In an effort to raise money for BBC Children in Need, a series of marathons and ultramarathons will test the mettle of BBC Radio 2's Vernon Kay from Tuesday, November 14 to Friday, November 17.
Kay left for his challenge shortly after eight in the morning and has now travelled for four hours.
He has raised an incredible £66,512 for BBC Children in Need thus far.
What is Vernon Kay's challenge?
Kay, the host of Radio 2's mid-morning show, which airs Monday through Friday from 09:30 to noon, has been given the task of travelling four days straight from Leicester to Bolton using only his own two feet.
Vernon's daily itinerary, or his marching orders, are given by Zoe Ball every morning. Today, he has to travel almost 27 miles to get to Derby by this evening.
In total, he'll be travelling over 115 miles.
How far is an ultramarathon?
Any run longer than the distance of a regular marathon is considered an ultramarathon; this means that any run longer than 26.2 miles, or 42.195 kilometres, qualifies.
Typically, ultramarathon race distances begin at 50k, which is just 8k more than the marathon distance. Then, typical race distances increase to 50 miles, 100 km, and 100 miles.
Vernon clarified that he has been training by taking pit stops every seven miles, and he won't stop for longer than 25 minutes at a time because that's when the body enters a resting phase.
What is the route?
He is heading for Derby tonight and arriving at Bolton Wanderers Football Stadium on Friday. En route, he will make a couple of stops in Bolton.
Fans of Kay's can follow his progress on his tracker as he embarks on his ultramarathon.
The challenge will be streamed live on BBC Sounds and Radio 2, with additional coverage on the broadcaster's social media channels and in the form of video highlights.
Throughout the challenge, Kay's fellow Radio 2 hosts will provide the courageous celebrity with unwavering support on their own shows, as well as constant encouragement in the form of listener notes.
While taking on the challenge, Kay will also be live-broadcasting his own weekday morning show.
Many distinguished guests will accompany him on his tour to keep him going.
