Where are Race Across The World's winners now?
How did the Race Across The World stars spend the £20,000 prize money?
Race Across The World is gripping the nation as it returned to our screens.
This time, the stars have to race 15,000km from northernmost Japan to the finish line in Lombok, an Indonesian island paradise on a budget of £1,390. The journey will take them across several countries but Race Across The World fans were divided over the new rule change which saw them banned from another form of high-speed transport in Japan: bullet trains.
But what about the stars we fell in love with in the previous series? Where are the winners from the previous three series nowdays? And of course, the million dollar question: how did they spend their £20,000 winnings?
As the new series gets underway, cast your mind back to the past three series and we take a look at what has happened to previous Race winners...
Tony and Elaine Teasdale
Married couple Tony and Elaine Teasdale won the first series of Race Across The World after they crossed 21 countries from Greenwich, in London to the finishing point at the Marina Bay Sands hotel in Singapore the quickest. They were the oldest people in the race but they didn't let their age hold them back.
Fast forward to now, the couple have been spending their retirement on the "gap year" travelling the world they always wanted. They learned a tip or two from Race as they have since incorporated the show's "rough it" tactic too into their way of holidaying.
Since the show, the retired teachers have explored new places including: Antarctic, South America, New Zealand and South Africa.
He said: "We always said we would have a gap decade once we retired, and we're trying to do that. Because we had just nicely retired when we went on Race Across the World we hadn't really settled into any pattern."
He added: "Because of Race Across the World we rough it, we stay in youth hostels, we don't do it plush. If we go somewhere, we go for two or three months and indulge ourselves in the culture, which we couldn't really do when we were racing across the world.
"You can lose confidence the older you get, but because of our experience and realising how wonderful and generous people are, you feel as if you can go anywhere."
Emon and Jamiul
Uncle and nephew partnership Emon and Jamiul Choudhury won series two of the show by 20 seconds. It was a whirlwind adventure that unfolded over the 54-day challenge from Mexico City to Ushuaia in Argentina on a budget of £1,400.
Immediately the pair promised half of the £20,000 winnings to charities that look after children sleeping rough in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Having witnessed homelessness on their journey, they were determined to use their money to make a difference.
Emon told Wanderlust: "It was at that point in São Paulo, when we came across the street kids, that we both decided then that if we were to win, we would donate at least half the money to these kids. At the end of the day, we were on an amazing trip, and you can’t put a price on that. Even if the prize was a million pounds, it wouldn’t really matter, the experience we had was incredible.
"We just felt we needed to give something back to a place that had given us so much. It’s made us friends for life, it’s given us memories for life, incredible stories to tell and the best thing about it for me was, you know when you go on holiday and you come back from holiday at the end and you tell your friends about what you did?"
It was reported the pair gave £5,000 to another charitable cause, Emon's family orphanage in Bangladesh.
Tricia Sail and Cathie Rowe
Race Across The World's Tricia Sail and Cathie Rowe come out on top for series three after racing across Canada to the final checkpoint at St John’s, Newfoundland – winning over the audiences at home. Before losing her eyesight, Tricia – who had degenerative eye condition – was determined to do the show while only having 10% of her eyesight. Since then it has deteriorated further.
As the new series of Race is under way, the best friends plan to revisit Canada following their time on the show. They wrote on their joint Instagram: "Canada here we come! June 6th 2024, we will be revisiting Canada." The pals even plan to meet up with Dean and Teri-lynne, the kind-hearted couple who gave them a lift right at the very end of the show. They have set their hearts on "seeing some of the places" that they ran through.
Their adventures have continued after the cameras stopped rolling for Race Across The World. Tricia has walked The Inca Trail with Cathie and her husband. They've trekked the Great Wall of China. It's fitting they are heading back to Canada very soon.
