In 2009 Eddie Izzard completed 43 full length marathons throughout the UK in just 51 days, which literally insane. He’s currently in the middle of his huge stand-up comedy world tour, Force Majeure, at the moment, but somehow he’s also managed to fit in another 27 marathons over 27 days in Eddie Izzard’s Mandela Marathons, a new show for Sky 1 to commemorate the 27 years Nelson Mandela spent in jail.
The marathons take place under the heat of the South African sun as a runs a marathon for each of Mandela’s years in political incarceration between 1962 until his pardon in 1990. In addition to the massive feet of athletic endurance Eddie will also be telling the story surrounding Nelson Mandela’s life and prison sentence during the apartheid in South Africa that spanned from 1948 when the Nationalist Party came to power, until 1994 when Mandela was elected president in South Africa’s first fully represented and multiracial election.
Covering more than 700 miles, Eddie will be running across open grassland, as well as through the cities and towns that have a connection to Nelson Mandela and his life’s story. Eddie will also be taking time to talk to the people of South Africa to get their view on the contribution Mandela has made to the country and the lives of its people.
Starting out in the Eastern Cape, where the piece prize winner was born, Eddie will inevitably be surrounded by a team of medics and trainer to ensure he’s in tip top condition for his runs, as well as putting him through the agony of ice baths and blister clipping, which were a big part of Eddie’s first marathon challenge. There will then be a number of marathons in and around Cape Town, including one at Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela most of his 27 year prison sentence. Other key runs will include the bustling and notorious city of Johannesburg and the capital city, Pretoria, where Mandela was tried, convicted and sentenced to life in prison.
Eddie Izzard’s Mandela Marathons will be airing on Sky 1 HD from the 23rd May 2013. Though we already know that the 27 marathons took a setback when they were filmed last year, it’ll be interesting to see how Eddie deals with the emotion and pressure of trying to do something way beyond the comfort zone of normal athletic activity.
With Nelson Mandela closing in on his 94th birthday, having spent 27 of his years in prison and another 5 years as president, the South African marathon odyssey is a pretty cool tribute from the British comic.
