Sara Cox: 'There's so much good in the world'

Sara Cox can’t keep still. “It’s like, you know when you get back from a club, you’re at a mate’s house and you’re still dancing in the kitchen? I’m giving that vibe,” she says. 

But superstar DJ Cox, 50, isn’t hasn’t just returned from a night out. She’s still recovering from her recently completed epic 135-mile Great Northern Marathon Challenge, where she ran five marathons in five days, raising a staggering £11.5 million for Children in Need. You’d think she’d want a seat, but the constant shuffling stops her legs seizing up. 

“I’m just trying to keep stretching this left knee at the back,” she explains. “There’s a little pocket of fluid there, apparently. I know, it’s disgusting, I don’t want to put you off your elevenses. 

“I’m sore, but I’ll get there. It’s frustrating because it’s tiring being in pain. Obviously the bigger picture is that loads of kids have been helped with £11.5m from very generous people. That’s a definite comfort, for sure, when I’m aching and creaking and being grumpy. 

“You know, I grew up with celebrities fundraising,” she continues. “In the olden days, you just had to sit in a bath of beans. Things have changed now. Sending out a 50-year-old woman to run five marathons. It’s outrageous. Exclamation mark. That might not work in print.” 

She’s had a big year, and an especially big end to it. 

What has been your standout moment of 2025? 

To my dying day, I’ll never forget seeing two of my kids (my big one is abroad at uni) and my husband on the finish line, flanked by all my best mates. The relief and the joy and the jubilation that I finished just about in one piece will stay with me forever. 

What do you know about yourself now that you didn’t this time last year? 

Like a tube of toothpaste, there’s always a little something left that you can squeeze out when you need to. 

During the challenge did you come across people you’d be helping? 

I didn’t get their name because I was literally running past, but I remember on the first day there was a young lady by the side of the road who I think may have been 17-18. She was there with her parents. They were waving away and I went over for a selfie. The mum said she’s been helped loads over the years by different Children in Need projects. And this young girl gave me a hug and clung on to me. It was my first hug of the day and it was absolutely gorgeous. They were the people I was thinking about when I was hobbling along in the icy rain, crying, with a terrible fringe that the nation has now witnessed. 

Should it be up to radio DJs to have to run 135 miles to plug a gap in support that shouldn’t exist? 

In the build-up, I went to have my big toe looked at by a podiatrist. He mentioned a charity that had helped him when his daughter had been diagnosed with leukaemia when she was little. What he said really stuck with me: you don’t know those charities are there until you need them. You don’t even realise that there are all these incredible people working so hard. They change lives. And thank your lucky stars if you don’t need them and you’re not aware of them. 

How can the rest of us get a sense of achievement and put a little positivity out into the world without necessarily running a marathon a day? 

I like to think I’m community minded – my husband would perhaps phrase it as being a busybody, like me mother – so if somebody looks like they’re struggling or lost, I will always speak them. That might be slightly the northerner in me, but I do feel like even a smile or a good morning spreads a little kindness. They can give little pockets of warmth throughout people’s day. 

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Did you see Oasis? 

I did not see Oasis, no. Through laziness basically. I didn’t get around to trying to queue online for tickets. I tried a half-hearted blag, but I’m sure their plugger must have had tens of thousands of requests and I was quite happy just to see bits on socials. I would have loved to have gone, but I just didn’t get my ass into gear. 

Is your job at risk from AI? 

Hopefully AI won’t take my job. Though it’s incredible that you can just put a few words in and they can make a podcast, but hopefully not. 

What would your search history say about you this year? 

I did Google ‘how long to recover from a marathon?’ It said, expect a week. But because I bloody boshed out five slow ones… 

Are you more or less hopeful than at the start of 2025?  

I’m very half glass full anyway. With rolling news, it’s easy to get in a bit of a doom scroll and think we’re in a handcart to hell. But a week like [when she did the run] shows that there’s so much good in the world, especially when people might be struggling themselves. 

A lot of people’s new year’s resolution would be to take up running. Maybe you’ve ticked that box and want to move on? 

When I’m able to, I will definitely be going for maybe a 30-minute trot [her dog] Daisy my Flat-coat. Marathons aren’t for me. But I will keep running and I encourage people to as well. The endorphins. It’s free. Pop your trainers on, whack on a decent sports bra if needed and off you go. 

My little year 

Cox has a new show that taps into the revival trend of craft and tradition. The Marvellous Miniature Workshop sees historic locations or places with hugely significant personal meaning recreated through painstakingly detailed miniature models. It’s the perfect tonic in our fast-paced, disposable and digital age. 

“Some TV can be cynical and manipulative, but this is just beautiful,” Cox says. “We work with these incredibly skilled miniaturists, bringing back to life important buildings and structures. There’s a colliery, a school, a library, a little tenement flat, a hospital ward.  

“There’s a lot of emotion. We find out the stories behind the places. Often they’ve fallen into disrepair or they’ve been demolished altogether, but we bring them back to life with these incredible artists, the miniaturists, who are just so skilled and patient and dexterous. 

“I have to quote Sarah Millican on this, it’s like a cup of tea for the eyes.” 

The Marvellous Miniature Workshop is on BBC iPlayer. 

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