cruel to wave?
It is cruel, yeah.
You did it anyway!
I love it when people
are really helpful like that.
So we're now stuck here.
They're certainly not in first
place now. We're on a roll.
We're ahead of the game.
I think we've let the whole 5:00
start thing get the better of us
this morning, and it's made us
poor judgment and bad decisions.
I'm expecting days
when it's really tough.
Let's have a sit down
and a regroup, OK?
Because we're not achieving
anything.
Well, we've got three miles
up the road in three hours!
And I don't know how I'm going
to cope with that yet.
The only option we've got now
is to try and get a ride.
I'll be there.
You will be there! Yes.
I mean, there'll be buses later.
Yeah.
We just need ten minutes
to get our heads in the right place.
I'm going to finish my coffee,
eat my banana.
And then we'll get on with it.
Yeah. No rush.
I don't think we realised how
adapted to the wilderness me and Dad
had become until we feel
so alienated in a city.
I'm not sure I like it!
We've gone from one extreme
to another, haven't we?
Where the foothills of the Rockies
give way to vast prairies,
Canada's fourth largest city,
Calgary.
That is famous.
The tower.
Built to celebrate
Canada's centenary in 1967,
the 190 metre tall Calgary Tower.
Its central column
created by a single 24 day long
pouring of concrete.
This gives me vibes.
Even though nothing's going on,
I'm like, "Yes!"
Two teams in town
are not hanging around.
You go ahead, just pick whatever
seat you like. Thank you.
For them, it's a quick connection
to Edmonton.
On the dot.
I'm glad we're on our way,
not walking around.
I think if we do this leg right,
we could have this in the box.
So, what is that?
Get rodeo school ready,
and braving the bucking bronco.
That would be a good one.
Yearning for a slice
of the cowboy life...
It'll get us bed and board.
That will be fun.
..Zainib and Mobeen are striking
out in a different direction,
through Saskatchewan's
Southern Badlands,
to work on a ranch close
to the town of Moose Jaw.
OK, you guys find yourself
a seat, OK?
I think we're racing quite hard
and we're doing quite well
with the budget. But if we just
simply focus on the race,
that will deplete
all our energy.
And we need to have those fun times.
Is there any public transport
from Medicine Hat to Moose Jaw?
Is there any public transport
from Medicine Hat to Moose Jaw?
Not that I know of.
Are we saying that right?
Moose Jaw?
Oh, yeah. Moose Jaw. Yeah, yeah.
Lovely name.
My favourite was Lone Buck!
Another funny one
was Lake Minnewanka!
I'm going to stuff my face
at breakfast. Oh, my days.
This is good!
I've worn my combats, Dad.
I've got big pockets for a reason,
so I can take some stuff.
Load up, baby. Load up.
After reaching Edmonton last night,
Monique is seizing the day...
She saw me, you walk first,
so if she stops someone,
she stops you!
Looking to head
to the city of Saskatoon...
Morning!
From Edmonton to Saskatoon today,
4:10 this afternoon.
God, that's really late.
That's the earliest.
OK. OK. Thank you so much.
Thank you.
The plan now is to wait
for this bus.
There's kayaking, like,
up in a lake, like, past Saskatoon.
Waskesiu Lake. I think
Dad's going to proper enjoy it.
Monique's plan -
from Saskatoon head
to Prince Albert National Park.
In exchange for work, she hopes
to treat keen sailor Ladi
to a dream kayaking trip
on Waskesiu Lake.
We know that we can work there,
so earn some of the money back
that we spend.
I hope that during this race
my dad sees that I'm not
a little girl any more.
And there's a camp ground,
so we'll be able to use
our camping equipment.
Even when we do go on holiday,
he automatically takes my passport
and all my travel documents,
and I've sort of just let him
do that, but I want to show him
I'm independent, I'm responsible,
and I hope that he'll be quite
shocked and proud to see me make
good decisions for the team as well.
You know what?
Kayaking could be really like one
of those wow moments.
I love your car, it's so cool.
I just wonder if you're
heading up to Saskatoon? No.
Also in Edmonton,
making a beeline for Saskatoon...
There is a bus that leaves at 4:10
today, but we need to try
and catch a ride.
That would save us about $138.
Sorry to trouble you,
you're not heading towards
Saskatoon, by any chance, are you?
No.
Facing that gas station,
it's just tiring.
All the memories of Watson Lake
just keep flooding back
and it starts to get you a bit
down before you've even begun.
But we really need this.
You all right?
I've just had enough now, Dad,
I'm done. OK, right.
Let's just...
So...
Do we catch the bus tonight?
Whatever you want to do, Dad,
honestly, I don't care.
No, I'm just trying to... The point
I'm at, I don't care any more.
So you just decide
what you want to do.
Why don't you go and have
ten minutes out?
Go and have a little...
I'm just past caring, Dad.
I don't want to be sat
at a gas station!
I just don't want to do this!
To see my daughter break down
is heartbreaking.
And it is soul destroying.
To try and keep things going
and try and keep things positive.
Have you got some water? Yeah?
The thing is,
I don't want to get old.
I'm still 25 years old in my head.
Friends would all say to me,
"Kev, you just need to grow up."
And it's like, "No, I am Peter Pan
and I am going to live my life
"the way I want to live it."
But the other side of the sword
is the fact that I've got a daughter
that I've lost touch with and
I want to rebuild those bonds again.
So we are now going to head back
into town and catch the bus
down to Saskatoon.
Got a cab coming in three minutes.
I'd rather have just got a bus back,
Dad.
No, let's just get out of here.
And maybe I need to show
I can be responsible.
I can be the caring father.
It's not about the money now.
This is about keeping us safe.
We should have just
had a chilled out morning,
realised that the bus is at 4:10,
and recuperated
and just got ourselves back together
again for the onward journey.
As both father daughter teams
head for the 4:10 to Saskatoon...
Oh, my word, no.
..Tricia and Cathie have made it
to Calgary...
Ooh, no. No, no, no, no, no, no, no!
..with their eyes on
the very same bus.
Let's go and jump on the bus.
Hello. Hi.
But 300km
still stand between them
and catching it from Edmonton.
If we could get to Edmonton
this afternoon... OK.
..is there room on the bus
going to Saskatoon tonight?
Saskatoon from Edmonton. Yeah,
but you won't make it to Edmonton.
You just missed the first
two coaches that departed
by like five minutes.
So I can't get you there
for that 4.10 departure.
You just missed the coach by ten
minutes! I know, it always happens.
Shit, how are we going to cope
with that? Horrible.
If we don't get to Edmonton today,
we're knackered.
We're not going to reach the train
to Churchill, so that's it,
we're out.
Right.
Do we just bite the bullet
and say sod it,
get a taxi and then earn it back?
Get a ride, yeah.
Do you know how much it would cost
to get to Edmonton?
Edmonton? Yeah. 500.
All right, bear with me one minute.
Five. Yeah, there's five here.
OK.
Tricia and Cathie commit
to their biggest spend of the race.
Ouch!
We're really struggling
now with money.
My worry now is that we may not get
to the end, that's the risk. Yeah.
But we didn't have much choice,
really.
Well, we didn't have any choice.
Oh, wow, amazing.
349km to the south...
This is the salt flat.
Looks like snow.
..Zainib and Mobeen are
the first team to reach
the Land of the Living Skies.
It's got everything, Canada -
all types of landscape.
Travelling through
Saskatchewan salt lakes
and sand hills into true Wild West
country,
with free ride Shabir.
I'm very happy.
We're having a halal
fried chicken burger.
I was so shocked that
that was even an option.
Thank you so much, Shabir.
God bless both of you guys.
Here you are, Moose Jaw.
Oh, there it is, the big moose.
Watched over by 34-foot-tall,
ten-tonne Mac the Moose,
Moose Jaw's reputation
as the sin city of the north
arose during Prohibition,
when mob bosses
ran thousands of litres
of bootleg rum through the city
on their way to the speakeasies
of Chicago.
He was so nice. He's properly
fed us. I'm stuffed.
Seeking a more rural experience,
husband and wife
have an appointment
with real-life cowboy Ron,
to work on his rodeo ranch
in exchange for bed and board.
Hopefully they feed us tomorrow
rather than today.
I'm not up for socialising.
Are you up for socialising?
Yeah, going to have to do something,
we're going to have to speak to him.
HORN TOOTS
This is him, he's got the cowboy hat
on. Howdy!
Nice to meet you, sir,
how you doing? Oh, good, good.
You guys? Yeah, very good.
Good to see you. I'm loving the hat.
Ah, yeah, I can wear it!
It's a lovely truck.
I'll sit in the front.
You will, sit with me, eh?
On his 205-acre ranch, Ron,
along with wife Lorna,
On his 205-acre ranch, Ron,
along with wife Lorna,
rears cattle and horses,
introducing local youth
to the workings of a real farm...
This is a total miracle.
Wow. Jesus loves you. Welcome.
..and the teachings of the Bible.
Lorna, how are you?
Nice to meet you, Lorna.
Nice to meet you.
Thanks for having us.
Come on in, we've got supper
ready for you.
Yeah? Oh, fantastic, thank you.
Oh, yeah.
Lorna? Yes?
I hope you haven't gone to
too much trouble
cos, like, we're vegetarian -
I hope that's not an issue.
I don't want you to have to
go out your way for us.
So you guys help yourself here.
Thank you. Thank you so much.
Potatoes and carrots,
marinated salads.
I made actually chilli
and cabbage rolls. Ah, man.
It's easier to explain sometimes
that we're vegetarian.
It's not actually the case -
we do eat meat, but we only eat
halal meat.
You have such a lovely home.
God's blessed us
with this land, like...
You know, our vision is always that
kids have a good place
to meet God and meet other people,
build friendships. Wow.
They're not what I'm used to,
so it's quite unusual
to be around people
that are emitting
so much love and passion.
If you believe in your heart
and confess with your mouth
that Jesus is Lord,
then you shall be saved.
Mobeen and myself are quite reserved
in regards to our personal beliefs.
Mobeen and myself are quite reserved
in regards to our personal beliefs.
I've always just felt like
it's so personal
that I don't really need
to be so vocal about it.
Do you folks have children?
Er, not yet.
We've just not been blessed yet,
I guess.
We can actually pray with you
at some point.
Yeah, that would be great, yeah.
Thank you. Love to do that.
Where are you travelling today?
We're going to Saskatoon.
Leaving in five minutes...
I think that's the bus,
it's the right company.
Oh, my God.
You have to laugh at this point.
..the 4.10 to Saskatoon.
How are you doing, guys?
How are you doing? All right?
Fancy meeting you here!
Three teams, neck-and-neck,
embark on a seven-hour journey
across Saskatchewan's
great prairies.
It's a huge relief to be on the bus.
Yeah, it was touch-and-go.
It really was.
Cost us a fortune.
But we're still in it.
Yeah. It's really important
to find some work. Yes.
The seas of grain provide Canada
with over half its wheat
and the world with its biggest
source of lentils and dried peas.
Just endless,
mile after mile after mile.
This fertile land was an inland sea
until the time of the dinosaurs.
This fertile land was an inland sea
until the time of the dinosaurs.
It looks like there's water
and then you keep going
and it's not.
It's like a desert.
Three hours in, a pit stop.
Quick question. So me and my dad
are trying to get to Prince Albert
National Park. OK.
So once we get to Saskatoon,
do you know the quickest
and cheapest way to do that?
So bus will be going to
Prince Albert, like from Saskatoon.
So bus will be going to
Prince Albert, like from Saskatoon.
So can we stay on
till Prince Albert?
It's 40 dollars from Saskatoon
to Prince Albert.
Perfect, thanks very much.
Yeah, all right.
Think I've been like more ballsy,
to make, like, decisions
and come up with ideas this leg,
and so far it's paying off.
We'll take more risks
and actually get some rewards.
People going to Prince Albert,
they can stay on,
and thank you, everybody,
thank you so much.
While their competitors
disembark at Saskatoon...
Staying on, chaps?
We are. Enjoy.
..Monique will take her dad
a further 200km
to kayak on Waskesiu Lake.
Wow.
At least we've got luxury executive
travel just for us, then.
Cos this has been a long day.
In 24 hours, the train
will start its journey north
from Winnipeg to
the fourth checkpoint, Churchill.
We will go right down this fence
till that power pole.
Awesome. We'll get it done.
We are aiming to get that train,
but I'm enjoying this.
I might just quit the race
and stay here. Use your muscles!
As Zainib and Mobeen
begin to pay back
some of Ron and Lorna's
hospitality...
Oh, what a great day to be alive.
..240km to the north...
Hopefully we're going to go
and earn a little bit of wonga.
..Tricia and Cathie
are looking to plug
the taxi-sized hole
in their budget.
I can see the train
being very expensive.
We've just got to save and work.
Known as Paris of the Prairies
for its eight bridges,
Saskatoon's other nickname
is POW City,
for the potash, oil and wheat
that have made its fortune.
for the potash, oil and wheat
that have made its fortune.
Situated as it is
in the heart of the prairies,
many of its numerous restaurants
embrace the philosophy
of farm-to-fork dining.
What an amazing place this is.
Beautiful.
Can see for miles.
Yeah, they say Saskatchewan is the
place where you can watch your dog
run away for three days. Really?
Free-range farmer Arley could be
Tricia and Cathie's salvation.
From Calgary to Edmonton,
you took a cab?
There was no other way
of getting there. Oh, my God.
There was no bus, so, yeah.
Any work we can get
is massive for us.
With it being so bright,
I am struggling with my sight today.
Got a migraine coming on.
I'm not myself at all. OK.
Well, you don't seem happy.
I'm just worrying about us
getting to the finish,
and we might not.
It's so, so beautiful around here.
I'm lucky to be doing it with Trish.
We give each other strength.
You are very, very hard on yourself.
SNIFFS
All I can do is keep reminding you
that you're amazing
and that you're brave.
But of course there's the other side
to it which is that
you struggle sometimes.
The challenges of the race,
they take their toll.
Going for a wee.
We're just worried that we're not
going to have enough money
to get to the end, and that's hard.
I think that getting up to
Churchill's going to be
a massive hit to the budget.
Mm-hm.
We've just got to save
as much as we can,
and get as much money
as we can by work.
If we want to stay in the race,
that's what we've got to do,
isn't it?
So, you guys can feed the pigs.
Yeah. Yeah.
Oh, my God, strawberry yoghurt.
Just want to eat it! Yeah.
Right, hang on a sec now,
wait a minute.
We'll do a bread and butter pudding
for them for dessert.
Bread and butter pudding, I like it.
There we are.
Oi, get your head out me bucket,
you monkeys.
Bloody hell! Oh, shit!
It's all right, just relax.
Yeah, yeah!
Back in Moose Jaw...
Look at the worry on your face.
No, don't let her do it,
don't let her do it! Why not?
All right, go ahead.
A little tougher.
Come on, a little tougher! No!
..the next meal is never far away.
Heavenly Father, thank you
for this food. Amen. Amen.
You guys did good.
Thank you. Very impressive.
I love this, the simple life.
They all seem so relaxed and chill
and cool and happy.
You end up eating out quite a bit
on the road? Yeah.
What we do is we buy
a loaf of bread, buy a tin of tuna
and that's it.
So you eat fish?
Interesting that you ask that,
actually - we do eat meat,
but we only eat halal meat.
Has to be slaughtered a certain way.
Mobeen and myself,
we're Muslim by faith.
Mm-hm.
I didn't really expect it
to go as silent as it did.
There was a noticeable change.
Yeah.
Personally we haven't really
talked that much to...
people like you.
I believe that we have very similar,
if not very identical beliefs.
Yeah, didn't expect to be talking
about, you know, all of this.
It's uncomfortable, but I think
it's important that they know that
we are Muslim, that we're actually
really nice and normal people.
I'm not a person to try
and argue against you on anything.
I'm not a person to try
and argue against you on anything.
Neither are we, to be honest, yeah.
You have to have... Revelation.
Revelation of God.
How would you get to heaven?
Just be a good person, and be a nice
person and do good in the world. OK.
This is what this journey's
all about,
is seeing how other people live
and seeing what their daily lives
are like.
And having understanding
for how other people think.
And having appreciation
for where they're coming from. Yeah.
Ultimately it's ignorance
that creates boundaries and issues.
Ultimately it's ignorance
that creates boundaries and issues.
Yeah, absolutely.
It's just great to chat together
and know that we're all learning.
Yeah, absolutely.
And we're all seeking God. Yeah.
We're very honoured that you're open
with us and that... Yeah.
When we had that discussion
it all went a bit quiet
but it's picked up again.
Yeah, they've offered to take us
to the train station on time.
Really lovely people. Yeah.
Another blessing, yeah,
do you know what I mean?
In Saskatoon, the nearest station
from which to catch the Churchill
train is 319km away,
from which to catch the Churchill
train is 319km away,
but Kevin has called for a pause.
I think we got a bit stressed out
about all the hitchhikings
and garages, and the train.
Haven't really had sort of time out
to think about ourselves.
Clear your head, just, you know,
it's enough to get you focused
again, which is the nice thing.
Dad's doing his whole
Bear Grylls thing,
and, um, yeah,
I'm just enjoying the fire.
I'm sleeping in a tepee tonight -
I mean, who can say that
they've slept in a tepee?
Their resting spot -
Wanuskewin Heritage Park,
celebrating the history
of the indigenous peoples
of the northern plains.
We have some Muskeg tea.
Thank you very much.
Oh, lovely, thank you.
There you go.
Their host is Cree artist Kamisha.
Six thousand years ago, my ancestors
were hunting and foraging
on these lands, and living.
And maybe having a fire
where we're sat now. Who knows?
Probably.
Well, I never.
And there's our tepee,
and there's a deer,
and that is how close we are
to the wild.
We've completely chilled out,
you know,
I'm not in a race at the moment,
I am enjoying
every single minute of it,
which is what we needed. Yeah.
Probably the last time
we spent this much time together
was when I was about 11.
What was your family dynamic like?
My parents got divorced
when I was about 12,
so I think by the age of 16, 17,
I spent most of my time
living with my grandparents.
You were very close with them?
Yeah.
Their 60th wedding anniversary.
It's my favourite picture
because they look so happy.
They were more than grandparents,
they were an additional
set of parents to me.
Because I was always working away
and never at home,
my mum said to me, she said,
"Kev, Claudia needs consistency
"in her life, she needs stability,
and you can't give her that."
And to be honest,
I had the best upbringing
anyone could ever wish for,
and I knew that with Claudia
being with my mum and dad,
she was also going to have the same
upbringing.
It's obviously even harder now that
my grandparents aren't here
because there's no-one to kind of
push at my and dad's relationship
any more.
This trip is an opportunity
for both of us,
and I think my grandparents
would be really proud of us.
You were very close
with your grandmother, as was I,
and it's my grandmother's birthday
today,
so I was wondering if you wanted to
do a tobacco offering.
Yeah, we'd love that.
We'd love that, we'd love it.
So what we do, we think about all of
the things you are grateful for.
People you miss that have moved on
to the spirit world, um, thank them.
And as you're sprinkling it
out into the earth,
just keep all of those thoughts
in mind.
So this is called
a grandmother song.
I don't know why I feel
so emotional.
It's OK.
The elders in your life,
they share so much with us.
Our blood lines, our traditions,
stories, history.
It's quite upsetting to be sat there
round the fire,
and Claudia burst into tears,
and then to see her give
a complete stranger a cuddle.
Right, hold on, we're nearly there.
Oh, that's good, that's good, yes.
Drop your end a minute,
don't move it, just hold it there.
I think she's been able to
sort of let go of something.
It's not beautiful, is it,
it's not pretty.
No, but it, it works.
This is where you guys
will be sleeping tonight.
And, um, I think
I'm now understanding that Claudia
really wants a dad
rather than just a mate.
I'm going into tomorrow
with a real clear head.
I've always wanted to
sleep in a tee-pee.
And we're going to be
on that train, full stop!
Who needs blankets
when you've got bison fur?
Warm as toast, that'll be.
Right, night, Dad.
Night, you,
I'll see you in the morning.
Today, the train to Churchill...
..begins its 1,700km journey
from Winnipeg.
..begins its 1,700km journey
from Winnipeg.
The teams must decide
where they board.
Miss it, and there's a two-day wait
for the next one.
Morning. Morning.
Is there a train to Canora today?
Duration five hour 50 minutes
from Saskatoon to Melville.
OK. Just need to get from Melville
to Canora.
91km short of their target
Canora, the town of Melville.
Melville to Canora, that's the bit
I'm worried about. Yeah.
We're just going to ask
every single person that we can
in Melville. Yeah, absolutely.
Morning, everyone.
How are we doing this morning?
Yeah, we're good, thank you.
Good, thanking you very much.
You're on an adventure?
Just a little one.
Where are we headed?
We're trying to get to Canora,
but where do you think we'd be able
to find the bus information?
The bus only goes on Fridays.
Right. Why is there no transport
in this country?
Right, OK. Plan B.
Can't believe I'm asking
a policeman this.
Where would you suggest
is the best garage
in the area to car share from?
Grasswood Esso,
it's a Grasswood gas station.
Right, OK.
Three hours to get to
Canora, Saskatchewan.
Amazing, thank you. Stay safe.
Thanks very much, thanking you.
Cheers. Bye.
Oh, so frustrating, isn't it?
We've still got time on our hands.
Don't need to be there
until gone seven tonight.
Let's head over to the gas station,
we'll just try that for a few hours.
Faced with the prospect of
car-sharing once again...
Can you give us a lift
up to the gas station?
..Kevin can't resist
tapping the budget
to drive 12 minutes up the road
to start looking for a lift.
Which one, gas station?
To Grasswood? Yeah.
Realisation's hit.
I don't want to see you
in a mess again and I really
don't want to be sitting on
a garage forecourt station,
pulling my hair out.
Just can't do it again.
You don't fancy a private job this
afternoon, do you, by any chance?
We've got 400 bucks to get us
to Canora, it's a three-hour drive.
You want to go there? Yeah.
OK.
400 bucks?
Yes, I'll do it, no problem.
We don't have 400 dollars.
Yes, we do. Let's do it.
Look, we need to get on that train.
We had hours today, we had time.
It's not about hours.
Doing that garage again,
it would kill us.
That wasn't for you to make
that decision
whether I wanted to do it or not.
We're going to be there,
done and dusted,
and we haven't got to worry about
trying to catch lifts
or car share
or beat ourselves up again,
because I don't want to
go down that route again.
And I know we're paying our way
out of that situation,
but at the end of the day,
my decision was based on
your wellbeing.
And you're going to hold that
against me, are you, then?
It's fine, it's just cost us
the race, Dad.
And that's your change.
228km north...
What can I help you with?
Beef heart? Yeah, beef heart.
Beef heart?
Yeah, so that's what we use
for the bait. Oh!
That's disgusting.
..father and daughter are
implementing Monique's plan
by working at a fishing bait
and boat rental store,
so she can take her dad kayaking.
It's lovely being beside a lake.
It's calming, it's soothing,
it's my thing.
Cleaning geese poop,
it's not too bad at all.
Everywhere I've been so far,
they've given us a skivvy role
doing all the stuff
that they don't want to do.
I mean, I used to do the exact same,
so I don't blame them.
If ever there was a temp in Harrods,
"Oh, yeah, babes,
"the stock room needs clearing,
do you want to do that?"
I don't blame them,
but it's annoying
when you're on the other end of it.
But I will do it,
so we can get on the water.
I'm pretty good at this.
Paddle on the left side,
the left side, left side.
Whoa! Don't rock it.
You was rocking it!
In the centre of Prince Albert
National Park, Waskesiu Lake.
In the centre of Prince Albert
National Park, Waskesiu Lake.
Red deer, in the Cree language.
Arhh, Mon!
Yeah? You're wetting me up.
What?
I'm getting so wet because of you.
Dad, I don't know what you want me
to do.
Don't get me wet,
that's what I want you to do!
If I don't paddle, you complain,
if I paddle, you complain,
so I'll just sit here.
It may be known for its prairies,
but 10% of Saskatchewan
is covered by fresh water,
drawing the adventurers
to its innumerable lakes
and rivers.
This is the stuff that got me
through troubled times, man,
believe you me.
When I was at secondary school,
I really was not a nice person
sometimes.
They saw me as a troubled child.
One of my teachers, Streaky Bacon -
that's what we used to call him,
One of my teachers, Streaky Bacon -
that's what we used to call him,
cos he was tall and skinny,
he took me and a group of
other children sailing.
Absolutely brilliant, blew me away.
Freedom.
When I was inside that boat,
nobody could tell me nothing,
cos it was just me and the boat.
So this picture here
is when I'm about six or seven.
I know that I was in care
at the time
because there was no way
that my mum would allow me
to have gone into a photograph
with my hair looking like that.
It was a very tough time
because I didn't understand
It was a very tough time
because I didn't understand
why I wasn't with my mum.
There is no one thing
that has brought me
from leaving care to being
where I am now.
However, sport is the leveller
of all things,
it's given me discipline,
it's given me friendships.
It gave me a sense of control
and helped shape the way that I am.
The boy that I see in this photo
to the man that I am now,
The boy that I see in this photo
to the man that I am now,
that's almost a miracle.
My childhood was challenging.
Maybe that is why I'm
so fiercely protective
of my children, not wanting her
or her brother
to experience those things.
So really you owe a lot of this
to Streaky Bacon!
THEY LAUGH
It's nice that you found the thing
that settled you, made you calm,
especially when stuff around you
wasn't always so calm.
That's... that's incredible.
As close as we are, sometimes
I feel like we don't actually
know as much about each other
as we think we do.
Moments like today really show
why we came on this adventure
and why we decided to do
this journey together.
After three. One, two, three and...
What? Paddle! Oh.
One.
There you go.
Getting out on the water,
enjoying this time with you -
oh, I feel revitalised.
We have to get back
into race mode now.
We cannot miss that train.
Monique and Ladi plan to catch
the train at The Pas,
400km away,
across little-used roads
at the northern fringes
of Canada's highway network.
Excuse me, sir,
we need to get out of the park.
If you've got space for a car share
or a car ride, I'm looking for one.
We have a very small car. Sorry.
That's all right,
not a problem at all.
Given that we're in the middle
of nowhere,
it is going to be very difficult
to get out of here.
Winding its way through southern
Manitoba into Saskatchewan,
the Churchill train.
Scheduled to arrive
in Canora at 7.36 pm.
Already there...
Basically we've got six hours
to kill.
Um, and having a look round,
it's pretty quiet.
But we're here.
That was 400 dollars
that we really needed.
Let's have a little wander,
shall we? Take in the sights,
talk to some locals.
Maybe the town will liven up.
I'm expecting a tumbleweed
at any moment. Yeah.
50km south of Canora...
So cool.
Thank you.
Thank you so much, Ron.
Thank you so much.
..the hospitality of Ron, Lorna
and their friends continues.
They've agreed to take Zainib
and Mobeen
straight to catch
the Churchill train.
Thank you, sir.
But not without spoiling them
rotten first.
I don't want to jinx it,
but it's been so good.
We've not spent any money,
we're not being allowed to buy
anything for ourselves.
Thank you for everything.
We're only 40 minutes
from the train station,
and they're going to drop us off
there as well.
Ooh!
Since 1873, the Royal Canadian
Mounted Police
have been Canada's
national police service.
The red jacket
of their dress uniform
is based on the British
military's red coats,
and the horses they ride
are always black.
Oh, cool.
Oh, wow.
We've jumped into Ron and Lorna's
family and friends,
and they've just really taken us
under their wings. Yeah.
Hi, gorgeous.
I'll be sad to see them go,
to be honest,
I feel like I've gotten
a little bit attached.
I'm having a really good day,
by far my favourite day of the race.
I've not even checked my watch,
I don't even know what time it is
right now.
That's not a good thing,
not to be aware of the time,
cos we really need to catch
this train.
Hey, boss, you want to give
these two elderly ladies
a ride back to Canora?
Elderly ladies!
Or young ladies?
They need a ride to Canora.
Very nice people.
We're really lovely.
Tricia and Cathie have also
made it to Yorkton...
Well, I might be able to drive you
in. Oh, that would be amazing.
..where they're in search of a ride.
And his name's Randy, is it?
Randy, yeah. Thank you so much.
I don't want to celebrate
until the guy turns up.
You know what happened last time.
Please let them turn up.
I can't go up to a man
and ask if he's Randy!
Oh, shite.
There's a bear right there,
right there.
And it looks like a cub so there
must be a mama bear somewhere.
If there is ever a reason
to be getting out of this park,
it's because of that.
With wild bears sighted,
the area is locked down.
Oh, man.
Did you make yourself look big?
How did you walk away?
Sharpish? Yeah!
I don't want to be on
the Canadian six o'clock news.
THEY LAUGH
"Black British man
mauled by black bear."
I've learned that I am resilient,
but in times of crisis
I'm going to call my dad.
Monique and Ladi have no choice
but to wait it out.
We are absolutely screwed.
With time to kill in Canora...
Just like being at home it is -
Sunday afternoon, mowing the lawn.
..Kevin has dug up a gardening job
at an ice cream parlour.
To spend 400 dollars on a taxi,
that was really irritating, so
really chuffed that we've been able
to pick up a few hours' worth
of work.
Mmm, mmm.
Time is 26 minutes past 7.
Think it's due at 7... 36.
Ten minutes till the train's
scheduled arrival.
Oh, Dad! Christ! What?
You just shut the door on me,
and I got wedged in with the bag.
You're behind me!
Hello!
You made it!
Did you guys car share?
Yeah, we managed to, yeah.
How did you get here, then?
We paid a taxi. Ooh.
Yeah.
Me and Dad had a bit of
a falling-out about it, basically,
but here we are. Um... Wow.
I can't wait to get to Churchill.
It's going to be special.
Is it getting here?
It was expected at 7.36 pm,
and it's now 8.23.
It's Canadian time, innit, so, er...
Bloody hell, there's a train coming.
Can't believe how long
we've been waiting.
I expected to be sleeping by now.
Here it is.
Wow, it's huge!
Hi. 233 dollars. 233 apiece?
233 apiece?
If we go in a shipping container,
is it cheaper?
Bloody hell. That's cost us a lot
more than I thought it would do,
but, um, we're heading to Churchill
and that is
something a bit special.
10.30 pm.
Three teams on board,
one team missing.
The train ain't leaving without us.
Are you guys here for the train
going north? Yes. Yes, to Churchill.
That train is delayed
until about 6 or 7am.
Oh, for God's sake.
What? I'm very sorry.
All that rushing.
I can't believe that.
One train twice a week
and it still ain't on time.
Like, in the UK, I'd be able to
claim a refund on my ticket.
Night, Dad.
Goodnight, sweetheart.
Look at that.
That's why we're here.
Oh, here we have the train.
Churchill lies 700km
and 30 hours away.
Churchill lies 700km
and 30 hours away.
Beyond The Pas, the train enters
the Arctic tundra
of Northern Manitoba...
..permanently frozen wastelands
slowing the train's progress.
In 2017,
flooding washed away the tracks,
severing Churchill's lifeline,
so supplies had to be flown in
and food and fuel prices rocketed.
I'm going to go red
and I'm going to get Uno, and...
Oh, sake!
As you know, me and Dad
have had a few rows, but... Yeah.
..we're getting better. Yeah.
I think he's making decisions
without kind of like talking it
through and stuff, but... Yeah.
I think it's a dad thing.
I know my dad's like this where
he thinks all his ideas are, like,
for my best intentions,
but I think they're always going to
see us as little girls.
It's nice that he's trying to be Dad
and, like, looking out for you,
but I also need him to realise
who I am today,
and... I don't necessarily need him
to make that decision for me. Yeah.
and... I don't necessarily need him
to make that decision for me. Yeah.
We can do it by ourselves,
but we still want,
still want your bank account
if we need it, you know?
Ladies and gentlemen, may I have
your attention, please?
We're about one hour away
from Churchill, Manitoba.
It looks very sparse,
absolutely nothing out there at all.
We are heading into the unknown.
Bring it on. Let's, er,
let's get first again.
I'm ready.
I'm going to get my white stick
and I'm going to trip everybody up.
I think that would be classed
as dirty tactics.
A little cool in Churchill
when we arrive. -2 degrees.
- 2 is freezing,
that's below freezing.
It's going to be a mad dash, when
we're all gunning for first place.
It's going to be a mad dash, when
we're all gunning for first place.
We might be motivated by
a polar bear.
Just go for another quick wee.
Oh, come on.
I know, I've got a nervous wee, Dad!
We're here, we're here.
Good luck.
Thank you very much, sir.
Upon arrival, race to the main road.
Then head down Selkirk Street...
..to the polar bear sign
on Hudson Bay. OK. Ready?
As the race approaches
its halfway point,
for the surviving four teams,
a foot race
for a touch of supremacy.
You've got a long run to go yet,
mate.
And it's so cold you can
basically see your breath,
but we'll get there.
Churchill is perched
on the edge of Hudson Bay,
a tongue of the Arctic Ocean,
and the second-largest bay
in the world -
five times the size
of the United Kingdom.
Look, that's a view, isn't it?
That really is Arctic.
Oh, my God, the sea is ice.
Oh, my God.
I've never seen that before.
Wow - it's like frozen on the wave.
I know. It's mad.
Temperatures are so cold here,
the sea freezes over half the year.
Dad? Yeah?
"Warning - due to polar bear
activity, do not run."
That doesn't mean we can't
jog squat. This is a jog squat.
Polar bears are frequent visitors.
Locals leave the doors of
their homes and cars unlocked
to offer a means of escape
to whoever may need it.
I don't want to be its dinner.
I'm exhausted.
Come on, love.
..to the Polar Bear Inn.
Claudia? What?
That's the one, this is it.
Ah! Happy days. We did it.
Well done, Dad, well done.
Ah! Happy days. We did it.
Well done, Dad, well done.
We know we're gifted when it comes
to running, don't we?
Yeah, when push comes to shove.
We can do the running bit.
I know I'm still trying to make
decisions without you,
and I know that I've got to
keep involving you
in every conversation, but, um,
I think we're getting there.
What a race at the end, eh?
Hey, how are you doing?
Good, how about you?
Oh, a bit tired.
This has been my favourite leg
so far.
Meeting new people,
all the experiences.
We're happy
we're on the right track.
Bed and board options have been
good. Accommodation and food.
And networking onwards as well.
Yeah.
Need a shower now.
Where's, er, Monique and Ladi?
Keep going, I'll catch up. Argh!
Ah. There they are.
Four minutes behind.
First couple of hours
when we start off,
we tend to run round
like headless chickens.
Yeah, I think we kind of do a panic
thing. Make rash decisions. Yeah.
We've lost our lead,
which was really infuriating.
On the next leg, we've really got to
just... We will... Cool heads.
We will try to cool heads.
Hello!
All credit to Monique -
she was the planner on this leg.
Keep going, girl, keep going.
Yeah, but we're fourth again,
so we need to have a rethink.
Yeah, but we're fourth again,
so we need to have a rethink.
I wouldn't have done anything
differently.
Not even tied the shoelaces tighter?
Next time...
Dad, you're not Paddington Bear.
Stop them from going stale.
..the teams fight
to gain an advantage...
Whoa! It's difficult to second-guess
what everybody's doing.
Opportunity's there. Whoo!
Oh, my God, Dad.
..from the edge of the Arctic...
Who gets to do this?
..to the shores of the Great Lakes.
This is what dreams
are bloody made of, isn't it?
Whatever keeps you in a good mood.
I really, really appreciate it.
has never been stronger.
But in travelling over,
are we missing the joys
of journeying through?
Canada, the second largest
country in the world.
From Pacific to Atlantic Ocean,
flight time seven hours.
From Pacific to Atlantic Ocean,
flight time seven hours.
But could you successfully navigate
this gruelling
16,000km route
at ground level...
..all for the price
of doing it by air?
Five pairs of ordinary Brits
are about to undertake just that.
Go, Dad! Go, go, go.
In a demanding
and challenging race...
All I'm saying is I'm going to die.
We're all going to die.
..they'll head deep into the wild...
Oh, my God. The sea is ice!
..they'll head deep into the wild...
Oh, my God. The sea is ice!
..cross vast prairies...
This is awesome. Road trip!
..soar high into the Rockies...
Just once in a lifetime, isn't it?
If we see a bear,
I'm going to kill you!
..to the very edges
of civilisation.
We are going to go into remote
wilderness here.
We can't get a bus out of here.
We can't get a train out of here.
Without smartphones
or bank cards,
and with a limited budget...
It's dark, it's raining.
We've got no money.
We are going to have to find
a car share.
I don't like this!
..they'll need charm...
Parlez-vous Anglais?
Mission accomplished!
..hard work...
We're absolutely brassic.
We can claw the money back.
Yeah, we'll work.
..and ingenuity to get them through.
I can give you a ride.
Are you going to kill us? No.
Have they got what it takes,
both physically...
Just the hardest thing
I think I've done.
..and emotionally?
It is hard. But you've just made us
feel like family.
I believe in you. I know.
I just don't believe in me.
I'm not giving up.
The rewards are great.
Mother Nature at her best.
Never seen anything like it.
And for the first team
to the finish line,
a prize of £20,000.
Every second counts.
In a race... If they come behind us,
I'm taking the bag off you.
..across the world.
Breathe through it! You can cry
when you're sat down!
The midlife crisis
is going really well!
Yeah, I'm quite enjoying my crisis!
Yeah!
Previously,
the teams raced to Banff...
We've got a hell of a lot
of catching up to do.
..in a surprise elimination leg.
The team that reaches there
in fifth place
will be eliminated from the race.
Yeah, but we've got 48 hours
on the others.
Risking the Rockies...
It is absolutely crazy here.
..Tricia and Cathie's lead
was slashed.
There's no buses!
I feel like I'm swimming uphill.
We were feeling quite smug.
That came back and bit us.
This is awesome! Road trip!
Zainib and Mobeen cruised
to safety...
So we weren't even close
to being eliminated! Yeah.
..while a chance meeting...
You can use our van,
drive it to Edmonton.
Is this really happening?
..was a godsend
for Claudia and Kevin...
The kindness of people
is just bloody mad.
..edging out Monique and Ladi...
I can't really run,
I can just about walk.
..who limped to fourth place...
Oh, my God! This is brutal.
MESSAGE ALERT
Four teams have arrived in Banff.
..meaning brothers Mark and Michael
were out of the race.
I just feel really fortunate to have
shared those experiences with you.
After traversing 6,500 kilometres
of Canadian wilderness...
After traversing 6,500 kilometres
of Canadian wilderness...
..the four remaining teams
have reached the exclusive resort
of Banff.
Oh, my word!
Oh, my God! Oh, my word!
Amazing! Wow!
And are looking to make the most
of their 36 hour break.
I can't believe we've waited
three weeks for pancakes!
After just eating
cream cheese crackers.
I'm so sad about the boys going.
Somebody had to go. I know.
And I feel really guilty for being
relieved that it's not us.
With the elimination, the
competition became a bit more real.
That race element is there,
but we're getting to see places
that we probably wouldn't
have thought to come.
It's a privilege, really.
I don't think anyone will ever
understand what we've gone through
in the last five days.
The last three weeks.
It's bloody hard.
But we're here.
And I'm bloody loving it!
We're last in the pack.
But in the grand scheme of things,
we're trying to get to St John's
and that's where it counts,
right at the very end.
Now that we're still in it,
I can take a breather.
But I'm exhausted.
I just need to sleep.
4:30 am.
With the local wildlife
known to wander into town
in the hours of darkness,
the teams must wait till sunrise
to get going.
Hey. Good morning. Morning.
Meaning the others
will luckily make up time
behind current leaders,
Tricia and Cathie.
Ready? Yep.
Churchill.
I need to check the map,
but I think I know where it is.
It's there. Holy shit.
The world's
northernmost and coldest ocean,
the Arctic,
flows into the Hudson Bay.
On its shores, Churchill.
Home to just 900 people,
and each autumn,
the favourite destination
of a similar number of polar bears.
I'm really excited
about going there.
Somewhere that most humans
have never been.
This remote outpost is not connected
to the rest of Canada by road,
This remote outpost is not connected
to the rest of Canada by road,
but by a twice weekly train.
And the next one starts
its journey north from Winnipeg
in three days' time.
If we don't get on that train,
then we might as well
book our flights home. Yeah.
To catch the Churchill train,
the teams will need to cross
the flattest, and with just
two people per square kilometre,
the flattest, and with just
two people per square kilometre,
most sparsely populated province
of mainland Canada, Saskatchewan.
They could head to Alberta's cities,
Calgary and Edmonton,
to join the Trans-Canada Highway,
bisecting the Great Plains
and vast prairies
through Saskatchewan's
largest city, Saskatoon.
Or choose to strike out on their own
through the Southern Badlands,
Or choose to strike out on their own
through the Southern Badlands,
a classic Western movie landscape
of buttes, hoodoos and salt lakes.
a classic Western movie landscape
of buttes, hoodoos and salt lakes.
It's more direct,
but less travelled.
We need to use public transport
as much as we can, don't we?
So I think Calgary is definitely
our first stop because that's
the transport hub. Yeah.
Let's go to Churchill!
Let's go, go, go, go, go!
I hope that there's a bus
to Calgary.
Sunrise in Vancouver. Wow!
We've lost our lead,
which is really infuriating.
But we move on.
Our friendship and our bond
is definitely key to this race.
Definitely.
Oh, look, look, look, look!
So the first bus, 6:20.
Yeah, ten minutes. To Canmore,
ten minutes out of town.
Ahh.
We've worked really well
together.
We have. Yeah.
Not a single cross word. No.
Well, I didn't expect there to be.
Not a single humph!
So, OK, we'll do that then.
Two tickets to Canmore, please.
Tricia and Cathie opt to get
the first bus out of town.
A short hop that will drop
them 103km short
of their desired destination.
From Canmore, we can then get
a bus straight to Calgary.
Yeah, maybe.
With the sun up...
So, a 36 hour train journey! Nice.
I'm looking forward to it, actually.
..the other three teams
are also on the move.
Don't climb the moose, Dad.
Churchill!
Oh, look, there's an Ilford,
Dad, and a Southend.
They just steal all the names
from London, don't they!
So the priority, to bring in
some stuff that we enjoy,
to scrape back some money...
What are you feeling?
What are your thoughts?
I just need to sleep!
Sometimes I forget that Dad
is older than me!
Where's Saskatchewan?
Oh, that's a whole province.
That's a whole province.
That he is not as quick
and ready to bounce back
as he once was.
I think this leg's going to be hard,
Dad.
My foot is still giving me gyp,
but I need to lift the spirits
and get out of here as quickly
as possible.
It would be good to get to Calgary
and then Edmonton today.
We're looking to book a coach trip
to Calgary.
Already on their way out of town,
Claudia and Kevin,
unlike rivals Tricia and Cathie,
on a bus direct to Calgary.
We've taken over three weeks
to get on a coach!
I thought we would have done
a bit more often, to be honest.
Cheaper than a taxi, though.
Since spending big
in the first leg,
father and daughter have less than
half their budget remaining.
I think we'll have to continue
to camp. Yeah. Forget the sleep.
Yeah. Forget the food.
Yeah.
I know we have our moments,
but I do think we're getting
the hang of this. You know,
we are working as a team now
and I think that's made
a massive difference. Mm.
By the end of this race,
I want to have sorted out
all our little niggling bits.
Stop being so annoying then!
First stop en route to Calgary,
Canmore.
Here's the bus, I can see it.
Look, there they are! Hi, there.
We're trying to get to Calgary.
Have you paid for your ticket?
No, we were trying to.
But we've got no phone,
so we couldn't book online.
I can't give you a free ride.
No, no, no, no.
I'm not asking for a free ride.
What we're asking is,
can we buy a ticket from you?
It's kind of too late now.
The people are waiting.
Can we pay when we get to Calgary?
Sorry, it doesn't work like that.
OK. Thanks.
Thanks for your help.
Right. Is it too cruel to wave?
It is cruel, yeah.
You did it anyway!
I love it when people
are really helpful like that.
So we're now stuck here.
They're certainly not in first
place now. We're on a roll.
We're ahead of the game.
I think we've let the whole 5:00
start thing get the better of us
this morning, and it's made us
poor judgment and bad decisions.
I'm expecting days
when it's really tough.
Let's have a sit down
and a regroup, OK?
Because we're not achieving
anything.
Well, we've got three miles
up the road in three hours!
And I don't know how I'm going
to cope with that yet.
The only option we've got now
is to try and get a ride.
I'll be there.
You will be there! Yes.
I mean, there'll be buses later.
Yeah.
We just need ten minutes
to get our heads in the right place.
I'm going to finish my coffee,
eat my banana.
And then we'll get on with it.
Yeah. No rush.
I don't think we realised how
adapted to the wilderness me and Dad
had become until we feel
so alienated in a city.
I'm not sure I like it!
We've gone from one extreme
to another, haven't we?
Where the foothills of the Rockies
give way to vast prairies,
Canada's fourth largest city,
Calgary.
That is famous.
The tower.
Built to celebrate
Canada's centenary in 1967,
the 190 metre tall Calgary Tower.
Its central column
created by a single 24 day long
pouring of concrete.
This gives me vibes.
Even though nothing's going on,
I'm like, "Yes!"
Two teams in town
are not hanging around.
You go ahead, just pick whatever
seat you like. Thank you.
For them, it's a quick connection
to Edmonton.
On the dot.
I'm glad we're on our way,
not walking around.
I think if we do this leg right,
we could have this in the box.
So, what is that?
Get rodeo school ready,
and braving the bucking bronco.
That would be a good one.
Yearning for a slice
of the cowboy life...
It'll get us bed and board.
That will be fun.
..Zainib and Mobeen are striking
out in a different direction,
through Saskatchewan's
Southern Badlands,
to work on a ranch close
to the town of Moose Jaw.
OK, you guys find yourself
a seat, OK?
I think we're racing quite hard
and we're doing quite well
with the budget. But if we just
simply focus on the race,
that will deplete
all our energy.
And we need to have those fun times.
Is there any public transport
from Medicine Hat to Moose Jaw?
Is there any public transport
from Medicine Hat to Moose Jaw?
Not that I know of.
Are we saying that right?
Moose Jaw?
Oh, yeah. Moose Jaw. Yeah, yeah.
Lovely name.
My favourite was Lone Buck!
Another funny one
was Lake Minnewanka!
I'm going to stuff my face
at breakfast. Oh, my days.
This is good!
I've worn my combats, Dad.
I've got big pockets for a reason,
so I can take some stuff.
Load up, baby. Load up.
After reaching Edmonton last night,
Monique is seizing the day...
She saw me, you walk first,
so if she stops someone,
she stops you!
Looking to head
to the city of Saskatoon...
Morning!
From Edmonton to Saskatoon today,
4:10 this afternoon.
God, that's really late.
That's the earliest.
OK. OK. Thank you so much.
Thank you.
The plan now is to wait
for this bus.
There's kayaking, like,
up in a lake, like, past Saskatoon.
Waskesiu Lake. I think
Dad's going to proper enjoy it.
Monique's plan -
from Saskatoon head
to Prince Albert National Park.
In exchange for work, she hopes
to treat keen sailor Ladi
to a dream kayaking trip
on Waskesiu Lake.
We know that we can work there,
so earn some of the money back
that we spend.
I hope that during this race
my dad sees that I'm not
a little girl any more.
And there's a camp ground,
so we'll be able to use
our camping equipment.
Even when we do go on holiday,
he automatically takes my passport
and all my travel documents,
and I've sort of just let him
do that, but I want to show him
I'm independent, I'm responsible,
and I hope that he'll be quite
shocked and proud to see me make
good decisions for the team as well.
You know what?
Kayaking could be really like one
of those wow moments.
I love your car, it's so cool.
I just wonder if you're
heading up to Saskatoon? No.
Also in Edmonton,
making a beeline for Saskatoon...
There is a bus that leaves at 4:10
today, but we need to try
and catch a ride.
That would save us about $138.
Sorry to trouble you,
you're not heading towards
Saskatoon, by any chance, are you?
No.
Facing that gas station,
it's just tiring.
All the memories of Watson Lake
just keep flooding back
and it starts to get you a bit
down before you've even begun.
But we really need this.
You all right?
I've just had enough now, Dad,
I'm done. OK, right.
Let's just...
So...
Do we catch the bus tonight?
Whatever you want to do, Dad,
honestly, I don't care.
No, I'm just trying to... The point
I'm at, I don't care any more.
So you just decide
what you want to do.
Why don't you go and have
ten minutes out?
Go and have a little...
I'm just past caring, Dad.
I don't want to be sat
at a gas station!
I just don't want to do this!
To see my daughter break down
is heartbreaking.
And it is soul destroying.
To try and keep things going
and try and keep things positive.
Have you got some water? Yeah?
The thing is,
I don't want to get old.
I'm still 25 years old in my head.
Friends would all say to me,
"Kev, you just need to grow up."
And it's like, "No, I am Peter Pan
and I am going to live my life
"the way I want to live it."
But the other side of the sword
is the fact that I've got a daughter
that I've lost touch with and
I want to rebuild those bonds again.
So we are now going to head back
into town and catch the bus
down to Saskatoon.
Got a cab coming in three minutes.
I'd rather have just got a bus back,
Dad.
No, let's just get out of here.
And maybe I need to show
I can be responsible.
I can be the caring father.
It's not about the money now.
This is about keeping us safe.
We should have just
had a chilled out morning,
realised that the bus is at 4:10,
and recuperated
and just got ourselves back together
again for the onward journey.
As both father daughter teams
head for the 4:10 to Saskatoon...
Oh, my word, no.
..Tricia and Cathie have made it
to Calgary...
Ooh, no. No, no, no, no, no, no, no!
..with their eyes on
the very same bus.
Let's go and jump on the bus.
Hello. Hi.
But 300km
still stand between them
and catching it from Edmonton.
If we could get to Edmonton
this afternoon... OK.
..is there room on the bus
going to Saskatoon tonight?
Saskatoon from Edmonton. Yeah,
but you won't make it to Edmonton.
You just missed the first
two coaches that departed
by like five minutes.
So I can't get you there
for that 4.10 departure.
You just missed the coach by ten
minutes! I know, it always happens.
Shit, how are we going to cope
with that? Horrible.
If we don't get to Edmonton today,
we're knackered.
We're not going to reach the train
to Churchill, so that's it,
we're out.
Right.
Do we just bite the bullet
and say sod it,
get a taxi and then earn it back?
Get a ride, yeah.
Do you know how much it would cost
to get to Edmonton?
Edmonton? Yeah. 500.
All right, bear with me one minute.
Five. Yeah, there's five here.
OK.
Tricia and Cathie commit
to their biggest spend of the race.
Ouch!
We're really struggling
now with money.
My worry now is that we may not get
to the end, that's the risk. Yeah.
But we didn't have much choice,
really.
Well, we didn't have any choice.
Oh, wow, amazing.
349km to the south...
This is the salt flat.
Looks like snow.
..Zainib and Mobeen are
the first team to reach
the Land of the Living Skies.
It's got everything, Canada -
all types of landscape.
Travelling through
Saskatchewan salt lakes
and sand hills into true Wild West
country,
with free ride Shabir.
I'm very happy.
We're having a halal
fried chicken burger.
I was so shocked that
that was even an option.
Thank you so much, Shabir.
God bless both of you guys.
Here you are, Moose Jaw.
Oh, there it is, the big moose.
Watched over by 34-foot-tall,
ten-tonne Mac the Moose,
Moose Jaw's reputation
as the sin city of the north
arose during Prohibition,
when mob bosses
ran thousands of litres
of bootleg rum through the city
on their way to the speakeasies
of Chicago.
He was so nice. He's properly
fed us. I'm stuffed.
Seeking a more rural experience,
husband and wife
have an appointment
with real-life cowboy Ron,
to work on his rodeo ranch
in exchange for bed and board.
Hopefully they feed us tomorrow
rather than today.
I'm not up for socialising.
Are you up for socialising?
Yeah, going to have to do something,
we're going to have to speak to him.
HORN TOOTS
This is him, he's got the cowboy hat
on. Howdy!
Nice to meet you, sir,
how you doing? Oh, good, good.
You guys? Yeah, very good.
Good to see you. I'm loving the hat.
Ah, yeah, I can wear it!
It's a lovely truck.
I'll sit in the front.
You will, sit with me, eh?
On his 205-acre ranch, Ron,
along with wife Lorna,
On his 205-acre ranch, Ron,
along with wife Lorna,
rears cattle and horses,
introducing local youth
to the workings of a real farm...
This is a total miracle.
Wow. Jesus loves you. Welcome.
..and the teachings of the Bible.
Lorna, how are you?
Nice to meet you, Lorna.
Nice to meet you.
Thanks for having us.
Come on in, we've got supper
ready for you.
Yeah? Oh, fantastic, thank you.
Oh, yeah.
Lorna? Yes?
I hope you haven't gone to
too much trouble
cos, like, we're vegetarian -
I hope that's not an issue.
I don't want you to have to
go out your way for us.
So you guys help yourself here.
Thank you. Thank you so much.
Potatoes and carrots,
marinated salads.
I made actually chilli
and cabbage rolls. Ah, man.
It's easier to explain sometimes
that we're vegetarian.
It's not actually the case -
we do eat meat, but we only eat
halal meat.
You have such a lovely home.
God's blessed us
with this land, like...
You know, our vision is always that
kids have a good place
to meet God and meet other people,
build friendships. Wow.
They're not what I'm used to,
so it's quite unusual
to be around people
that are emitting
so much love and passion.
If you believe in your heart
and confess with your mouth
that Jesus is Lord,
then you shall be saved.
Mobeen and myself are quite reserved
in regards to our personal beliefs.
Mobeen and myself are quite reserved
in regards to our personal beliefs.
I've always just felt like
it's so personal
that I don't really need
to be so vocal about it.
Do you folks have children?
Er, not yet.
We've just not been blessed yet,
I guess.
We can actually pray with you
at some point.
Yeah, that would be great, yeah.
Thank you. Love to do that.
Where are you travelling today?
We're going to Saskatoon.
Leaving in five minutes...
I think that's the bus,
it's the right company.
Oh, my God.
You have to laugh at this point.
..the 4.10 to Saskatoon.
How are you doing, guys?
How are you doing? All right?
Fancy meeting you here!
Three teams, neck-and-neck,
embark on a seven-hour journey
across Saskatchewan's
great prairies.
It's a huge relief to be on the bus.
Yeah, it was touch-and-go.
It really was.
Cost us a fortune.
But we're still in it.
Yeah. It's really important
to find some work. Yes.
The seas of grain provide Canada
with over half its wheat
and the world with its biggest
source of lentils and dried peas.
Just endless,
mile after mile after mile.
This fertile land was an inland sea
until the time of the dinosaurs.
This fertile land was an inland sea
until the time of the dinosaurs.
It looks like there's water
and then you keep going
and it's not.
It's like a desert.
Three hours in, a pit stop.
Quick question. So me and my dad
are trying to get to Prince Albert
National Park. OK.
So once we get to Saskatoon,
do you know the quickest
and cheapest way to do that?
So bus will be going to
Prince Albert, like from Saskatoon.
So bus will be going to
Prince Albert, like from Saskatoon.
So can we stay on
till Prince Albert?
It's 40 dollars from Saskatoon
to Prince Albert.
Perfect, thanks very much.
Yeah, all right.
Think I've been like more ballsy,
to make, like, decisions
and come up with ideas this leg,
and so far it's paying off.
We'll take more risks
and actually get some rewards.
People going to Prince Albert,
they can stay on,
and thank you, everybody,
thank you so much.
While their competitors
disembark at Saskatoon...
Staying on, chaps?
We are. Enjoy.
..Monique will take her dad
a further 200km
to kayak on Waskesiu Lake.
Wow.
At least we've got luxury executive
travel just for us, then.
Cos this has been a long day.
In 24 hours, the train
will start its journey north
from Winnipeg to
the fourth checkpoint, Churchill.
We will go right down this fence
till that power pole.
Awesome. We'll get it done.
We are aiming to get that train,
but I'm enjoying this.
I might just quit the race
and stay here. Use your muscles!
As Zainib and Mobeen
begin to pay back
some of Ron and Lorna's
hospitality...
Oh, what a great day to be alive.
..240km to the north...
Hopefully we're going to go
and earn a little bit of wonga.
..Tricia and Cathie
are looking to plug
the taxi-sized hole
in their budget.
I can see the train
being very expensive.
We've just got to save and work.
Known as Paris of the Prairies
for its eight bridges,
Saskatoon's other nickname
is POW City,
for the potash, oil and wheat
that have made its fortune.
for the potash, oil and wheat
that have made its fortune.
Situated as it is
in the heart of the prairies,
many of its numerous restaurants
embrace the philosophy
of farm-to-fork dining.
What an amazing place this is.
Beautiful.
Can see for miles.
Yeah, they say Saskatchewan is the
place where you can watch your dog
run away for three days. Really?
Free-range farmer Arley could be
Tricia and Cathie's salvation.
From Calgary to Edmonton,
you took a cab?
There was no other way
of getting there. Oh, my God.
There was no bus, so, yeah.
Any work we can get
is massive for us.
With it being so bright,
I am struggling with my sight today.
Got a migraine coming on.
I'm not myself at all. OK.
Well, you don't seem happy.
I'm just worrying about us
getting to the finish,
and we might not.
It's so, so beautiful around here.
I'm lucky to be doing it with Trish.
We give each other strength.
You are very, very hard on yourself.
SNIFFS
All I can do is keep reminding you
that you're amazing
and that you're brave.
But of course there's the other side
to it which is that
you struggle sometimes.
The challenges of the race,
they take their toll.
Going for a wee.
We're just worried that we're not
going to have enough money
to get to the end, and that's hard.
I think that getting up to
Churchill's going to be
a massive hit to the budget.
Mm-hm.
We've just got to save
as much as we can,
and get as much money
as we can by work.
If we want to stay in the race,
that's what we've got to do,
isn't it?
So, you guys can feed the pigs.
Yeah. Yeah.
Oh, my God, strawberry yoghurt.
Just want to eat it! Yeah.
Right, hang on a sec now,
wait a minute.
We'll do a bread and butter pudding
for them for dessert.
Bread and butter pudding, I like it.
There we are.
Oi, get your head out me bucket,
you monkeys.
Bloody hell! Oh, shit!
It's all right, just relax.
Yeah, yeah!
Back in Moose Jaw...
Look at the worry on your face.
No, don't let her do it,
don't let her do it! Why not?
All right, go ahead.
A little tougher.
Come on, a little tougher! No!
..the next meal is never far away.
Heavenly Father, thank you
for this food. Amen. Amen.
You guys did good.
Thank you. Very impressive.
I love this, the simple life.
They all seem so relaxed and chill
and cool and happy.
You end up eating out quite a bit
on the road? Yeah.
What we do is we buy
a loaf of bread, buy a tin of tuna
and that's it.
So you eat fish?
Interesting that you ask that,
actually - we do eat meat,
but we only eat halal meat.
Has to be slaughtered a certain way.
Mobeen and myself,
we're Muslim by faith.
Mm-hm.
I didn't really expect it
to go as silent as it did.
There was a noticeable change.
Yeah.
Personally we haven't really
talked that much to...
people like you.
I believe that we have very similar,
if not very identical beliefs.
Yeah, didn't expect to be talking
about, you know, all of this.
It's uncomfortable, but I think
it's important that they know that
we are Muslim, that we're actually
really nice and normal people.
I'm not a person to try
and argue against you on anything.
I'm not a person to try
and argue against you on anything.
Neither are we, to be honest, yeah.
You have to have... Revelation.
Revelation of God.
How would you get to heaven?
Just be a good person, and be a nice
person and do good in the world. OK.
This is what this journey's
all about,
is seeing how other people live
and seeing what their daily lives
are like.
And having understanding
for how other people think.
And having appreciation
for where they're coming from. Yeah.
Ultimately it's ignorance
that creates boundaries and issues.
Ultimately it's ignorance
that creates boundaries and issues.
Yeah, absolutely.
It's just great to chat together
and know that we're all learning.
Yeah, absolutely.
And we're all seeking God. Yeah.
We're very honoured that you're open
with us and that... Yeah.
When we had that discussion
it all went a bit quiet
but it's picked up again.
Yeah, they've offered to take us
to the train station on time.
Really lovely people. Yeah.
Another blessing, yeah,
do you know what I mean?
In Saskatoon, the nearest station
from which to catch the Churchill
train is 319km away,
from which to catch the Churchill
train is 319km away,
but Kevin has called for a pause.
I think we got a bit stressed out
about all the hitchhikings
and garages, and the train.
Haven't really had sort of time out
to think about ourselves.
Clear your head, just, you know,
it's enough to get you focused
again, which is the nice thing.
Dad's doing his whole
Bear Grylls thing,
and, um, yeah,
I'm just enjoying the fire.
I'm sleeping in a tepee tonight -
I mean, who can say that
they've slept in a tepee?
Their resting spot -
Wanuskewin Heritage Park,
celebrating the history
of the indigenous peoples
of the northern plains.
We have some Muskeg tea.
Thank you very much.
Oh, lovely, thank you.
There you go.
Their host is Cree artist Kamisha.
Six thousand years ago, my ancestors
were hunting and foraging
on these lands, and living.
And maybe having a fire
where we're sat now. Who knows?
Probably.
Well, I never.
And there's our tepee,
and there's a deer,
and that is how close we are
to the wild.
We've completely chilled out,
you know,
I'm not in a race at the moment,
I am enjoying
every single minute of it,
which is what we needed. Yeah.
Probably the last time
we spent this much time together
was when I was about 11.
What was your family dynamic like?
My parents got divorced
when I was about 12,
so I think by the age of 16, 17,
I spent most of my time
living with my grandparents.
You were very close with them?
Yeah.
Their 60th wedding anniversary.
It's my favourite picture
because they look so happy.
They were more than grandparents,
they were an additional
set of parents to me.
Because I was always working away
and never at home,
my mum said to me, she said,
"Kev, Claudia needs consistency
"in her life, she needs stability,
and you can't give her that."
And to be honest,
I had the best upbringing
anyone could ever wish for,
and I knew that with Claudia
being with my mum and dad,
she was also going to have the same
upbringing.
It's obviously even harder now that
my grandparents aren't here
because there's no-one to kind of
push at my and dad's relationship
any more.
This trip is an opportunity
for both of us,
and I think my grandparents
would be really proud of us.
You were very close
with your grandmother, as was I,
and it's my grandmother's birthday
today,
so I was wondering if you wanted to
do a tobacco offering.
Yeah, we'd love that.
We'd love that, we'd love it.
So what we do, we think about all of
the things you are grateful for.
People you miss that have moved on
to the spirit world, um, thank them.
And as you're sprinkling it
out into the earth,
just keep all of those thoughts
in mind.
So this is called
a grandmother song.
I don't know why I feel
so emotional.
It's OK.
The elders in your life,
they share so much with us.
Our blood lines, our traditions,
stories, history.
It's quite upsetting to be sat there
round the fire,
and Claudia burst into tears,
and then to see her give
a complete stranger a cuddle.
Right, hold on, we're nearly there.
Oh, that's good, that's good, yes.
Drop your end a minute,
don't move it, just hold it there.
I think she's been able to
sort of let go of something.
It's not beautiful, is it,
it's not pretty.
No, but it, it works.
This is where you guys
will be sleeping tonight.
And, um, I think
I'm now understanding that Claudia
really wants a dad
rather than just a mate.
I'm going into tomorrow
with a real clear head.
I've always wanted to
sleep in a tee-pee.
And we're going to be
on that train, full stop!
Who needs blankets
when you've got bison fur?
Warm as toast, that'll be.
Right, night, Dad.
Night, you,
I'll see you in the morning.
Today, the train to Churchill...
..begins its 1,700km journey
from Winnipeg.
..begins its 1,700km journey
from Winnipeg.
The teams must decide
where they board.
Miss it, and there's a two-day wait
for the next one.
Morning. Morning.
Is there a train to Canora today?
Duration five hour 50 minutes
from Saskatoon to Melville.
OK. Just need to get from Melville
to Canora.
91km short of their target
Canora, the town of Melville.
Melville to Canora, that's the bit
I'm worried about. Yeah.
We're just going to ask
every single person that we can
in Melville. Yeah, absolutely.
Morning, everyone.
How are we doing this morning?
Yeah, we're good, thank you.
Good, thanking you very much.
You're on an adventure?
Just a little one.
Where are we headed?
We're trying to get to Canora,
but where do you think we'd be able
to find the bus information?
The bus only goes on Fridays.
Right. Why is there no transport
in this country?
Right, OK. Plan B.
Can't believe I'm asking
a policeman this.
Where would you suggest
is the best garage
in the area to car share from?
Grasswood Esso,
it's a Grasswood gas station.
Right, OK.
Three hours to get to
Canora, Saskatchewan.
Amazing, thank you. Stay safe.
Thanks very much, thanking you.
Cheers. Bye.
Oh, so frustrating, isn't it?
We've still got time on our hands.
Don't need to be there
until gone seven tonight.
Let's head over to the gas station,
we'll just try that for a few hours.
Faced with the prospect of
car-sharing once again...
Can you give us a lift
up to the gas station?
..Kevin can't resist
tapping the budget
to drive 12 minutes up the road
to start looking for a lift.
Which one, gas station?
To Grasswood? Yeah.
Realisation's hit.
I don't want to see you
in a mess again and I really
don't want to be sitting on
a garage forecourt station,
pulling my hair out.
Just can't do it again.
You don't fancy a private job this
afternoon, do you, by any chance?
We've got 400 bucks to get us
to Canora, it's a three-hour drive.
You want to go there? Yeah.
OK.
400 bucks?
Yes, I'll do it, no problem.
We don't have 400 dollars.
Yes, we do. Let's do it.
Look, we need to get on that train.
We had hours today, we had time.
It's not about hours.
Doing that garage again,
it would kill us.
That wasn't for you to make
that decision
whether I wanted to do it or not.
We're going to be there,
done and dusted,
and we haven't got to worry about
trying to catch lifts
or car share
or beat ourselves up again,
because I don't want to
go down that route again.
And I know we're paying our way
out of that situation,
but at the end of the day,
my decision was based on
your wellbeing.
And you're going to hold that
against me, are you, then?
It's fine, it's just cost us
the race, Dad.
And that's your change.
228km north...
What can I help you with?
Beef heart? Yeah, beef heart.
Beef heart?
Yeah, so that's what we use
for the bait. Oh!
That's disgusting.
..father and daughter are
implementing Monique's plan
by working at a fishing bait
and boat rental store,
so she can take her dad kayaking.
It's lovely being beside a lake.
It's calming, it's soothing,
it's my thing.
Cleaning geese poop,
it's not too bad at all.
Everywhere I've been so far,
they've given us a skivvy role
doing all the stuff
that they don't want to do.
I mean, I used to do the exact same,
so I don't blame them.
If ever there was a temp in Harrods,
"Oh, yeah, babes,
"the stock room needs clearing,
do you want to do that?"
I don't blame them,
but it's annoying
when you're on the other end of it.
But I will do it,
so we can get on the water.
I'm pretty good at this.
Paddle on the left side,
the left side, left side.
Whoa! Don't rock it.
You was rocking it!
In the centre of Prince Albert
National Park, Waskesiu Lake.
In the centre of Prince Albert
National Park, Waskesiu Lake.
Red deer, in the Cree language.
Arhh, Mon!
Yeah? You're wetting me up.
What?
I'm getting so wet because of you.
Dad, I don't know what you want me
to do.
Don't get me wet,
that's what I want you to do!
If I don't paddle, you complain,
if I paddle, you complain,
so I'll just sit here.
It may be known for its prairies,
but 10% of Saskatchewan
is covered by fresh water,
drawing the adventurers
to its innumerable lakes
and rivers.
This is the stuff that got me
through troubled times, man,
believe you me.
When I was at secondary school,
I really was not a nice person
sometimes.
They saw me as a troubled child.
One of my teachers, Streaky Bacon -
that's what we used to call him,
One of my teachers, Streaky Bacon -
that's what we used to call him,
cos he was tall and skinny,
he took me and a group of
other children sailing.
Absolutely brilliant, blew me away.
Freedom.
When I was inside that boat,
nobody could tell me nothing,
cos it was just me and the boat.
So this picture here
is when I'm about six or seven.
I know that I was in care
at the time
because there was no way
that my mum would allow me
to have gone into a photograph
with my hair looking like that.
It was a very tough time
because I didn't understand
It was a very tough time
because I didn't understand
why I wasn't with my mum.
There is no one thing
that has brought me
from leaving care to being
where I am now.
However, sport is the leveller
of all things,
it's given me discipline,
it's given me friendships.
It gave me a sense of control
and helped shape the way that I am.
The boy that I see in this photo
to the man that I am now,
The boy that I see in this photo
to the man that I am now,
that's almost a miracle.
My childhood was challenging.
Maybe that is why I'm
so fiercely protective
of my children, not wanting her
or her brother
to experience those things.
So really you owe a lot of this
to Streaky Bacon!
THEY LAUGH
It's nice that you found the thing
that settled you, made you calm,
especially when stuff around you
wasn't always so calm.
That's... that's incredible.
As close as we are, sometimes
I feel like we don't actually
know as much about each other
as we think we do.
Moments like today really show
why we came on this adventure
and why we decided to do
this journey together.
After three. One, two, three and...
What? Paddle! Oh.
One.
There you go.
Getting out on the water,
enjoying this time with you -
oh, I feel revitalised.
We have to get back
into race mode now.
We cannot miss that train.
Monique and Ladi plan to catch
the train at The Pas,
400km away,
across little-used roads
at the northern fringes
of Canada's highway network.
Excuse me, sir,
we need to get out of the park.
If you've got space for a car share
or a car ride, I'm looking for one.
We have a very small car. Sorry.
That's all right,
not a problem at all.
Given that we're in the middle
of nowhere,
it is going to be very difficult
to get out of here.
Winding its way through southern
Manitoba into Saskatchewan,
the Churchill train.
Scheduled to arrive
in Canora at 7.36 pm.
Already there...
Basically we've got six hours
to kill.
Um, and having a look round,
it's pretty quiet.
But we're here.
That was 400 dollars
that we really needed.
Let's have a little wander,
shall we? Take in the sights,
talk to some locals.
Maybe the town will liven up.
I'm expecting a tumbleweed
at any moment. Yeah.
50km south of Canora...
So cool.
Thank you.
Thank you so much, Ron.
Thank you so much.
..the hospitality of Ron, Lorna
and their friends continues.
They've agreed to take Zainib
and Mobeen
straight to catch
the Churchill train.
Thank you, sir.
But not without spoiling them
rotten first.
I don't want to jinx it,
but it's been so good.
We've not spent any money,
we're not being allowed to buy
anything for ourselves.
Thank you for everything.
We're only 40 minutes
from the train station,
and they're going to drop us off
there as well.
Ooh!
Since 1873, the Royal Canadian
Mounted Police
have been Canada's
national police service.
The red jacket
of their dress uniform
is based on the British
military's red coats,
and the horses they ride
are always black.
Oh, cool.
Oh, wow.
We've jumped into Ron and Lorna's
family and friends,
and they've just really taken us
under their wings. Yeah.
Hi, gorgeous.
I'll be sad to see them go,
to be honest,
I feel like I've gotten
a little bit attached.
I'm having a really good day,
by far my favourite day of the race.
I've not even checked my watch,
I don't even know what time it is
right now.
That's not a good thing,
not to be aware of the time,
cos we really need to catch
this train.
Hey, boss, you want to give
these two elderly ladies
a ride back to Canora?
Elderly ladies!
Or young ladies?
They need a ride to Canora.
Very nice people.
We're really lovely.
Tricia and Cathie have also
made it to Yorkton...
Well, I might be able to drive you
in. Oh, that would be amazing.
..where they're in search of a ride.
And his name's Randy, is it?
Randy, yeah. Thank you so much.
I don't want to celebrate
until the guy turns up.
You know what happened last time.
Please let them turn up.
I can't go up to a man
and ask if he's Randy!
Oh, shite.
There's a bear right there,
right there.
And it looks like a cub so there
must be a mama bear somewhere.
If there is ever a reason
to be getting out of this park,
it's because of that.
With wild bears sighted,
the area is locked down.
Oh, man.
Did you make yourself look big?
How did you walk away?
Sharpish? Yeah!
I don't want to be on
the Canadian six o'clock news.
THEY LAUGH
"Black British man
mauled by black bear."
I've learned that I am resilient,
but in times of crisis
I'm going to call my dad.
Monique and Ladi have no choice
but to wait it out.
We are absolutely screwed.
With time to kill in Canora...
Just like being at home it is -
Sunday afternoon, mowing the lawn.
..Kevin has dug up a gardening job
at an ice cream parlour.
To spend 400 dollars on a taxi,
that was really irritating, so
really chuffed that we've been able
to pick up a few hours' worth
of work.
Mmm, mmm.
Time is 26 minutes past 7.
Think it's due at 7... 36.
Ten minutes till the train's
scheduled arrival.
Oh, Dad! Christ! What?
You just shut the door on me,
and I got wedged in with the bag.
You're behind me!
Hello!
You made it!
Did you guys car share?
Yeah, we managed to, yeah.
How did you get here, then?
We paid a taxi. Ooh.
Yeah.
Me and Dad had a bit of
a falling-out about it, basically,
but here we are. Um... Wow.
I can't wait to get to Churchill.
It's going to be special.
Is it getting here?
It was expected at 7.36 pm,
and it's now 8.23.
It's Canadian time, innit, so, er...
Bloody hell, there's a train coming.
Can't believe how long
we've been waiting.
I expected to be sleeping by now.
Here it is.
Wow, it's huge!
Hi. 233 dollars. 233 apiece?
233 apiece?
If we go in a shipping container,
is it cheaper?
Bloody hell. That's cost us a lot
more than I thought it would do,
but, um, we're heading to Churchill
and that is
something a bit special.
10.30 pm.
Three teams on board,
one team missing.
The train ain't leaving without us.
Are you guys here for the train
going north? Yes. Yes, to Churchill.
That train is delayed
until about 6 or 7am.
Oh, for God's sake.
What? I'm very sorry.
All that rushing.
I can't believe that.
One train twice a week
and it still ain't on time.
Like, in the UK, I'd be able to
claim a refund on my ticket.
Night, Dad.
Goodnight, sweetheart.
Look at that.
That's why we're here.
Oh, here we have the train.
Churchill lies 700km
and 30 hours away.
Churchill lies 700km
and 30 hours away.
Beyond The Pas, the train enters
the Arctic tundra
of Northern Manitoba...
..permanently frozen wastelands
slowing the train's progress.
In 2017,
flooding washed away the tracks,
severing Churchill's lifeline,
so supplies had to be flown in
and food and fuel prices rocketed.
I'm going to go red
and I'm going to get Uno, and...
Oh, sake!
As you know, me and Dad
have had a few rows, but... Yeah.
..we're getting better. Yeah.
I think he's making decisions
without kind of like talking it
through and stuff, but... Yeah.
I think it's a dad thing.
I know my dad's like this where
he thinks all his ideas are, like,
for my best intentions,
but I think they're always going to
see us as little girls.
It's nice that he's trying to be Dad
and, like, looking out for you,
but I also need him to realise
who I am today,
and... I don't necessarily need him
to make that decision for me. Yeah.
and... I don't necessarily need him
to make that decision for me. Yeah.
We can do it by ourselves,
but we still want,
still want your bank account
if we need it, you know?
Ladies and gentlemen, may I have
your attention, please?
We're about one hour away
from Churchill, Manitoba.
It looks very sparse,
absolutely nothing out there at all.
We are heading into the unknown.
Bring it on. Let's, er,
let's get first again.
I'm ready.
I'm going to get my white stick
and I'm going to trip everybody up.
I think that would be classed
as dirty tactics.
A little cool in Churchill
when we arrive. -2 degrees.
- 2 is freezing,
that's below freezing.
It's going to be a mad dash, when
we're all gunning for first place.
It's going to be a mad dash, when
we're all gunning for first place.
We might be motivated by
a polar bear.
Just go for another quick wee.
Oh, come on.
I know, I've got a nervous wee, Dad!
We're here, we're here.
Good luck.
Thank you very much, sir.
Upon arrival, race to the main road.
Then head down Selkirk Street...
..to the polar bear sign
on Hudson Bay. OK. Ready?
As the race approaches
its halfway point,
for the surviving four teams,
a foot race
for a touch of supremacy.
You've got a long run to go yet,
mate.
And it's so cold you can
basically see your breath,
but we'll get there.
Churchill is perched
on the edge of Hudson Bay,
a tongue of the Arctic Ocean,
and the second-largest bay
in the world -
five times the size
of the United Kingdom.
Look, that's a view, isn't it?
That really is Arctic.
Oh, my God, the sea is ice.
Oh, my God.
I've never seen that before.
Wow - it's like frozen on the wave.
I know. It's mad.
Temperatures are so cold here,
the sea freezes over half the year.
Dad? Yeah?
"Warning - due to polar bear
activity, do not run."
That doesn't mean we can't
jog squat. This is a jog squat.
Polar bears are frequent visitors.
Locals leave the doors of
their homes and cars unlocked
to offer a means of escape
to whoever may need it.
I don't want to be its dinner.
I'm exhausted.
Come on, love.
..to the Polar Bear Inn.
Claudia? What?
That's the one, this is it.
Ah! Happy days. We did it.
Well done, Dad, well done.
Ah! Happy days. We did it.
Well done, Dad, well done.
We know we're gifted when it comes
to running, don't we?
Yeah, when push comes to shove.
We can do the running bit.
I know I'm still trying to make
decisions without you,
and I know that I've got to
keep involving you
in every conversation, but, um,
I think we're getting there.
What a race at the end, eh?
Hey, how are you doing?
Good, how about you?
Oh, a bit tired.
This has been my favourite leg
so far.
Meeting new people,
all the experiences.
We're happy
we're on the right track.
Bed and board options have been
good. Accommodation and food.
And networking onwards as well.
Yeah.
Need a shower now.
Where's, er, Monique and Ladi?
Keep going, I'll catch up. Argh!
Ah. There they are.
Four minutes behind.
First couple of hours
when we start off,
we tend to run round
like headless chickens.
Yeah, I think we kind of do a panic
thing. Make rash decisions. Yeah.
We've lost our lead,
which was really infuriating.
On the next leg, we've really got to
just... We will... Cool heads.
We will try to cool heads.
Hello!
All credit to Monique -
she was the planner on this leg.
Keep going, girl, keep going.
Yeah, but we're fourth again,
so we need to have a rethink.
Yeah, but we're fourth again,
so we need to have a rethink.
I wouldn't have done anything
differently.
Not even tied the shoelaces tighter?
Next time...
Dad, you're not Paddington Bear.
Stop them from going stale.
..the teams fight
to gain an advantage...
Whoa! It's difficult to second-guess
what everybody's doing.
Opportunity's there. Whoo!
Oh, my God, Dad.
..from the edge of the Arctic...
Who gets to do this?
..to the shores of the Great Lakes.
This is what dreams
are bloody made of, isn't it?
Whatever keeps you in a good mood.
I really, really appreciate it.