'It's been brutal' – Olly Murs cycles through torrential rain and the pain of a lost toenail to raise money for Unicef

Singer, songwriter and presenter Olly Murs is nearing the end of his five-day, multi-stage Into The Unknown challenge, during which he is attempting to cycle, run and row 249 miles (400km) from Manchester to London to raise money for Soccer Aid, which directs funds to the children’s charity Unicef.

The Essex-born entertainer, began on Monday, mounting a Lapierre bike at Manchester United’s Old Trafford stadium, where Soccer Aid first kicked off two decades ago, before promptly crashing it. He then cycled south through Stockport. He got out of the saddle at Glossop and ran across the Kinder Scout plateau, scaling the Peak District highest point via the Doctor’s Gate path and finishing at the base of the Pennines.

"That was the hardest thing I’ve done pretty much all my life," he told the media after the first day. "And I’ve got to do that for another four days."

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Murs, who has had four operations on one of his knees, has no idea what he will face on each day of the challenge, with the route only being revealed each morning. “[He has] no clue when he’ll be scaling the steepest peaks, biking the most brutal uphill climbs or facing his long-held fear of deep water”, organisers said.

“I know what he’s going to go through and how hard this week is going to be," said comedian John Bishop, who accompanied Murs as he cycled through Manchester. “Doing the equivalent of 10 marathons over five days and not knowing what he’s doing each day, that’s going to be the thing.”

On Tuesday the pop star and presenter proceeded to pedal through the Derbyshire Peak District, tackling some decent ascents in the Hope Valley – across tough terrain that will feature large on stage two of the Tour de France Femmes Grand Départ next year. After a stiff climb from Wye Dale to the Tissington Trail, Murs hiked off-road into Ashbourne and then discovered he had to get over his fear of water while rowing along the Trent and Mersey Canal.

Much like the peloton in stage five of the Giro d'Italia, Murs had to cycle through torrential rain on Wednesday, during the longest day of his challenge, which started with an emergency procedure to remove a toenail, and featured a 100km ride through Lichfield and along an ancient Roman road, with a tough climb through Nuneaton. With a run to follow, and unexpected reroute due to a fire, he didn’t finish until just before midnight.

The Troublemaker singer celebrated his 42nd birthday while in the saddle during the fourth day of the challenge on Thursday, riding from Stoke Bruerne to Wolverton in Buckinghamshire (having already rowed 5km row along the Grand Union Canal from Nether Heyford to Stoke Bruerne in Northamptonshire).

"It's been brutal today," he admitted to the BBC afterwards. "My quad is so sore... I can't believe this is how I'm celebrating my 42nd birthday – something I'll never forget!"

Although the route remains a mystery to Murs until he’s eating his breakfast each day, one thing he does know is that the challenge will end at the London Stadium, home of West Ham United, later today (Friday 15 May). On Sunday 31 May, Murs will take part in a charity football match here, along with Soccer Aid co-founder Robbie Williams, actors Tom Hiddleston, Owen Cooper and Damson Idris, runner Usain Bolt and former professional players including Wayne Rooney, Jordi Alba and Jill Scott.

Before finding fame on The X Factor in 2009, when he finished as runner up but scored record deals on both sides of the Atlantic, Murs played football at a semi-professional level for Isthmian Division One North side Witham Town.

So far Murs has raised more than half a million pounds for Unicef through his efforts. You can get updates about his challenge and upcoming charity game, and donate money to Unicef, via the Soccer Aid page.