Spencer Matthews is just one day away from breaking the world record for the ‘most consecutive marathons run on sand’ amid his epic desert challenge.
The reality star, 36, has run 30 desert marathons in 30 days in Jordan during which he’s dined on a boiled goat’s head and lost a whopping 10 kilos.
Spencer has said he feels as though he is being guided gruelling journey by his late brother Michel telling The Mirror: ‘Every single morning I’ve said a prayer to Mike.’
Michael Matthews died while climbing Everest in 1999 when Spencer was just ten , becoming the youngest Brit to ever reach the summit aged 22.
He revealed how him and his team were eating 7,000 calories a day while running through the 40C desert, while also camping with no toilets or showers, which he branded hellish.
Spencer Matthews, 36, is just one day away from breaking the world record for the ‘most consecutive marathons run on sand’ amid his epic desert challenge
The reality star has run 30 desert marathons in 30 days in Jordan during which he’s dined on a boiled goat’s head and lost a whopping 10 kilos
Telling the publication: ‘We have been incredibly uncomfortable all of the time’.
Spencer, who is a recovering alcoholic, also explained how the challenge had helped him deal with the shame of addiction, which he has carried with him since getting sober in 2018.
‘I’ve come from a place that I was quite ashamed of and I think it’s fair to say I’ve never been more proud of myself than achieving this.’
Last week explained how he’d lost so much weight during an appearance on Heart FM saying: ‘I’ve lost over 10 kilos now. This is not how I would advise people to try and lose weight!
‘What we’re doing out here is quite extreme. Weight loss is certainly not really a point of this, but I’m burning over 7,000 calories a day, so to replace those calories is actually quite difficult in itself.
‘Obviously, we’re quite tired during the day, it’s very, very hot out here, so you’re just constantly expensing energy. And yeah, I mean, I’m a hungry boy, and I love my food – but 7,000 calories is quite rough on replace, so I am getting smaller!’
Spencer continued: ‘But, the body is a really amazing thing; it kind of adapts to where you are, what you’re doing, what your circumstances might be.
‘I think at this stage, having run 24 consecutive marathons, my body’s gone: ‘Christ, you might just carry on doing this!” So, it does just chuck off muscle. I came in much heavier on top, and I have lost most of my muscle, so there we go.’
Spencer has said he feels as though he is being guided gruelling journey by his late brother Michel saying: ‘Every single morning I’ve said a prayer to Mike.’
He revealed how him and his team were eating 7,000 calories a day while running through the 40C desert, while also camping with no toilets or showers, which he branded hellish
Michael Matthews died while climbing Everest in 1999 when Spencer was just ten, becoming the youngest Brit to ever reach the summit aged 22
Addressing the dangers of running through the desert, Spencer revealed: ‘I very nearly trod on a horned viper. I don’t want to over dramatize the situation, because of course nothing happened, but I didn’t see it.
‘I was running a tire track through the desert, and this thing is quite well camouflaged, and I accidentally ran over it.
‘The bloke behind me, Johnny, noticed it and stopped that there was a snake, and I turned around and looked at it.
‘It turns out this thing kills a camel in five minutes and can kill a human far faster than that. I just want to reiterate that it didn’t attack us or anything like that, so I’m not pretending it did.
‘But, we were right next to it, I was quite lucky not to tread on it. I did run over it, literally, bit I didn’t tread on it.
Last week explained how he’d lost so much weight during an appearance on Heart FM saying: ‘I’ve lost over 10 kilos now. This is not how I would advise people to try and lose weight!’
Addressing the dangers of running through the desert, Spencer revealed: ‘I very nearly trod on a horned viper. I don’t want to over dramatize the situation, because of course nothing happened, but I didn’t see it
‘There’s no anti-venom for horned vipers – and this is all cleated by our doctor – and the local Bedouins love to emphasise a bit of a story from time to time, so they were like: “If this thing bites you, you’re dead.”
Spencer is scheduled to finish his challenge on Tuesday – and his family will be there to meet him.
He as been supported along the way by his family, his friends, and, most recently, Russ Cook, better known as The Hardest Geezer.
If anyone knows what Spencer is going through, bar his running mates, it’s Russ, who, in April, became the first person to run the entire length of Africa.
With the run, the former Made In Chelsea star is also raising money for charity Global’s Make Some Noise.
Global’s Make Some Noise aims to change lives across the UK by helping people through bereavement, mental health struggles, illness and much more, ensuring nobody is left to face life’s toughest challenges alone.
You can donate on https://spencer-matthews-challenge.raiselysite.com.
Spencer, currently running in Jordan, is scheduled to finish his challenge on Tuesday – and his family will be there to meet him (all pictured in August)
