a couple of times but only really got into running when I became a presenter on London Marathon in April 2025, is no stranger to extreme challenges. Among other adventures, she has kayaked the Amazon River and walked a 66m-high tightrope – and, in 2009, she became only the second-ever woman to complete the 78-mile Namibia Ultramarathon as part of a Blue Peter challenge.
Here, Skelton explains why her children see her as a running superhero, even though she believes that she is not a ‘natural’ runner.
When I was at school, I didn’t enjoy running...
I wasn’t very good. As I got older, I had an on-off relationship with running. I did the A runner’s guide to ultramarathon training How to run a 5-minute mile Blue Peter Alsu Kurmasheva: Behind Bars, running was freedom.
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Running was something that I could do on my own...
I didn’t know London very well, or anyone there. I’d just started working in TV and my irregular schedule meant that I couldn’t do typical exercise classes. And the thing is, when you work in TV, you go to all these random places without seeing much of them. So, running gave me a chance to just get out and explore.
When I was on Blue Peter, my job was literally to excite kids about the world...
The whole point of the show is to tell kids that they can do anything, so it felt wrong not to make the most of the opportunity and do something mad. Even though I hadn’t even run a marathon by this point, I just stupidly said, ‘Why don’t I do a 78-mile ultramarathon in Namibia?’
Ignorance is bliss...
I didn’t know how hard the ultramarathon was going to be. In fact, I’m not exaggerating when I say that I could not run for 10 minutes when I signed up for the race. At the time, I remember running down my parents’ lane and thinking that my lungs were going to explode. My mum and dad would ask, ‘Are you sure this a good idea?’ Then, less than four months later, I completed the ultramarathon. I ran almost 80 miles in under 24 hours.
I prepared for the ultramarathon by running at every opportunity...
Whether I had 10 minutes or eight hours, I ran. I was working full time and used to run to and from everywhere in London. On the Sundays that I had off, I would run from my house in Kew right along to Richmond along the river, then turn around and run all the way back to Dulwich, often with friends.
I am not a natural runner and don’t find it as easy as people think...
I had no pace and was as slow as a snail – and that’s the thing that I really want to stress. I only got through the ultramarathon because I trained.
None of the other ultramarathon runners thought that I was going to finish the race...
That’s because I rocked up at camp the day before the ultramarathon wearing long hair extensions, a polka dot boob tube dress and a pair of wedge espadrilles. You wouldn’t get those opinions now, though, because there isn’t a one-size-fits-all runner.
Anyone can be a runner if they want to be...
When I did my ultramarathon, it seemed as though everybody wore Ronhill leggings and was as thin as a piece of string – but there is no certain ‘type’ of runner now. Today, if you go to parkrun or any of the mass participation events, you’ll see that there is no uniform runner ‘size’. I think that it’s brilliant.
You don’t want to be the person who tells a kid that there’s no tooth fairy...
All the way through my ultramarathon challenge, I was getting letters from kids saying, ‘I think you’re going to win!’ and ‘I think you’re amazing!’ – and you don’t want to let them down. You don’t take for granted that kids have made the effort to write a letter, get a stamp, put it in the post box and all of that. I was genuinely touched.
The ultramarathon itself felt really, really painful...
It was so hot and each time I put my feet on the ground, it felt like I was stepping on razor blades. It was also very intimidating. The other runners were discussing split times, whereas I didn’t even understand what they were talking about. But I suppose that was the good bit – while a lot of people were out there to race, I just wanted to try to finish.
Running has given me great health benefits...
These days, I run because it makes me feel good. I run with my littlest one [aged two] in the buggy and my boys [aged seven and nine] have hit the point where they think that it’s impressive and cool if I Five-minute activities that bring maximum results with them. When we’re at the park, I want my kids to kick the ball to me and want me to play. Running gives you that and my boys appreciate it.
I recently watched an Avengers film with my boys...
There’s a fierce female superhero in it who runs up a hill. I could have cried when my boys said, ‘Oh, that’s like you when you run, mum!’ That was one of the nicest things that they’ve said to me and is my motivation to run.
Helen Skelton is an ambassador backed by Kudos Run within GO Outdoors.
