Race Across the World (2019–…): Season 3, Episode 9 - The Reunion - full transcript
Canada, the second-largest country
in the world,
and the setting... Run! Run!
...for an epic race...
The race is on.
That's my girl.
...for five pairs of
ordinary Brits...
Keep going, keep going!
...over a grueling
16,000 kilometres.
Road trip!
Only one team could take home
the prize of £20,000...
...and now, all are reunited
for the first time
since returning to these shores...
I still now can't believe
how amazing it was.
Oh!
...to share unseen moments
with the group.
You can drink it fast,
you can drink it slow,
but your lips must touch
this gnarly toe.
Toe! Toe! Toe! Toe!
I loved Canada.
Whoa, whoa.
It was full-on.
They'll explore what it takes
to endure the pressure of budget...
I really hope that's soap.
Got no money.
We can't get a bus out of here.
We can't get a train out of here.
He can stuff his taxi up his arse!
...the elements...
It's amazing!
Beautiful weather for a hike.
It is mentally
and physically exhausting.
This weather is shit.
...and travelling with each other.
All I'm saying is
I'm going to die.
I think that it's amazing
that we didn't kill each other.
They'll discuss what drove them...
That is the most beautiful thing.
An exciting adventure.
...and what they've discovered
about themselves...
Just learned to take
a leap of faith.
...as they explore the lows...
I feel a little bit like I let
Mickey down. You shouldn't.
...and the highs
of a race across the world.
Overwhelming. Dramatic.
Seen enough,
or do you want a bit more?
Canada House,
since 1925, the diplomatic home
for Canada in London,
and a fitting place today
for all five pairs to reunite
for the first time since the race.
Come on, Dad.
From Essex, Monique
and her father Ladi.
I wonder if everyone's put on
the weight that they lost.
It was eye-opening.
I would do it again.
Full-on, I would do it again.
Oh, God, no.
Yes, you could! Not with the
grizzly bear. No. No, no, no.
Who should we ask, then?
No, she's drunk. Don't ask her.
We need to ask someone, Marc.
Brothers Marc and Michael
from the Midlands.
There's so much that we've
taken from it.
I think I could have gone for
another three or four weeks, maybe.
You wanted to go after day two.
A 36-hour train journey.
Nice.
I'm looking forward to it, actually.
Zainib and her husband Mobeen.
Bringing back a lot of memories,
this.
We're all such different people,
forever bonded by this journey
that we've been on.
Hello!
Nice to see you.
You're looking good.
Oh, I missed these hugs.
Every checkpoint, the dad hugs.
Thanks, Mate. Thank you.
Southampton father and daughter
Kevin and Claudia.
Ready for a run?
No.
The adventure, the adrenaline,
running to the checkpoint,
the highs, the lows -
it was epic.
Yeah.
Oh, my goodness!
How you doing?
Good.
How have you guys been?
Yeah, back to normality, innit?
I'm still having nightmares,
wondering where my dad was
in the middle of the night.
I'm exhausted.
And finally, race winners
and best friends Tricia and Cathie.
It was exciting.
It was...
Anything but dull.
Oh, God, yeah.
Oh, there's the guys.
Oh, hello!
Hi, Ladi!
Vancouver, on the edge of
the Pacific Ocean,
and where the race begins.
It's getting a bit wet.
It's like being back in Manchester.
Yeah, I know!
I thought it'd be snowy.
Vancouver!
I wonder where we're going.
I don't know.
It's just a map of Canada.
I'd taken pencils and paper
for kids in Africa,
cos I thought
we were going to go to Africa.
Oh, dear.
Oh!
Before they arrived at the airport,
two days prior to the start
of the race,
the pairs had no idea
where the race might take them.
I didn't really know
what Canada was like.
Look at this.
Don't get it wet.
For me, ice hockey and skiing.
That's all I knew about Canada.
I just remember thinking,
"I've not packed for this."
Yeah. I felt like I packed that
raincoat last-minute,
and the gloves. I had no thermals.
First impressions, thinking,
"It's a first-world country,
"it's going to have loads of
transport. Everyone speaks English."
How wrong was 17
"Your final destination
is St John's."
Do you know where that is?
No idea.
St John's could be in Hackney,
for all I know.
There it is! I found it.
!
So, we're literally going
from the Pacific Ocean...
To the Atlantic. ..all the way
to the Atlantic Ocean. Yep.
For the teams, St John's,
Newfoundland, stood 16,000km away
via a race route that would take
them to the edge of the Arctic
and the waters of the Great Lakes,
through six time zones
and seven checkpoints.
This is no luxury holiday.
This is about sweating it out,
this one.
Stanley Park, Vancouver,
the starting line...
This is it.
...and a first chance
to eyeball the competition.
We're best friends from school.
We're dad and daughter.
Are you? We're dad and daughter!
Oh, my God!
I was a bit put off that there was
another father and daughter,
I'm not going to lie.
That was a bit of competition.
We thought you two were a couple.
It's my young, dashing looks.
I have my pole in my bag,
and I use the pole to see with
if I'm running anywhere.
Let's hope you don't lose that pole
on the way.
That would be a real shame.
Yeah, I don't think that was
my finest moment.
I'm sorry about that.
All I remember seeing
was Ladi on the end,
just a big guy.
I thought you were, like, military.
You're quite, like...
And your walk was quite... Yeah.
I personally thought that Ladi
and Monique were going to win it.
I am ultra-competitive,
I always will be competitive.
I came to win.
We thought you were
mum and daughter.
Yeah, yeah!
who was the mum?
I'm not going to say.
That'll be me, then.
I thought they were a couple,
holding hands.
We're very tactile.
But also, because of my issues,
I always kind of rely on Cathie...
Yeah.
...to kind of guide me, as well.
How's it going? Nice to meet you.
I really thought you were
really fierce at the front.
Me?!
You were, like, on it.
I was like, "Oh, my God."
You just looked like you about to
kick the crap out of somebody.
They look serious.
It was the buzz cuts.
I was like, "Brilliant.
They're the ones to watch.”
I wasn't really thinking about
who was our biggest threat.
I was just shitting my pants.
Go! Go!
It did make me laugh how everybody,
apart from Trish and I, ran.
Bloody hell, Michael.
There's no point in killing
yourself doing this.
Definitely.
Walk with purpose. It took me
five hours to get out of the park.
Exactly!
Let's go.
We might not have a bed tonight!
Father and daughter team
Monique and Ladi
arrived in Canada
with a strong bond.
My dad is like my superhero.
If anything was to go wrong,
it'd be Dad that I'd call,
because I know that he'll be there.
He's like Liam Neeson from Taken.
I think, for me, what I wanted
to come away with
is knowing that she would be
all right.
If I wasn't around,
she's going to be all right.
My daughter is accustomed to
a princess lifestyle.
Thank you.
Am I responsible
for making her like that?
Hell, yeah. Sure I am.
Oh, my God.
Oh! Oh!
Oh, it's in my mouth.
"Keep the repellent away
from eyes and..."
That is disgusting.
what about that looks fun?
I'll hold my wee all night.
I'm not going in there.
Camping experience out of ten,
minus ten.
But she also needs to understand
the challenges that she may face
later on in life.
Why are we washing a bus?
There's no incentive
because there's no reward.
We're helping the man, yeah,
who has helped us.
It's just showing appreciation,
yeah? Yeah.
And sometimes in life,
that's what you need to do.
I get why you cleaned the bus.
Diamond Dave was a diamond.
At the time, I didn't see that,
but I think going through the
journey and looking back...
Growth. Growth, girl. Growth.
Lesson number one -
repay kindness with kindness,
because it will come back on you.
The beginning of the race,
you know,
you was looking to me to do stuff.
And it was just, like,
during that race, it was, like,
whoa, sliding it over to you.
You run the thing.
And I was quite happy to sit back
and just like,
"Yeah, what do you want to do?
OK, we'll do that."
That's the longer route.
Is it the longer route, though?
Because there's
public transport links.
I say go Toronto. Let's do it.
I've decided. Mm!
My girl blossomed,
my girl just done the thing.
You know, she done the thing.
We didn't win,
but she done the thing.
Do you know of anyone in St John
that may be looking for someone
to help them work?
Let me send a few messages.
Oh, that would be brilliant.
A lot of the time, I tend to do
things that I know are going
to work out,
or I've got Dad to call.
I've never poured a pint before,
So...
OK, you're going to take your glass
and tip it.
Yeah. Then you're going to pull it
all the way forward, OK?
The race enabled me
to grow in confidence.
I can do things on my own.
Someone's not flushed,
so let's do that first.
It's a bit different
when it's your own bathroom,
because you know what goes on in
there. Just get on and do it, yeah?
I've got a trick, though.
Spray the air so it smells clean,
so you don't actually need to
do a good job.
Work smart, not hard.
Think that's done.
He went in the nice-smelling one!
Did it smell nice in there?
It's good, yeah.
It smelt good, didn't it?
I cleaned it.
Oh, that's awesome.
No worries.
Yeah, we didn't take the win,
but we played volleyball...
Right, don't do it too hard.
...which is supposed to be
Dad's sport,
like, he's supposed to be
really good at it, and I won.
Ha!
That's very good.
He couldn't take it. I let you win.
No, you didn't! No, you didn't!
I let you win.
OK. You're the winner.
Well played. We're meant to shake
underneath... Easy! Easy!
You really are going to
claim that victory? Easy!
Let's be sportsmanlike.
Yeah, sure. Sure, sure, sure, sure.
Easy!
So, I might not have won the race,
but I won volleyball against my dad.
It wasn't a proper volleyball.
It was a football.
She's not as naive...
Princess-like.
Well, no, she is a princess, like,
all the time,
but it's just, like, I know that
if I were to disappear tomorrow,
she's going to be all right.
She'll be all right.
Yeah. Inheritance. I mean...
Oh, man.
You excited, Dad?
Of course! We're going underwater.
There you go.
Wait, am I supposed to
put my knees underneath?
What makes you feel comfortable?
None of this is comfortable.
We've not done this
since you was little.
Me and Dad had a really nice moment
when we was on Waskesiu Lake Marina.
Dad gave me an insight
into his background.
When I was at secondary school,
I really was not a nice person
sometimes.
One of my teachers -
Streaky Bacon,
that's what we used to call him -
he took me and a group of other
children sailing. Blew me away.
Freedom. When I was inside that
boat, nobody could tell me nothing,
because it was just me and the boat.
This is the stuff that got me
through troubled times, man,
believe you me.
I've luckily come from a place
of privilege, in a sense,
but it really made me appreciate
and have a deeper understanding
of the background
that Dad's come from.
I think just being on this trip
with you makes me realise
how lucky I am to have a dad
like you, and...
Oh, thanks, sweetie...
No, like, truly, I really do.
I think my work ethic
and how my outlook on life,
it's all a testament
to how I've been raised.
I really, really appreciate
it.
Having the time to just have that
type of conversation
with my daughter - wow.
That's really deep.
Love that.
Just through here.
Yeah? Yeah.
Time under canvas was embraced
by some of the teams
with varying degrees of enthusiasm.
It was good doing it with Monique,
who was point-blank,
"I ain't camping.
I ain't doing this."”
I didn't want to camp.
I had to camp.
It sounded horrendous.
It was horrendous.
I thought camping was going to
Center Parcs before I came here!
I didn't want to do it,
purely because of wild animals
and the risk of something happening.
At night, I'm going to padlock it
with my padlock.
Yeah, I'm not a fan of
padlocking ourselves in.
I don't want to be dragged out.
We're not padlocking ourselves in.
That's silliness.
What do you think a bear
is going to do?
"Knock knock. Excuse me!"
"Oh, I can't get in!"
"Oh, damn, it's a padlock.
I'll just leave this one.”
"Too much effort."
I feel really smug about the fact
that we were one of the three teams
that got to the end.
We didn't have to camp.
I know.
Looks decent.
They've got a swimming pool.
You just have to be smart
with your money.
There's no need to put yourself
through all that malarkey.
The vast wilderness of Canada meant
the teams had the good fortune...
Oh, he's there.
Yeah, look, a beaver.
...to spend time with a huge variety
of its inhabitants.
Bloody hell.
I can't believe how big it is.
Look! Moose.
Look at that.
That was what was so amazing.
Yeah, wildlife.
86 bison so far. 867! Yeah.
And I hadn't seen a bison
until today.
That's mad.
Bear.
Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Oh, my God.
Oh, my God!
I saw a bear.
Proper hardcore bear.
Oh, shite.
There's a bear right there.
Right there.
It was mini, yeah?
It was a baby bear.
But, OK, time to kind of like,
you know, get away from there,
because mama bear's somewhere.
How did you walk away?
Sharpish?
Yeah!
I didn't want to be on the
Canadian 6 o'clock news.
"Black British man
mauled by black bear."
"What?!"
The only time I wasn't scared of a
bear was because we was with Larry.
Do they stand up like that?
Yeah. That's about the same size.
He's about five foot tall standing,
right?
Shit.
I thought, "If a bear comes,
he'll be able to handle himself.
"I'd stand behind him."
I'm going to try to hit him
in the nose, I guess.
Whoa!
When we went to Churchill,
we started hearing
stories of the polar bears.
Polar bears! Yeah.
So... Eh? Yeah, yeah. So...
Oh, yeah. You missed it.
Oh, no, I missed it.
Sorry, man!
Welcome to the world-famous
Polar Bear Holding Facility.
We call it the bear jail.
You turn up at Churchill,
you get a lecture on how to
handle a polar bear
if you come across them.
You don't.
Man, they're cute!
But that's a cute
that will kill you.
Oh, wow.
Come on, Cathie! Come on.
I'm in, I'm in.
How many people does it take
to fill a polar bear trap?
My opinion still hasn't changed.
I'm scared of bears.
Where do you think we're going?
I don't know.
I want to go proper wilderness.
What?!
Yeah.
Are you joking? That'd be awesome.
No!
Brothers Marc and Michael
took on the race
with the hope of getting to know
each other once and for all.
I think the way to describe
our relationship is confused.
Difficult with hints of promise.
We've just got to run 2K,
so can you jog lightly?
I can't. Why?
Cos I'm .
I feel a little bit like I let
Mickey down,
because he's ultra-competitive,
and I thought maybe I'd be the same,
but I'm not.
Driving me mad
not knowing what they're doing.
I'm not a born leader either.
One of us are going to have
to get on with this, then.
At times, it felt like I was
dragging you with me.
I think before we went on the race,
we didn't really know each other,
did we?
Whenever we used to, like,
walk into rooms at home,
the atmosphere would get tense.
When Dad passed away,
we didn't talk about it.
Yeah.
We just left it.
And when you came out,
we didn't talk about it.
Exactly like what you said.
It felt like it was just left.
I didn't know what to say.
I think things just got
really intense, and a lot came out,
and he went off to uni,
and me and him just didn't
spend time together.
We didn't talk to each other
about it, we just left it.
So, this is kind of a healing?
Yeah, this is 16 years
in the making, I think.
But the pressure of life on the road
caused the brothers' relationship
to revert to type.
It is quite cool
to be in the forest.
You wanted to see wildlife
and stuff.
I don't want to see a bear.
that.
We could only talk in short
sentences, because the minute
one of us would say something,
even if it was something really...
It would turn into an argument.
It would turn into, like,
an argument.
You decided right there and
then, ", I'm going by myself."
No, I didn't.
Yes, you did.
You said,
"You don't have to come with me,
"but I'm going to go."
Oh, thanks.
I realised, especially on that
second leg, that if I carried on
doing everything, it wasn't going
to help, because it would only
make you feel more like
you're not doing anything.
You needed to develop
your confidence,
and that was more important
than the race. Yeah.
So, I needed to encourage you
and support you to do it,
even if it meant quite literally,
like, pushing you!
You heading to Dawson City?
Oh! That's a shame.
Thank you.
I really thought that was
Santa Claus then.
I appreciated that,
because it obviously helped me grow,
and it gave me an opportunity
to actually contribute
to what we were doing,
so I thank you for it.
So what are the things, actually,
that you think you're going to
take from this back in the UK?
I'm probably spending less time
indoors. Yeah.
On your Xbox.
On my Xbox, yeah!
Today's been pretty awesome.
I've put myself in uncomfortable
situations
in order to try and grow from it.
I just feel a bit happier
that I feel confident
that I can do something.
It's kind of given me a bit of hope.
Now I feel like I've got
more of a future.
Got yourself a new job.
I have actually got myself a job.
Yeah. Tick.
Being on the race,
I've got more confidence,
and now I have a girlfriend.
Nice. Congratulations.
Thank you. What's her name?
Katie.
Hi, Katie.
Katie, you're punching.
No, you're punching!
Katie, no, no!
Cut, cut, cut!
Katie, He'S punching!
Although confidence was built,
and the race brought
the brothers closer...
Oh, my God.
...their slow progress meant
they were eliminated
in the third leg.
"Please await instructions
for your homeward travel."
It was bittersweet, really.
If we hadn't done it, we would have
definitely regretted not doing it.
And still be tearing lumps
out of each other.
I think the good thing about our
relationship now is that
there's less of an edge between us.
Knowing that we're going to do more
things together is important.
There's so much that we've taken
from it.
Did you guys have many
campfires growing up?
This is honestly my first. You've
never had a campfire before? No.
Have you ever sat around
a campfire before?
No.
Have you built a campfire since?
No.
Hugs?
Oh!
Nice. Actually,
that was a nice hug. Yeah.
Oh, my word.
Close to 90% of the
Canadian population live within
150 kilometres of its border
with the United States,
so in the less inhabited north...
Why is there no buses?
...public transport is scarce.
So, do you have any recommendations
on how we get to Prince Rupert
via Whistler?
Well, there is no bus service now
from that direction.
And you can't ride the train
up there no more.
If you asked anyone
how long it took,
they said it could take three days,
could take two.
It took, like, an hour and a half
to do 20 yards.
I was like, "Oh, my God."
It was just awful, wasn't it?
Sometimes, when faced with no
options, the pairs were forced
to embrace alternative methods
of getting around.
It's a challenge to get
out of the city.
It's kind of the Dawson vortex,
and I've had friends who haven't
been able to get out for months.
I hated holding a cardboard sign.
I was like,
"This looks a certain way,
"and I don't want to be associated
with that,” but I am that.
Like, I don't have a home right now,
and I'm trying to get somewhere.
And this is way out of
my comfort zone. Yeah.
I'm really, really uncomfortable
at the minute. Yeah.
We're sort of looking to see
if we can grab rides along the way.
Not from us, you can't.
It was just horrendous.
Honestly, psychologically,
it just destroyed me.
How easy is it to head north
from here?
Really?
We haven't got seven days.
It's just...
It's just shit.
It was one of the most horrible
experiences.
I'm just relying on this sign,
because I haven't got the energy
right now to talk to people.
But at times, it was the best,
when someone would just say,
"Yes." The relief. The relief!
Do you want to be a Good Samaritan?
I'll pay you for it.
If it means drive all the way
to Prince Rupert...
How much would you do it for?
That's, like, a whole day.
What's your name?
I'm Corey. Corey.
Nice to meet you, Corey.
Nice to meet you, man. Mobeen.
Not only had we got that ride,
but he'd given us energy.
For years, I used to have
my best friend, my dog.
We would go, May 1st, to the lake,
and I would jump in every year.
Is your best friend
not around any more?
She died 2019.
And so it came to today,
and I'm saying...
Maybe it was fate.
..."I got to do it today.
I got to go out to the lake."
You'd gain those little moments
from people,
and they just got you through
the race.
It was... It was amazing.
She's only got little legs.
I'm only little.
It was such a quick switch from
being really hopeless
to utterly overjoyed, like,
"Oh, my gosh, we've got it! Get in!"
Oh, . Sorry.
Goddamn!
Thanks so much for taking us
to Port Hardy.
I'm just a bored wacko
with nothing better to do.
For them to take us in
and put their arm around us,
to treat us the way
they treated us...
Bye-bye.
Yeah.
...didn't know them 24 hours ago,
and then they started treating us
like they knew us for, like,
ten years.
You all right with it being
just me and you again?
I know you and Paula...
Yeah, I'll be fine. I'll be fine.
It was a nice little chat we had.
It's hot!
She's giving us breakfast.
I think there is one person
in a million like Amber.
Can I give you a hug? Of course!
I just can't believe it.
I know. I feel really emotional
thinking about it,
that someone wants to do
that for you.
It makes you question yourself.
Would you do that for them?
Yeah. Would you do that
for someone else?
And I have to say,
I'd take the gamble now,
because people have, you know,
they gave me a shot
and it allowed us to do our bit.
I was just incredibly moved
by the generosity of people.
Nothing was too much trouble.
And how did you
and Dave meet?
First day of med school.
Oh! First day, that's like us!
That's so cute. That's like us!
And it became just so much
more than a way of getting
from A to B.
Excuse me, sir. Just wondering
if you're headed to Whitehorse?
Yeah, I probably could.
Yeah?
Boom.
Smashed it. Smashed it.
The only married couple
in the race were Zainib and Mobeen.
He's lovely. I love him.
But I think we're going to get
on each other's nerves.
I really do.
And we're going to bicker,
because according to him,
everyone's happy
and everything's lovely
and there's rainbows and fairies.
I ain't about that.
Have you got any good tips
whilst you're car sharing?
Don't stink. Don't stink, yeah.
Yeah. And don't talk too much.
That's what I've been telling
you for eight years. I know.
Thanks in part to local generosity,
they made good progress early on.
Mobeen is a chatty, friendly face.
Can I just ask a few questions?
Sure.
We're heading north,
me and my wife.
We're part of a race.
And we needed that.
I think if I was to do it
with the resting B face,
I don't think we would have got far.
Where do you want to go?
Well, we need to go up here.
Yeah. We can drop you off...
At Cat's Creek?
Yeah, yeah. Sure.
Zainib thinks she's got a resting...
Can I say it? ..bitch face.
Everyone tells me.
I don't think so.
Maybe because she smiles
at me more than anyone else.
I wanted to share one song
with you guys.
It's a song you can sing
when someone's
going on to their journey
to the spiritual world,
but it's also a song because
you guys are so far from home.
But by the halfway point,
life on the road became arduous.
At this present moment in time,
the main race and
the main competition that I've got
is really dealing with
my own demons, being homesick
and missing my home.
I guess I was feeling
a bit burnt out.
We hadn't slept and emotions
were high.
In that moment in time,
I did think that I don't want
to do this any more.
I've never been away from home
for this long.
And things went from bad to worse.
What do you want to do?
I gave you an option in
the beginning, you shot it down,
you wanted to do something else,
and now you're saying
pick what you want to do.
I really don't have the capacity
to care just now.
What do you want to do in terms
of the race?
I just want to get to the checkpoint
as fast as possible. I do, too.
How do you want to get there?
Why are you asking me?
I remember us getting warnings
from family.
"Oh, this is going to be really
stressful for your relationship.
"Make sure, you know,
you're very careful.
"It might break yous apart.”
What do YOU want to do?
I'm trying to find out...
Do you want to spend
a few hours asking?
Should we get a taxi?
I told you I wanted to get a taxi
from the get-go.
We had dipped to our lowest
at Manitoulin Island... Yeah.
...when we had that
argy-bargy together.
So, do you want to get a taxi now?
Yeah.
Why would that have changed?
Do you want to order it, then?
You can order it, as well,
you know. I need the toilet.
He basically didn't agree
with my plan... Yeah.
...which would have meant that
we would have not been there last.
Yeah.
After hitting rock-bottom...
Oh. There we go.
...it was working for a family
in Sudbury...
How does it feel, Zainib?
Ooh, nice and warm.
...that brought their journey
into perspective.
Have you got any kids?
No. No?
Are you guys planning to?
We've been trying for six years.
Oh, wow.
It's not happened.
Do you want to hold him?
Hey. Aw!
If it came down to it,
I think adoption is always
a viable and very good option.
Yeah, 100%. There's so many children
out there in the world
that need that love.
We will be parents one day.
I think we learnt how to appreciate
each other
and each other's way of thinking.
I think I'm just so comfortable
around you
that I kind of forget that,
actually, no,
you aren't an extension of me.
You're actually your own person.
Yeah.
So, I'm sorry if I have hurt you
Or come across arsey.
Sometimes, I'm quite quick
to disagree with something
that you say...
...and then realise after,
actually, it's a good suggestion.
I think you're less rigid now.
I think you're way more open
to exploring other options. Yeah.
Like, if I have an idea,
you'll actually consider it. Yeah.
Your high horse has got
a little bit shorter.
Does that mean you love me?
I do love you.
I've always loved you.
Will you buy me a nice coffee,
then?
Yeah, I will buy you
a nice coffee.
And racing through
Canada's big cities...
Yes! Come on!
...they took the lead
for the first time.
Finally!
Finally!
I think it's a good example
of, you know, what happens
when you work well together.
Yeah.
It was like we had to do that,
come last. I was just super proud
of us, moving from last
all the way to first.
I wonder where they are.
Who gives a shit?
Our last journey was with a man
called Brent, and he shared
with us a part of his life,
which he really did not have to.
When we get home, I think we've got
a lot of reflection to do, talking
about what we want in life and how
much we wanted to start a family.
But our issue has been that
we've not been able to conceive.
I just wanted to share
with you, if I could...
Yeah, of course. ..not that I don't
have children, because I have six,
but I'm adopted.
You're adopted?
My mother and father could not
have children, and so they adopted
four of us. Quite honestly,
I thought I was just special,
a cool kid, because I was adopted.
For him to let us in
on his life... Yeah.
...when that's something
that we've been discussing...
...we've been, I guess,
journeying through ourselves...
...it felt very special.
So, what I'm telling you is,
adoption really is the greatest
expression
of love that I can think of.
You don't love your parents any less
because you're adopted.
It's actually really nice
to hear that,
because, I suppose, the worry always
is, how will that child feel?
With the amount of love
that you show that child,
they'll never know any difference.
Brent shared his story,
and it was such a positive story
and he was so encouraging about it.
Maybe you were supposed
to run into me, huh?
I think so!
It's something
I think we will definitely do,
but when the time's right.
The beauty about adoption
is that there is no biological
clock, so my ovaries can go to shit
if they want to!
You know what I mean?
It's not something
that should be rushed.
It's not a race to parenthood.
Come on! Run!
Run! Run!
Racing for days on end...
Get in there! Get in.
Dad, do you think
it's down there?
...across hundreds of miles
of inhospitable landscapes...
Go. Go, go, go.
...always led to a mad dash
as each checkpoint drew closer.
I'm exhausted.
Every second could mean
either winning or losing.
Excusez-moi. Excusez-moi,
s'iLvous plait.
Whoo!
Careful.
I'm struggling.
I think the adrenaline kicked in,
that last little, like, bit,
just when, you know,
you're almost at the checkpoint.
Come on, Dad.
Welcome to Haida Gwaii. What do
you think? What do you think?
First, second, third?
Where do you think we've come?
I'm just glad we're here,
to be honest, mate.
Oh, guys! We did it!
Well done, Dad!
You know what? We were
such strong contenders.
We absolutely smashed it. We came
first, like, three, four times.
We got to sign that book
more than anyone else did!
Stop!
Ahhh! We're here at last! And I was
in pain and I was just like, "Ohhh!"
I need to sit down
before I pass out. Yeah.
But these opportunities
for a break from the race
allowed the teams to regroup.
Hi, guys!
- Hi!
Hey! How's it going?
So, Miss Piggy is a DC-3.
He goes out over the bay.
He loses an engine.
That's awesome. I can't believe
that... nobody was hurt. I know.
Although, yes, we were competing,
I really enjoyed the times
where we got together
at checkpoints.
Halt!
That's me, running
to the checkpoint!
Ohhh!
And they also gave the teams
time to reenergise
without any of the time pressures
from the race.
I'm in need of a drink, Dad.
What are all these names about?
Well, the hotel used to be
a brothel. Interesting.
Pearl Necklace sounds quite classy.
Really?
Yeah. Pearl Necklace! No?
Welcome, folks,
to the Sour Toe cocktail.
You can drink it fast
You can drink it slow
But your lips must touch
This gnarly toe.
Is there a final word?
Toe.
Toe! Toe! Toe! Toe!
You want to share
how we gather cockles? Yes!
Go, Kev!
Kevin's on a roll!
You'll never get 'em. Too late!
Getting involved in
lots of different cultures
and learning about life.
And in doing that,
you learn about yourself.
We are now in the Arctic Ocean.
That's amazing.
We're actually standing on the sea.
That's amazing.
One, two, three!
It was a crazy, crazy journey.
But it was also elating,
just to do the trip with Mon,
and I can say just to do the trip
with Claudia, your relationship
has blossomed.
I mean, we was looking at you two
tearing lumps out of each other
at times! And just to think
that here you are now,
that is the most beautiful thing.
For Claudia and Kevin,
the race was a chance for father
and daughter to form a closer bond.
To spend time with my dad and
get back to doing crazy adventures
like we used to do would be amazing.
How's everyone feeling?
Absolutely fine!
This is essentially a perfect storm.
Wind and tide
are against one another.
You can't have it easy
all the way, can you?
I think we had explosive moments.
The sign says... Isn't it easier
to go down there and walk along?
But the sign says this way.
Just... No, it's saying down there!
The relationship before the race
was, erm, pretty tense, I'd say.
I don't think we could have spent
more than an hour together
without things
sort of really spiralling.
Just the struggle of
our relationship and not actually
working together as a team
like others
and then having the race amongst
that, it was stressful. It was hard.
The strategy for me just went
out the window after yesterday.
We should have done our research
while we were at the garage.
I was running around that gas
station, and you were stood there!
Yeah, you probably could have
asked questions. Rubbish.
We weren't working together
as a team. And that was where
we went wrong to start off with.
Got a cab coming in three minutes.
How much is that going to cost?
Let's just get out of here.
It's not about the money now.
This is about... keeping us sane.
I think you get to the point where
you've realised you've spent
over $700 on taxis and then
you're forever trying to claw
everything back, because you just
think, "We just can't afford this."
This leg's cost us, like,
over $1,000, which we didn't have.
We set a budget of $720.
Yeah.
So that means we've got
one leg left and that's it.
You know what? We spent...
One taxi was $600.
We just said, " it."
Yeah. Well, we had
a few of those so, er...!
Would you do it for 500 bucks?
OK.
Yeah. 5007
OK, yeah. we'll take it.
We've got no food. We've got
no money for food, mate.
I'm not even joking.
Yes, OK, hands up, we spent
a lot of money on taxis.
"We"... or you?
Oh, my God. Look!
What? Whoa, whoa, whoa!
But the wonder of the Canadian
landscape provided Claudia and Kevin
with a unique shared experience.
No two days were the same. You turn
a corner and another world unfolds
in front of you. And I think that's
the whole beauty of it. Wasn't it?
Whoa! And we're camping
in this tonight!
Look at that view!
And the race gave father
and daughter the opportunity
to discover a deeper understanding
of each other.
I was really appreciative of
these random skills that you have -
rope tying and gaffer tape
and car mechanics...
Ah! That's what it is.
It's stones in the brakes.
...your Scout skills
and all of that.
So that goes into there.
My father was a Cub Scout leader
for 30 years, and I was
in the Cub Scouts, and that was
a massive part of my childhood
There, done.
I was like a pig in shit, I suppose.
I don't think there are many people
that will be lucky enough to say
that they've woken up
to a view like that.
I got to see some amazing things.
I just think about Muncho Lake
and how incredible that was.
I never thought that I would be able
to have that experience
and be that remote.
That was great, to be able
to do that with you.
It's, by far, the best way to
travel, innit?
I mean, I can't complain.
Well, we came up on this boat,
and this house just comes into view
on this little island.
That's a bit special,
innit, that is? Wow!
You know you have a dream in life
and you say, "That's what I want"?
Yeah. Yeah.
I mean, this is a bit of me.
Do you know how to cast?
Nope.
Whoo! She's off!
And I watched my daughter fish.
Just took me breath away.
Got a fish! I've got a fish!
To be able to experience that
on that incredible island
and then provide dinner for us
was just epic.
Is that your first one?
Not bad for your round, eh?
Guess who's bringin' home
the dinner!
The dynamics ARE changing and
we're going in the right direction.
And spending time together, as well,
that's what it's all about.
It was absolutely priceless.
I would probably pay
the amusement park just to see
my dad wear that again.
This is the perfect job for my dad!
I'm glad you're getting
a kick out of this.
He seems to be in his element,
doesn't he?
You know, we learnt things
about each other. I know we've had
our issues, and we're trying
to work through those issues.
Where were you, in the end?
Where did you finish? Gas station.
This weather is shit.
We've given it a good go. Yeah.
And I'll agree with you on that.
We can't afford to carry on.
No.
Do you regret that decision? No!
That's the best thing - no regrets.
I've got to take my hat off to her.
You know, I didn't think Claudia
could do it, but how wrong was 1?
Just seeing these snow-capped
mountains, that is something.
The expanse of Canada
offers travellers
a true variety of experience.
It's got everything, Canada,
all types of landscape.
Canada is heaven on earth!
The mountains, the views, the lakes.
It's just unbelievable.
There was always something every day
that I'd think,
"God, that's amazing.”
"Southampton.”
"England, UK."
It's just beautiful. Look how much
snow this thing has piled up.
I know!
Each province was very different.
Yeah!
It was like going through
different countries.
There were so many experiences
that I had
you'd never get the opportunity
to do at home.
How did you do that?!
whoohoo!
It's amazing! Whoohoo!
Go on, Mobeen, you can do it.
I loved Canada,
the variety that you get.
There is so many interesting things
that you just wouldn't know about.
You can do anything there.
This kind of thing, like,
it looks, like, otherworldly.
I'm going to remember this forever.
Oh-ho-ho-ho!
This feels like what I imagine
heaven could be like.
All | need now is a porn-star
Martini and I'd be happy.
Oh, mate!
Look at the rainbow!
There's a halo rainbow.
Mother Nature at her best.
It was definitely
a wow moment in my life. Yeah.
Best friends Tricia and Cathie
made up the fifth and final pair
to compete in the race.
She's always been the bad influence.
She always gets me into trouble!
Individually, we're very determined.
Tricia completed a 100km walk
with a chipped bone in her foot.
I did the same with
a torn muscle in my hip. So,
together, we are... Unstoppable.
We've just been up here.
We need to get to the road.
I don't even know where...
I don't know which way we are now.
Our relationship was solid
from day one. Totally.
Do you know how far it is from here
to getting out of the park?
Another three kilometres?
Three kilometres.
OK... OK.
But there was times that I thought,
"Oh, hurry up, Cathie!"
This is too difficult. It's going to
be dark before we get out of here.
We couldn't get out of the park!
Yeah. Seriously,
it took us five hours,
for us to get out of the park. No!
Yeah, yeah. At one point
I dropped my bag and I was like,
"If it's going to be this hard,
I'm not doing it."
Somebody in there will know.
Oh, now the tea room's closed.
Oh, you're having a giraffe.
This, today, is my idea of hell.
They each brought
different skills to the race.
We've actually created a new plan.
Of course.
So we're now on plan four. OK.
I'll ask anybody for anything.
And I'll just do it.
But Cathie's not. This is...
This is way out of my comfort zone.
I'm really, really uncomfortable
at the minute.
I don't like this at all.
But their team proved to be
more than the sum of its parts.
Just got to keep moving
but also enjoy it. Oh, yeah.
Ohhh! My hot flushes are literally
burning in the stomach.
I think we've got
quite a unique dynamic.
Happy days. Next stop, Yukon!
A bit like Thelma And Louise
without... Yeah, without the cliff
ending. Or the killing spree. No,
we don't want to do that. No. No.
We've known each other for so long
as best friends.
Any kind of disagreement we've ever
had - not that I can think of any
specifically... I can't think
of anything. ..but if there were,
they were ironed out years ago.
We're just going to concentrate
on the bear.
I'm looking at the floor.
Just looking at the bear.
But when you're with someone
24-hours-a-day for a long period
of time, you're bound to have
moments where you annoy each other.
I would literally just get on
the soonest bus we can to Montreal.
OK. All right, hang on.
Yeah, I'm frustrated with it. OK.
Can I just have a... just
a minute of headspace, please?
But we're comfortable enough to say,
"No, I don't want to do that,"
but then the other one
not taking of fence at that.
Shall I just roll this so that
it doesn't get tangled over here?
Will that help?
Not really. OK.
I'm doing OK, love.
OK.
Having what we class as
a verbal slap.
I had to give you a few of those.
Yeah, you did. Yeah.
I think she's a bit pissed off
with me today.
My boys say that I become
a different person
when I'm with Trish.
Hang on, Trish. Wait a minute.
Oh, my!
Bonjour! Vous pouvez me suivre.
It's all good.
You're really good.
I'm loving it. Really enjoying.
The friends were happy
taking on all types of jobs
to get hold of cash.
Je suis pomme de terre.
"I am a potato."
We need to get this side
and that side off,
and then the roof should come off.
And work led to more than just
a competitive advantage in the race.
When we did this job,
there was this massive lake
and it was still frozen. And I just
went down there for a moment.
The sky was blue,
the sun was shining.
I've got to take a photograph.
It's just too beautiful.
And I just stood there
for a minute
and let myself absorb
all of that beauty.
There's not a sound.
It's silent. Absolutely silent.
I had a bit of an epiphany
and decided that life
shouldn't revolve around work,
which it was doing, very much.
And I'm now only working
three days a week, which is great.
I came into the race very much
a control freak, perfectionist.
So, work-life balance
is much, much better.
And now I'm trying really hard
to let things be.
Look how beautiful it is.
How well can you see?
Can you see the cruise ships?
Not really.
Tricia had her own
moment of clarity in Canada.
Because of my eyesight, I was really
worried that I would miss things,
I'd miss details. For me,
I can't see detail on things.
So having massive mountains
that are snow-capped was great,
because it was like,
"Wow, I can actually see it!" Yeah.
It looks like a native chief
lying down. Oh, it does!
That's his legs... right down.
That's incredible, isn't it?
It is. Wow. That's stunning.
I was just amazed at, actually,
how much I could see,
Oh, my God! Cathie,
come and have a look! OK.
This is proper Canada.
Hello!
I normally count my steps,
because I know where 1I'm going.
But when we got to Canada
and realised the vastness
of something... So, the Rockies,
they were just huge.
And I was like,
"can actually see them."
And we were so close to things
like bears on the side of the road.
Hello!
Oh, my God.
How close could you get?!
So to...
...have these...
...experiences...
...made me really emotional about...
...not missing out on things.
What a day! Do you know, I was
just about to say exactly the same!
What a day. It's been amazing. Look
at it. It's just beautiful here.
Half past eight at night,
and look at it.
It's like the middle of the day.
I know!
When I got home, I gave up my job
and I started working for RNIB,
which is really close to my heart,
and absolutely loving it.
It's lovely to actually be present
in the moment rather than always
thinking about the next thing.
Having said that, I am now
thinking about tomorrow.
Are you with me? Yeah, I'm coming.
You carry on. OK, yeah.
After 49 days
and almost 16,000km...
These bones have to be
ready for this.
...three teams were in touching
distance of the big prize.
Oh, yeah! That's it! Whoo!
So, I've just been in.
Walk and talk.
I haven't got time to stand still.
And that shocked me,
how competitive you were.
It was like, "Ooh, hello,
she really is on this."
Oh, my God. This is unreal. This is
unbelievable! It's heating up!
I know it's for the experience.
Don't get me wrong. You're going to
get that when you're doing
an adventure and a race like this.
But you don't enter a competition
to lose. Like, "Come on!"
We've had a pretty rubbish
last 24 hours.
No, no, no. Love life!
Get your shit together
and win this thing.
Yeah!
I mean, naturally,
we wanted to come first.
Can you imagine 10K in each pocket?
Cos you wouldn't be getting any.
Each pocket of mine.
Standing between them and
the finish line are Newfoundland...
Tickets. Tickets. We don't even know
what time the ferry is.
...170 kilometres of water.
We took the risk of taking
the shorter ferry route and then
having to get all the way across
the island. That was a big risk.
Just need to get going.
Literally on edge a bit now.
OK, there's no-one round the side.
We're not going to make it to St
John's tonight, but we can make it
further down the road,
so we need to keep going.
I'm really off, because
we're not going to get to St John's
tonight. The other teams
will probably fly past us.
It means that we're not
going to come first.
CAR HORN TOOTS
Hi!
But as it has so many times before
for all the teams...
I can't get you to St John's, but
I can offer you a place to sleep.
I don't know what you guys need.
Oh! That would be amazing.
...the generosity
of the Canadian people...
We've literally dumped all of
our stuff over your lounge. Sorry.
Relax, make yourself at home!
...came to Tricia
and Cathie's rescue.
OK, cards on the table. We need
a lift to St John's. Tomorrow?
Tomorrow. Yeah.
Yeah, as early as possible.
They were going to give us a lift
in the morning.
He said, "Nine o'clock.”
We went, "No. Five."
And he went, "Oh, OK."
It wasn't quite like that! No, no.
If we can be on the road
very early...
I was up at 4.30 this morning.
OK, let's say five, then!
If it wasn't for them,
we wouldn't have won. No.
We were two hours behind you.
Yeah. Yeah.
You guys were 20 minutes behind us.
It was so close!
Then there was just the small matter
of finding their way
through the streets of St John's.
Proceed along Gower...
...to the book at Cape Spear.
I reckon it's there, because the
Gower is... We need to ask someone.
I'm glad we actually had some lead,
because I think we'd get lost
in a paper bag.
It was terrible.
It was so bad! Really bad.
Ask the man over there.
Cab, cab, cab.
Find a cab.
What's the best way
to get to Cape Spear?
Do you know where Cape Spear is?
We're trying to get a lift there.
We need to get a taxi.
Amazing! Brilliant.
Over the bridge. Southside Road.
Oh, amazing. Thank you!
Thank you very much.
So, where are you off to?
We are literally racing
to the finish line now.
If Trish and Cathie haven't made it,
I think we're in first place.
Cape Spear. This is it.
Right...
Thank you so much.
I'm nervous, Dad. I'm shaky.
I was just feeling so excited -
"Oh, my gosh. Are we first?" -
because we knew
we were ahead of you.
But then, when we opened
the book... It was joy.
...it was just pure joy
at seeing your names there.
Oh, yeah!
They won it!
Smashed it! Yes.
We were just so happy for you guys.
And that we'd actually just made it.
Come on, last-lap lick. Let's go.
Mental callouses, yeah?
Dad, you're distracting me.
When we opened that book,
I didn't even see who...
I just saw a scribble there first.
So, I'm like... "Bloody third."
Yeah, I was just, like, upset.
Upset.
Ohhh!
How the France...?!
I think not winning
really jarred me.
And I think it's only after the time
when you kind of, like, come away
from the upsetness and you think
about what we had done...
...it's just like, "Wow,
you know what? That was epic.”
Well, we're either
first, second or third. Yeah.
Running up to that book,
ohhh, it's just...
Wow. I was shaking.
And we put our hands on the book,
and I think I said to you,
"It doesn't matter where we come."
Yeah. Our whole objective was to
finish. And have an amazing time.
And we did. So when we turned
the book over... Oh, God!
OK.
Ready?
I still can't believe
that we came in first.
Oh, my God.
Oh, my God!
It was full-on, and we all done that
for two months. Hardcore.
We survived. I don't think
anyone thought we'd survive,
let's be honest. And I think
that's amazing in itself,
that we didn't kill each other.
Close.
An exciting adventure.
Scary, but full of moments of joy.
We think the best team won, so...
That's so kind of you.
You've made me cry!
I think this race was the most
amazing, most physical, most mental
challenge that I've ever done.
But I would do it again.
We won!
whoo!
This is a real Newfoundland codfish.
You're going to be called
honorary Newfoundlanders.
That was a side kiss!
Come on, Trish! What are you doing?
It's coming!
Well done!
To everybody who's got us here.
Well done! And to the missing.
- Cheers!
in the world,
and the setting... Run! Run!
...for an epic race...
The race is on.
That's my girl.
...for five pairs of
ordinary Brits...
Keep going, keep going!
...over a grueling
16,000 kilometres.
Road trip!
Only one team could take home
the prize of £20,000...
...and now, all are reunited
for the first time
since returning to these shores...
I still now can't believe
how amazing it was.
Oh!
...to share unseen moments
with the group.
You can drink it fast,
you can drink it slow,
but your lips must touch
this gnarly toe.
Toe! Toe! Toe! Toe!
I loved Canada.
Whoa, whoa.
It was full-on.
They'll explore what it takes
to endure the pressure of budget...
I really hope that's soap.
Got no money.
We can't get a bus out of here.
We can't get a train out of here.
He can stuff his taxi up his arse!
...the elements...
It's amazing!
Beautiful weather for a hike.
It is mentally
and physically exhausting.
This weather is shit.
...and travelling with each other.
All I'm saying is
I'm going to die.
I think that it's amazing
that we didn't kill each other.
They'll discuss what drove them...
That is the most beautiful thing.
An exciting adventure.
...and what they've discovered
about themselves...
Just learned to take
a leap of faith.
...as they explore the lows...
I feel a little bit like I let
Mickey down. You shouldn't.
...and the highs
of a race across the world.
Overwhelming. Dramatic.
Seen enough,
or do you want a bit more?
Canada House,
since 1925, the diplomatic home
for Canada in London,
and a fitting place today
for all five pairs to reunite
for the first time since the race.
Come on, Dad.
From Essex, Monique
and her father Ladi.
I wonder if everyone's put on
the weight that they lost.
It was eye-opening.
I would do it again.
Full-on, I would do it again.
Oh, God, no.
Yes, you could! Not with the
grizzly bear. No. No, no, no.
Who should we ask, then?
No, she's drunk. Don't ask her.
We need to ask someone, Marc.
Brothers Marc and Michael
from the Midlands.
There's so much that we've
taken from it.
I think I could have gone for
another three or four weeks, maybe.
You wanted to go after day two.
A 36-hour train journey.
Nice.
I'm looking forward to it, actually.
Zainib and her husband Mobeen.
Bringing back a lot of memories,
this.
We're all such different people,
forever bonded by this journey
that we've been on.
Hello!
Nice to see you.
You're looking good.
Oh, I missed these hugs.
Every checkpoint, the dad hugs.
Thanks, Mate. Thank you.
Southampton father and daughter
Kevin and Claudia.
Ready for a run?
No.
The adventure, the adrenaline,
running to the checkpoint,
the highs, the lows -
it was epic.
Yeah.
Oh, my goodness!
How you doing?
Good.
How have you guys been?
Yeah, back to normality, innit?
I'm still having nightmares,
wondering where my dad was
in the middle of the night.
I'm exhausted.
And finally, race winners
and best friends Tricia and Cathie.
It was exciting.
It was...
Anything but dull.
Oh, God, yeah.
Oh, there's the guys.
Oh, hello!
Hi, Ladi!
Vancouver, on the edge of
the Pacific Ocean,
and where the race begins.
It's getting a bit wet.
It's like being back in Manchester.
Yeah, I know!
I thought it'd be snowy.
Vancouver!
I wonder where we're going.
I don't know.
It's just a map of Canada.
I'd taken pencils and paper
for kids in Africa,
cos I thought
we were going to go to Africa.
Oh, dear.
Oh!
Before they arrived at the airport,
two days prior to the start
of the race,
the pairs had no idea
where the race might take them.
I didn't really know
what Canada was like.
Look at this.
Don't get it wet.
For me, ice hockey and skiing.
That's all I knew about Canada.
I just remember thinking,
"I've not packed for this."
Yeah. I felt like I packed that
raincoat last-minute,
and the gloves. I had no thermals.
First impressions, thinking,
"It's a first-world country,
"it's going to have loads of
transport. Everyone speaks English."
How wrong was 17
"Your final destination
is St John's."
Do you know where that is?
No idea.
St John's could be in Hackney,
for all I know.
There it is! I found it.
!
So, we're literally going
from the Pacific Ocean...
To the Atlantic. ..all the way
to the Atlantic Ocean. Yep.
For the teams, St John's,
Newfoundland, stood 16,000km away
via a race route that would take
them to the edge of the Arctic
and the waters of the Great Lakes,
through six time zones
and seven checkpoints.
This is no luxury holiday.
This is about sweating it out,
this one.
Stanley Park, Vancouver,
the starting line...
This is it.
...and a first chance
to eyeball the competition.
We're best friends from school.
We're dad and daughter.
Are you? We're dad and daughter!
Oh, my God!
I was a bit put off that there was
another father and daughter,
I'm not going to lie.
That was a bit of competition.
We thought you two were a couple.
It's my young, dashing looks.
I have my pole in my bag,
and I use the pole to see with
if I'm running anywhere.
Let's hope you don't lose that pole
on the way.
That would be a real shame.
Yeah, I don't think that was
my finest moment.
I'm sorry about that.
All I remember seeing
was Ladi on the end,
just a big guy.
I thought you were, like, military.
You're quite, like...
And your walk was quite... Yeah.
I personally thought that Ladi
and Monique were going to win it.
I am ultra-competitive,
I always will be competitive.
I came to win.
We thought you were
mum and daughter.
Yeah, yeah!
who was the mum?
I'm not going to say.
That'll be me, then.
I thought they were a couple,
holding hands.
We're very tactile.
But also, because of my issues,
I always kind of rely on Cathie...
Yeah.
...to kind of guide me, as well.
How's it going? Nice to meet you.
I really thought you were
really fierce at the front.
Me?!
You were, like, on it.
I was like, "Oh, my God."
You just looked like you about to
kick the crap out of somebody.
They look serious.
It was the buzz cuts.
I was like, "Brilliant.
They're the ones to watch.”
I wasn't really thinking about
who was our biggest threat.
I was just shitting my pants.
Go! Go!
It did make me laugh how everybody,
apart from Trish and I, ran.
Bloody hell, Michael.
There's no point in killing
yourself doing this.
Definitely.
Walk with purpose. It took me
five hours to get out of the park.
Exactly!
Let's go.
We might not have a bed tonight!
Father and daughter team
Monique and Ladi
arrived in Canada
with a strong bond.
My dad is like my superhero.
If anything was to go wrong,
it'd be Dad that I'd call,
because I know that he'll be there.
He's like Liam Neeson from Taken.
I think, for me, what I wanted
to come away with
is knowing that she would be
all right.
If I wasn't around,
she's going to be all right.
My daughter is accustomed to
a princess lifestyle.
Thank you.
Am I responsible
for making her like that?
Hell, yeah. Sure I am.
Oh, my God.
Oh! Oh!
Oh, it's in my mouth.
"Keep the repellent away
from eyes and..."
That is disgusting.
what about that looks fun?
I'll hold my wee all night.
I'm not going in there.
Camping experience out of ten,
minus ten.
But she also needs to understand
the challenges that she may face
later on in life.
Why are we washing a bus?
There's no incentive
because there's no reward.
We're helping the man, yeah,
who has helped us.
It's just showing appreciation,
yeah? Yeah.
And sometimes in life,
that's what you need to do.
I get why you cleaned the bus.
Diamond Dave was a diamond.
At the time, I didn't see that,
but I think going through the
journey and looking back...
Growth. Growth, girl. Growth.
Lesson number one -
repay kindness with kindness,
because it will come back on you.
The beginning of the race,
you know,
you was looking to me to do stuff.
And it was just, like,
during that race, it was, like,
whoa, sliding it over to you.
You run the thing.
And I was quite happy to sit back
and just like,
"Yeah, what do you want to do?
OK, we'll do that."
That's the longer route.
Is it the longer route, though?
Because there's
public transport links.
I say go Toronto. Let's do it.
I've decided. Mm!
My girl blossomed,
my girl just done the thing.
You know, she done the thing.
We didn't win,
but she done the thing.
Do you know of anyone in St John
that may be looking for someone
to help them work?
Let me send a few messages.
Oh, that would be brilliant.
A lot of the time, I tend to do
things that I know are going
to work out,
or I've got Dad to call.
I've never poured a pint before,
So...
OK, you're going to take your glass
and tip it.
Yeah. Then you're going to pull it
all the way forward, OK?
The race enabled me
to grow in confidence.
I can do things on my own.
Someone's not flushed,
so let's do that first.
It's a bit different
when it's your own bathroom,
because you know what goes on in
there. Just get on and do it, yeah?
I've got a trick, though.
Spray the air so it smells clean,
so you don't actually need to
do a good job.
Work smart, not hard.
Think that's done.
He went in the nice-smelling one!
Did it smell nice in there?
It's good, yeah.
It smelt good, didn't it?
I cleaned it.
Oh, that's awesome.
No worries.
Yeah, we didn't take the win,
but we played volleyball...
Right, don't do it too hard.
...which is supposed to be
Dad's sport,
like, he's supposed to be
really good at it, and I won.
Ha!
That's very good.
He couldn't take it. I let you win.
No, you didn't! No, you didn't!
I let you win.
OK. You're the winner.
Well played. We're meant to shake
underneath... Easy! Easy!
You really are going to
claim that victory? Easy!
Let's be sportsmanlike.
Yeah, sure. Sure, sure, sure, sure.
Easy!
So, I might not have won the race,
but I won volleyball against my dad.
It wasn't a proper volleyball.
It was a football.
She's not as naive...
Princess-like.
Well, no, she is a princess, like,
all the time,
but it's just, like, I know that
if I were to disappear tomorrow,
she's going to be all right.
She'll be all right.
Yeah. Inheritance. I mean...
Oh, man.
You excited, Dad?
Of course! We're going underwater.
There you go.
Wait, am I supposed to
put my knees underneath?
What makes you feel comfortable?
None of this is comfortable.
We've not done this
since you was little.
Me and Dad had a really nice moment
when we was on Waskesiu Lake Marina.
Dad gave me an insight
into his background.
When I was at secondary school,
I really was not a nice person
sometimes.
One of my teachers -
Streaky Bacon,
that's what we used to call him -
he took me and a group of other
children sailing. Blew me away.
Freedom. When I was inside that
boat, nobody could tell me nothing,
because it was just me and the boat.
This is the stuff that got me
through troubled times, man,
believe you me.
I've luckily come from a place
of privilege, in a sense,
but it really made me appreciate
and have a deeper understanding
of the background
that Dad's come from.
I think just being on this trip
with you makes me realise
how lucky I am to have a dad
like you, and...
Oh, thanks, sweetie...
No, like, truly, I really do.
I think my work ethic
and how my outlook on life,
it's all a testament
to how I've been raised.
I really, really appreciate
it.
Having the time to just have that
type of conversation
with my daughter - wow.
That's really deep.
Love that.
Just through here.
Yeah? Yeah.
Time under canvas was embraced
by some of the teams
with varying degrees of enthusiasm.
It was good doing it with Monique,
who was point-blank,
"I ain't camping.
I ain't doing this."”
I didn't want to camp.
I had to camp.
It sounded horrendous.
It was horrendous.
I thought camping was going to
Center Parcs before I came here!
I didn't want to do it,
purely because of wild animals
and the risk of something happening.
At night, I'm going to padlock it
with my padlock.
Yeah, I'm not a fan of
padlocking ourselves in.
I don't want to be dragged out.
We're not padlocking ourselves in.
That's silliness.
What do you think a bear
is going to do?
"Knock knock. Excuse me!"
"Oh, I can't get in!"
"Oh, damn, it's a padlock.
I'll just leave this one.”
"Too much effort."
I feel really smug about the fact
that we were one of the three teams
that got to the end.
We didn't have to camp.
I know.
Looks decent.
They've got a swimming pool.
You just have to be smart
with your money.
There's no need to put yourself
through all that malarkey.
The vast wilderness of Canada meant
the teams had the good fortune...
Oh, he's there.
Yeah, look, a beaver.
...to spend time with a huge variety
of its inhabitants.
Bloody hell.
I can't believe how big it is.
Look! Moose.
Look at that.
That was what was so amazing.
Yeah, wildlife.
86 bison so far. 867! Yeah.
And I hadn't seen a bison
until today.
That's mad.
Bear.
Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Oh, my God.
Oh, my God!
I saw a bear.
Proper hardcore bear.
Oh, shite.
There's a bear right there.
Right there.
It was mini, yeah?
It was a baby bear.
But, OK, time to kind of like,
you know, get away from there,
because mama bear's somewhere.
How did you walk away?
Sharpish?
Yeah!
I didn't want to be on the
Canadian 6 o'clock news.
"Black British man
mauled by black bear."
"What?!"
The only time I wasn't scared of a
bear was because we was with Larry.
Do they stand up like that?
Yeah. That's about the same size.
He's about five foot tall standing,
right?
Shit.
I thought, "If a bear comes,
he'll be able to handle himself.
"I'd stand behind him."
I'm going to try to hit him
in the nose, I guess.
Whoa!
When we went to Churchill,
we started hearing
stories of the polar bears.
Polar bears! Yeah.
So... Eh? Yeah, yeah. So...
Oh, yeah. You missed it.
Oh, no, I missed it.
Sorry, man!
Welcome to the world-famous
Polar Bear Holding Facility.
We call it the bear jail.
You turn up at Churchill,
you get a lecture on how to
handle a polar bear
if you come across them.
You don't.
Man, they're cute!
But that's a cute
that will kill you.
Oh, wow.
Come on, Cathie! Come on.
I'm in, I'm in.
How many people does it take
to fill a polar bear trap?
My opinion still hasn't changed.
I'm scared of bears.
Where do you think we're going?
I don't know.
I want to go proper wilderness.
What?!
Yeah.
Are you joking? That'd be awesome.
No!
Brothers Marc and Michael
took on the race
with the hope of getting to know
each other once and for all.
I think the way to describe
our relationship is confused.
Difficult with hints of promise.
We've just got to run 2K,
so can you jog lightly?
I can't. Why?
Cos I'm .
I feel a little bit like I let
Mickey down,
because he's ultra-competitive,
and I thought maybe I'd be the same,
but I'm not.
Driving me mad
not knowing what they're doing.
I'm not a born leader either.
One of us are going to have
to get on with this, then.
At times, it felt like I was
dragging you with me.
I think before we went on the race,
we didn't really know each other,
did we?
Whenever we used to, like,
walk into rooms at home,
the atmosphere would get tense.
When Dad passed away,
we didn't talk about it.
Yeah.
We just left it.
And when you came out,
we didn't talk about it.
Exactly like what you said.
It felt like it was just left.
I didn't know what to say.
I think things just got
really intense, and a lot came out,
and he went off to uni,
and me and him just didn't
spend time together.
We didn't talk to each other
about it, we just left it.
So, this is kind of a healing?
Yeah, this is 16 years
in the making, I think.
But the pressure of life on the road
caused the brothers' relationship
to revert to type.
It is quite cool
to be in the forest.
You wanted to see wildlife
and stuff.
I don't want to see a bear.
that.
We could only talk in short
sentences, because the minute
one of us would say something,
even if it was something really...
It would turn into an argument.
It would turn into, like,
an argument.
You decided right there and
then, ", I'm going by myself."
No, I didn't.
Yes, you did.
You said,
"You don't have to come with me,
"but I'm going to go."
Oh, thanks.
I realised, especially on that
second leg, that if I carried on
doing everything, it wasn't going
to help, because it would only
make you feel more like
you're not doing anything.
You needed to develop
your confidence,
and that was more important
than the race. Yeah.
So, I needed to encourage you
and support you to do it,
even if it meant quite literally,
like, pushing you!
You heading to Dawson City?
Oh! That's a shame.
Thank you.
I really thought that was
Santa Claus then.
I appreciated that,
because it obviously helped me grow,
and it gave me an opportunity
to actually contribute
to what we were doing,
so I thank you for it.
So what are the things, actually,
that you think you're going to
take from this back in the UK?
I'm probably spending less time
indoors. Yeah.
On your Xbox.
On my Xbox, yeah!
Today's been pretty awesome.
I've put myself in uncomfortable
situations
in order to try and grow from it.
I just feel a bit happier
that I feel confident
that I can do something.
It's kind of given me a bit of hope.
Now I feel like I've got
more of a future.
Got yourself a new job.
I have actually got myself a job.
Yeah. Tick.
Being on the race,
I've got more confidence,
and now I have a girlfriend.
Nice. Congratulations.
Thank you. What's her name?
Katie.
Hi, Katie.
Katie, you're punching.
No, you're punching!
Katie, no, no!
Cut, cut, cut!
Katie, He'S punching!
Although confidence was built,
and the race brought
the brothers closer...
Oh, my God.
...their slow progress meant
they were eliminated
in the third leg.
"Please await instructions
for your homeward travel."
It was bittersweet, really.
If we hadn't done it, we would have
definitely regretted not doing it.
And still be tearing lumps
out of each other.
I think the good thing about our
relationship now is that
there's less of an edge between us.
Knowing that we're going to do more
things together is important.
There's so much that we've taken
from it.
Did you guys have many
campfires growing up?
This is honestly my first. You've
never had a campfire before? No.
Have you ever sat around
a campfire before?
No.
Have you built a campfire since?
No.
Hugs?
Oh!
Nice. Actually,
that was a nice hug. Yeah.
Oh, my word.
Close to 90% of the
Canadian population live within
150 kilometres of its border
with the United States,
so in the less inhabited north...
Why is there no buses?
...public transport is scarce.
So, do you have any recommendations
on how we get to Prince Rupert
via Whistler?
Well, there is no bus service now
from that direction.
And you can't ride the train
up there no more.
If you asked anyone
how long it took,
they said it could take three days,
could take two.
It took, like, an hour and a half
to do 20 yards.
I was like, "Oh, my God."
It was just awful, wasn't it?
Sometimes, when faced with no
options, the pairs were forced
to embrace alternative methods
of getting around.
It's a challenge to get
out of the city.
It's kind of the Dawson vortex,
and I've had friends who haven't
been able to get out for months.
I hated holding a cardboard sign.
I was like,
"This looks a certain way,
"and I don't want to be associated
with that,” but I am that.
Like, I don't have a home right now,
and I'm trying to get somewhere.
And this is way out of
my comfort zone. Yeah.
I'm really, really uncomfortable
at the minute. Yeah.
We're sort of looking to see
if we can grab rides along the way.
Not from us, you can't.
It was just horrendous.
Honestly, psychologically,
it just destroyed me.
How easy is it to head north
from here?
Really?
We haven't got seven days.
It's just...
It's just shit.
It was one of the most horrible
experiences.
I'm just relying on this sign,
because I haven't got the energy
right now to talk to people.
But at times, it was the best,
when someone would just say,
"Yes." The relief. The relief!
Do you want to be a Good Samaritan?
I'll pay you for it.
If it means drive all the way
to Prince Rupert...
How much would you do it for?
That's, like, a whole day.
What's your name?
I'm Corey. Corey.
Nice to meet you, Corey.
Nice to meet you, man. Mobeen.
Not only had we got that ride,
but he'd given us energy.
For years, I used to have
my best friend, my dog.
We would go, May 1st, to the lake,
and I would jump in every year.
Is your best friend
not around any more?
She died 2019.
And so it came to today,
and I'm saying...
Maybe it was fate.
..."I got to do it today.
I got to go out to the lake."
You'd gain those little moments
from people,
and they just got you through
the race.
It was... It was amazing.
She's only got little legs.
I'm only little.
It was such a quick switch from
being really hopeless
to utterly overjoyed, like,
"Oh, my gosh, we've got it! Get in!"
Oh, . Sorry.
Goddamn!
Thanks so much for taking us
to Port Hardy.
I'm just a bored wacko
with nothing better to do.
For them to take us in
and put their arm around us,
to treat us the way
they treated us...
Bye-bye.
Yeah.
...didn't know them 24 hours ago,
and then they started treating us
like they knew us for, like,
ten years.
You all right with it being
just me and you again?
I know you and Paula...
Yeah, I'll be fine. I'll be fine.
It was a nice little chat we had.
It's hot!
She's giving us breakfast.
I think there is one person
in a million like Amber.
Can I give you a hug? Of course!
I just can't believe it.
I know. I feel really emotional
thinking about it,
that someone wants to do
that for you.
It makes you question yourself.
Would you do that for them?
Yeah. Would you do that
for someone else?
And I have to say,
I'd take the gamble now,
because people have, you know,
they gave me a shot
and it allowed us to do our bit.
I was just incredibly moved
by the generosity of people.
Nothing was too much trouble.
And how did you
and Dave meet?
First day of med school.
Oh! First day, that's like us!
That's so cute. That's like us!
And it became just so much
more than a way of getting
from A to B.
Excuse me, sir. Just wondering
if you're headed to Whitehorse?
Yeah, I probably could.
Yeah?
Boom.
Smashed it. Smashed it.
The only married couple
in the race were Zainib and Mobeen.
He's lovely. I love him.
But I think we're going to get
on each other's nerves.
I really do.
And we're going to bicker,
because according to him,
everyone's happy
and everything's lovely
and there's rainbows and fairies.
I ain't about that.
Have you got any good tips
whilst you're car sharing?
Don't stink. Don't stink, yeah.
Yeah. And don't talk too much.
That's what I've been telling
you for eight years. I know.
Thanks in part to local generosity,
they made good progress early on.
Mobeen is a chatty, friendly face.
Can I just ask a few questions?
Sure.
We're heading north,
me and my wife.
We're part of a race.
And we needed that.
I think if I was to do it
with the resting B face,
I don't think we would have got far.
Where do you want to go?
Well, we need to go up here.
Yeah. We can drop you off...
At Cat's Creek?
Yeah, yeah. Sure.
Zainib thinks she's got a resting...
Can I say it? ..bitch face.
Everyone tells me.
I don't think so.
Maybe because she smiles
at me more than anyone else.
I wanted to share one song
with you guys.
It's a song you can sing
when someone's
going on to their journey
to the spiritual world,
but it's also a song because
you guys are so far from home.
But by the halfway point,
life on the road became arduous.
At this present moment in time,
the main race and
the main competition that I've got
is really dealing with
my own demons, being homesick
and missing my home.
I guess I was feeling
a bit burnt out.
We hadn't slept and emotions
were high.
In that moment in time,
I did think that I don't want
to do this any more.
I've never been away from home
for this long.
And things went from bad to worse.
What do you want to do?
I gave you an option in
the beginning, you shot it down,
you wanted to do something else,
and now you're saying
pick what you want to do.
I really don't have the capacity
to care just now.
What do you want to do in terms
of the race?
I just want to get to the checkpoint
as fast as possible. I do, too.
How do you want to get there?
Why are you asking me?
I remember us getting warnings
from family.
"Oh, this is going to be really
stressful for your relationship.
"Make sure, you know,
you're very careful.
"It might break yous apart.”
What do YOU want to do?
I'm trying to find out...
Do you want to spend
a few hours asking?
Should we get a taxi?
I told you I wanted to get a taxi
from the get-go.
We had dipped to our lowest
at Manitoulin Island... Yeah.
...when we had that
argy-bargy together.
So, do you want to get a taxi now?
Yeah.
Why would that have changed?
Do you want to order it, then?
You can order it, as well,
you know. I need the toilet.
He basically didn't agree
with my plan... Yeah.
...which would have meant that
we would have not been there last.
Yeah.
After hitting rock-bottom...
Oh. There we go.
...it was working for a family
in Sudbury...
How does it feel, Zainib?
Ooh, nice and warm.
...that brought their journey
into perspective.
Have you got any kids?
No. No?
Are you guys planning to?
We've been trying for six years.
Oh, wow.
It's not happened.
Do you want to hold him?
Hey. Aw!
If it came down to it,
I think adoption is always
a viable and very good option.
Yeah, 100%. There's so many children
out there in the world
that need that love.
We will be parents one day.
I think we learnt how to appreciate
each other
and each other's way of thinking.
I think I'm just so comfortable
around you
that I kind of forget that,
actually, no,
you aren't an extension of me.
You're actually your own person.
Yeah.
So, I'm sorry if I have hurt you
Or come across arsey.
Sometimes, I'm quite quick
to disagree with something
that you say...
...and then realise after,
actually, it's a good suggestion.
I think you're less rigid now.
I think you're way more open
to exploring other options. Yeah.
Like, if I have an idea,
you'll actually consider it. Yeah.
Your high horse has got
a little bit shorter.
Does that mean you love me?
I do love you.
I've always loved you.
Will you buy me a nice coffee,
then?
Yeah, I will buy you
a nice coffee.
And racing through
Canada's big cities...
Yes! Come on!
...they took the lead
for the first time.
Finally!
Finally!
I think it's a good example
of, you know, what happens
when you work well together.
Yeah.
It was like we had to do that,
come last. I was just super proud
of us, moving from last
all the way to first.
I wonder where they are.
Who gives a shit?
Our last journey was with a man
called Brent, and he shared
with us a part of his life,
which he really did not have to.
When we get home, I think we've got
a lot of reflection to do, talking
about what we want in life and how
much we wanted to start a family.
But our issue has been that
we've not been able to conceive.
I just wanted to share
with you, if I could...
Yeah, of course. ..not that I don't
have children, because I have six,
but I'm adopted.
You're adopted?
My mother and father could not
have children, and so they adopted
four of us. Quite honestly,
I thought I was just special,
a cool kid, because I was adopted.
For him to let us in
on his life... Yeah.
...when that's something
that we've been discussing...
...we've been, I guess,
journeying through ourselves...
...it felt very special.
So, what I'm telling you is,
adoption really is the greatest
expression
of love that I can think of.
You don't love your parents any less
because you're adopted.
It's actually really nice
to hear that,
because, I suppose, the worry always
is, how will that child feel?
With the amount of love
that you show that child,
they'll never know any difference.
Brent shared his story,
and it was such a positive story
and he was so encouraging about it.
Maybe you were supposed
to run into me, huh?
I think so!
It's something
I think we will definitely do,
but when the time's right.
The beauty about adoption
is that there is no biological
clock, so my ovaries can go to shit
if they want to!
You know what I mean?
It's not something
that should be rushed.
It's not a race to parenthood.
Come on! Run!
Run! Run!
Racing for days on end...
Get in there! Get in.
Dad, do you think
it's down there?
...across hundreds of miles
of inhospitable landscapes...
Go. Go, go, go.
...always led to a mad dash
as each checkpoint drew closer.
I'm exhausted.
Every second could mean
either winning or losing.
Excusez-moi. Excusez-moi,
s'iLvous plait.
Whoo!
Careful.
I'm struggling.
I think the adrenaline kicked in,
that last little, like, bit,
just when, you know,
you're almost at the checkpoint.
Come on, Dad.
Welcome to Haida Gwaii. What do
you think? What do you think?
First, second, third?
Where do you think we've come?
I'm just glad we're here,
to be honest, mate.
Oh, guys! We did it!
Well done, Dad!
You know what? We were
such strong contenders.
We absolutely smashed it. We came
first, like, three, four times.
We got to sign that book
more than anyone else did!
Stop!
Ahhh! We're here at last! And I was
in pain and I was just like, "Ohhh!"
I need to sit down
before I pass out. Yeah.
But these opportunities
for a break from the race
allowed the teams to regroup.
Hi, guys!
- Hi!
Hey! How's it going?
So, Miss Piggy is a DC-3.
He goes out over the bay.
He loses an engine.
That's awesome. I can't believe
that... nobody was hurt. I know.
Although, yes, we were competing,
I really enjoyed the times
where we got together
at checkpoints.
Halt!
That's me, running
to the checkpoint!
Ohhh!
And they also gave the teams
time to reenergise
without any of the time pressures
from the race.
I'm in need of a drink, Dad.
What are all these names about?
Well, the hotel used to be
a brothel. Interesting.
Pearl Necklace sounds quite classy.
Really?
Yeah. Pearl Necklace! No?
Welcome, folks,
to the Sour Toe cocktail.
You can drink it fast
You can drink it slow
But your lips must touch
This gnarly toe.
Is there a final word?
Toe.
Toe! Toe! Toe! Toe!
You want to share
how we gather cockles? Yes!
Go, Kev!
Kevin's on a roll!
You'll never get 'em. Too late!
Getting involved in
lots of different cultures
and learning about life.
And in doing that,
you learn about yourself.
We are now in the Arctic Ocean.
That's amazing.
We're actually standing on the sea.
That's amazing.
One, two, three!
It was a crazy, crazy journey.
But it was also elating,
just to do the trip with Mon,
and I can say just to do the trip
with Claudia, your relationship
has blossomed.
I mean, we was looking at you two
tearing lumps out of each other
at times! And just to think
that here you are now,
that is the most beautiful thing.
For Claudia and Kevin,
the race was a chance for father
and daughter to form a closer bond.
To spend time with my dad and
get back to doing crazy adventures
like we used to do would be amazing.
How's everyone feeling?
Absolutely fine!
This is essentially a perfect storm.
Wind and tide
are against one another.
You can't have it easy
all the way, can you?
I think we had explosive moments.
The sign says... Isn't it easier
to go down there and walk along?
But the sign says this way.
Just... No, it's saying down there!
The relationship before the race
was, erm, pretty tense, I'd say.
I don't think we could have spent
more than an hour together
without things
sort of really spiralling.
Just the struggle of
our relationship and not actually
working together as a team
like others
and then having the race amongst
that, it was stressful. It was hard.
The strategy for me just went
out the window after yesterday.
We should have done our research
while we were at the garage.
I was running around that gas
station, and you were stood there!
Yeah, you probably could have
asked questions. Rubbish.
We weren't working together
as a team. And that was where
we went wrong to start off with.
Got a cab coming in three minutes.
How much is that going to cost?
Let's just get out of here.
It's not about the money now.
This is about... keeping us sane.
I think you get to the point where
you've realised you've spent
over $700 on taxis and then
you're forever trying to claw
everything back, because you just
think, "We just can't afford this."
This leg's cost us, like,
over $1,000, which we didn't have.
We set a budget of $720.
Yeah.
So that means we've got
one leg left and that's it.
You know what? We spent...
One taxi was $600.
We just said, " it."
Yeah. Well, we had
a few of those so, er...!
Would you do it for 500 bucks?
OK.
Yeah. 5007
OK, yeah. we'll take it.
We've got no food. We've got
no money for food, mate.
I'm not even joking.
Yes, OK, hands up, we spent
a lot of money on taxis.
"We"... or you?
Oh, my God. Look!
What? Whoa, whoa, whoa!
But the wonder of the Canadian
landscape provided Claudia and Kevin
with a unique shared experience.
No two days were the same. You turn
a corner and another world unfolds
in front of you. And I think that's
the whole beauty of it. Wasn't it?
Whoa! And we're camping
in this tonight!
Look at that view!
And the race gave father
and daughter the opportunity
to discover a deeper understanding
of each other.
I was really appreciative of
these random skills that you have -
rope tying and gaffer tape
and car mechanics...
Ah! That's what it is.
It's stones in the brakes.
...your Scout skills
and all of that.
So that goes into there.
My father was a Cub Scout leader
for 30 years, and I was
in the Cub Scouts, and that was
a massive part of my childhood
There, done.
I was like a pig in shit, I suppose.
I don't think there are many people
that will be lucky enough to say
that they've woken up
to a view like that.
I got to see some amazing things.
I just think about Muncho Lake
and how incredible that was.
I never thought that I would be able
to have that experience
and be that remote.
That was great, to be able
to do that with you.
It's, by far, the best way to
travel, innit?
I mean, I can't complain.
Well, we came up on this boat,
and this house just comes into view
on this little island.
That's a bit special,
innit, that is? Wow!
You know you have a dream in life
and you say, "That's what I want"?
Yeah. Yeah.
I mean, this is a bit of me.
Do you know how to cast?
Nope.
Whoo! She's off!
And I watched my daughter fish.
Just took me breath away.
Got a fish! I've got a fish!
To be able to experience that
on that incredible island
and then provide dinner for us
was just epic.
Is that your first one?
Not bad for your round, eh?
Guess who's bringin' home
the dinner!
The dynamics ARE changing and
we're going in the right direction.
And spending time together, as well,
that's what it's all about.
It was absolutely priceless.
I would probably pay
the amusement park just to see
my dad wear that again.
This is the perfect job for my dad!
I'm glad you're getting
a kick out of this.
He seems to be in his element,
doesn't he?
You know, we learnt things
about each other. I know we've had
our issues, and we're trying
to work through those issues.
Where were you, in the end?
Where did you finish? Gas station.
This weather is shit.
We've given it a good go. Yeah.
And I'll agree with you on that.
We can't afford to carry on.
No.
Do you regret that decision? No!
That's the best thing - no regrets.
I've got to take my hat off to her.
You know, I didn't think Claudia
could do it, but how wrong was 1?
Just seeing these snow-capped
mountains, that is something.
The expanse of Canada
offers travellers
a true variety of experience.
It's got everything, Canada,
all types of landscape.
Canada is heaven on earth!
The mountains, the views, the lakes.
It's just unbelievable.
There was always something every day
that I'd think,
"God, that's amazing.”
"Southampton.”
"England, UK."
It's just beautiful. Look how much
snow this thing has piled up.
I know!
Each province was very different.
Yeah!
It was like going through
different countries.
There were so many experiences
that I had
you'd never get the opportunity
to do at home.
How did you do that?!
whoohoo!
It's amazing! Whoohoo!
Go on, Mobeen, you can do it.
I loved Canada,
the variety that you get.
There is so many interesting things
that you just wouldn't know about.
You can do anything there.
This kind of thing, like,
it looks, like, otherworldly.
I'm going to remember this forever.
Oh-ho-ho-ho!
This feels like what I imagine
heaven could be like.
All | need now is a porn-star
Martini and I'd be happy.
Oh, mate!
Look at the rainbow!
There's a halo rainbow.
Mother Nature at her best.
It was definitely
a wow moment in my life. Yeah.
Best friends Tricia and Cathie
made up the fifth and final pair
to compete in the race.
She's always been the bad influence.
She always gets me into trouble!
Individually, we're very determined.
Tricia completed a 100km walk
with a chipped bone in her foot.
I did the same with
a torn muscle in my hip. So,
together, we are... Unstoppable.
We've just been up here.
We need to get to the road.
I don't even know where...
I don't know which way we are now.
Our relationship was solid
from day one. Totally.
Do you know how far it is from here
to getting out of the park?
Another three kilometres?
Three kilometres.
OK... OK.
But there was times that I thought,
"Oh, hurry up, Cathie!"
This is too difficult. It's going to
be dark before we get out of here.
We couldn't get out of the park!
Yeah. Seriously,
it took us five hours,
for us to get out of the park. No!
Yeah, yeah. At one point
I dropped my bag and I was like,
"If it's going to be this hard,
I'm not doing it."
Somebody in there will know.
Oh, now the tea room's closed.
Oh, you're having a giraffe.
This, today, is my idea of hell.
They each brought
different skills to the race.
We've actually created a new plan.
Of course.
So we're now on plan four. OK.
I'll ask anybody for anything.
And I'll just do it.
But Cathie's not. This is...
This is way out of my comfort zone.
I'm really, really uncomfortable
at the minute.
I don't like this at all.
But their team proved to be
more than the sum of its parts.
Just got to keep moving
but also enjoy it. Oh, yeah.
Ohhh! My hot flushes are literally
burning in the stomach.
I think we've got
quite a unique dynamic.
Happy days. Next stop, Yukon!
A bit like Thelma And Louise
without... Yeah, without the cliff
ending. Or the killing spree. No,
we don't want to do that. No. No.
We've known each other for so long
as best friends.
Any kind of disagreement we've ever
had - not that I can think of any
specifically... I can't think
of anything. ..but if there were,
they were ironed out years ago.
We're just going to concentrate
on the bear.
I'm looking at the floor.
Just looking at the bear.
But when you're with someone
24-hours-a-day for a long period
of time, you're bound to have
moments where you annoy each other.
I would literally just get on
the soonest bus we can to Montreal.
OK. All right, hang on.
Yeah, I'm frustrated with it. OK.
Can I just have a... just
a minute of headspace, please?
But we're comfortable enough to say,
"No, I don't want to do that,"
but then the other one
not taking of fence at that.
Shall I just roll this so that
it doesn't get tangled over here?
Will that help?
Not really. OK.
I'm doing OK, love.
OK.
Having what we class as
a verbal slap.
I had to give you a few of those.
Yeah, you did. Yeah.
I think she's a bit pissed off
with me today.
My boys say that I become
a different person
when I'm with Trish.
Hang on, Trish. Wait a minute.
Oh, my!
Bonjour! Vous pouvez me suivre.
It's all good.
You're really good.
I'm loving it. Really enjoying.
The friends were happy
taking on all types of jobs
to get hold of cash.
Je suis pomme de terre.
"I am a potato."
We need to get this side
and that side off,
and then the roof should come off.
And work led to more than just
a competitive advantage in the race.
When we did this job,
there was this massive lake
and it was still frozen. And I just
went down there for a moment.
The sky was blue,
the sun was shining.
I've got to take a photograph.
It's just too beautiful.
And I just stood there
for a minute
and let myself absorb
all of that beauty.
There's not a sound.
It's silent. Absolutely silent.
I had a bit of an epiphany
and decided that life
shouldn't revolve around work,
which it was doing, very much.
And I'm now only working
three days a week, which is great.
I came into the race very much
a control freak, perfectionist.
So, work-life balance
is much, much better.
And now I'm trying really hard
to let things be.
Look how beautiful it is.
How well can you see?
Can you see the cruise ships?
Not really.
Tricia had her own
moment of clarity in Canada.
Because of my eyesight, I was really
worried that I would miss things,
I'd miss details. For me,
I can't see detail on things.
So having massive mountains
that are snow-capped was great,
because it was like,
"Wow, I can actually see it!" Yeah.
It looks like a native chief
lying down. Oh, it does!
That's his legs... right down.
That's incredible, isn't it?
It is. Wow. That's stunning.
I was just amazed at, actually,
how much I could see,
Oh, my God! Cathie,
come and have a look! OK.
This is proper Canada.
Hello!
I normally count my steps,
because I know where 1I'm going.
But when we got to Canada
and realised the vastness
of something... So, the Rockies,
they were just huge.
And I was like,
"can actually see them."
And we were so close to things
like bears on the side of the road.
Hello!
Oh, my God.
How close could you get?!
So to...
...have these...
...experiences...
...made me really emotional about...
...not missing out on things.
What a day! Do you know, I was
just about to say exactly the same!
What a day. It's been amazing. Look
at it. It's just beautiful here.
Half past eight at night,
and look at it.
It's like the middle of the day.
I know!
When I got home, I gave up my job
and I started working for RNIB,
which is really close to my heart,
and absolutely loving it.
It's lovely to actually be present
in the moment rather than always
thinking about the next thing.
Having said that, I am now
thinking about tomorrow.
Are you with me? Yeah, I'm coming.
You carry on. OK, yeah.
After 49 days
and almost 16,000km...
These bones have to be
ready for this.
...three teams were in touching
distance of the big prize.
Oh, yeah! That's it! Whoo!
So, I've just been in.
Walk and talk.
I haven't got time to stand still.
And that shocked me,
how competitive you were.
It was like, "Ooh, hello,
she really is on this."
Oh, my God. This is unreal. This is
unbelievable! It's heating up!
I know it's for the experience.
Don't get me wrong. You're going to
get that when you're doing
an adventure and a race like this.
But you don't enter a competition
to lose. Like, "Come on!"
We've had a pretty rubbish
last 24 hours.
No, no, no. Love life!
Get your shit together
and win this thing.
Yeah!
I mean, naturally,
we wanted to come first.
Can you imagine 10K in each pocket?
Cos you wouldn't be getting any.
Each pocket of mine.
Standing between them and
the finish line are Newfoundland...
Tickets. Tickets. We don't even know
what time the ferry is.
...170 kilometres of water.
We took the risk of taking
the shorter ferry route and then
having to get all the way across
the island. That was a big risk.
Just need to get going.
Literally on edge a bit now.
OK, there's no-one round the side.
We're not going to make it to St
John's tonight, but we can make it
further down the road,
so we need to keep going.
I'm really off, because
we're not going to get to St John's
tonight. The other teams
will probably fly past us.
It means that we're not
going to come first.
CAR HORN TOOTS
Hi!
But as it has so many times before
for all the teams...
I can't get you to St John's, but
I can offer you a place to sleep.
I don't know what you guys need.
Oh! That would be amazing.
...the generosity
of the Canadian people...
We've literally dumped all of
our stuff over your lounge. Sorry.
Relax, make yourself at home!
...came to Tricia
and Cathie's rescue.
OK, cards on the table. We need
a lift to St John's. Tomorrow?
Tomorrow. Yeah.
Yeah, as early as possible.
They were going to give us a lift
in the morning.
He said, "Nine o'clock.”
We went, "No. Five."
And he went, "Oh, OK."
It wasn't quite like that! No, no.
If we can be on the road
very early...
I was up at 4.30 this morning.
OK, let's say five, then!
If it wasn't for them,
we wouldn't have won. No.
We were two hours behind you.
Yeah. Yeah.
You guys were 20 minutes behind us.
It was so close!
Then there was just the small matter
of finding their way
through the streets of St John's.
Proceed along Gower...
...to the book at Cape Spear.
I reckon it's there, because the
Gower is... We need to ask someone.
I'm glad we actually had some lead,
because I think we'd get lost
in a paper bag.
It was terrible.
It was so bad! Really bad.
Ask the man over there.
Cab, cab, cab.
Find a cab.
What's the best way
to get to Cape Spear?
Do you know where Cape Spear is?
We're trying to get a lift there.
We need to get a taxi.
Amazing! Brilliant.
Over the bridge. Southside Road.
Oh, amazing. Thank you!
Thank you very much.
So, where are you off to?
We are literally racing
to the finish line now.
If Trish and Cathie haven't made it,
I think we're in first place.
Cape Spear. This is it.
Right...
Thank you so much.
I'm nervous, Dad. I'm shaky.
I was just feeling so excited -
"Oh, my gosh. Are we first?" -
because we knew
we were ahead of you.
But then, when we opened
the book... It was joy.
...it was just pure joy
at seeing your names there.
Oh, yeah!
They won it!
Smashed it! Yes.
We were just so happy for you guys.
And that we'd actually just made it.
Come on, last-lap lick. Let's go.
Mental callouses, yeah?
Dad, you're distracting me.
When we opened that book,
I didn't even see who...
I just saw a scribble there first.
So, I'm like... "Bloody third."
Yeah, I was just, like, upset.
Upset.
Ohhh!
How the France...?!
I think not winning
really jarred me.
And I think it's only after the time
when you kind of, like, come away
from the upsetness and you think
about what we had done...
...it's just like, "Wow,
you know what? That was epic.”
Well, we're either
first, second or third. Yeah.
Running up to that book,
ohhh, it's just...
Wow. I was shaking.
And we put our hands on the book,
and I think I said to you,
"It doesn't matter where we come."
Yeah. Our whole objective was to
finish. And have an amazing time.
And we did. So when we turned
the book over... Oh, God!
OK.
Ready?
I still can't believe
that we came in first.
Oh, my God.
Oh, my God!
It was full-on, and we all done that
for two months. Hardcore.
We survived. I don't think
anyone thought we'd survive,
let's be honest. And I think
that's amazing in itself,
that we didn't kill each other.
Close.
An exciting adventure.
Scary, but full of moments of joy.
We think the best team won, so...
That's so kind of you.
You've made me cry!
I think this race was the most
amazing, most physical, most mental
challenge that I've ever done.
But I would do it again.
We won!
whoo!
This is a real Newfoundland codfish.
You're going to be called
honorary Newfoundlanders.
That was a side kiss!
Come on, Trish! What are you doing?
It's coming!
Well done!
To everybody who's got us here.
Well done! And to the missing.
- Cheers!