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00:25It's got a mix of different styles of architecture.
00:30It's a very beautiful city.
00:31What a lot of you to tell us, Mark.
00:33I've never been here, but, you know.
00:37Halfway into the 12,000-kilometre race to Mongolia...
00:41Wow, what a place. Look at that.
00:42God, it's stunning.
00:44Oh, I love it. That's where we ran.
00:46Yeah. I know, yeah.
00:48All four teams gather in Georgia's capital.
00:53Despite all the buildings being so old, it's a very young city.
00:56It's such a street vibe to it, isn't it?
00:58There's a sculpture or something, isn't there?
01:01Oh, yeah, what is that?
01:02In the heart of Tbilisi, the Tamada, or Toastmaster.
01:07Is he singing a song or is he having a drink?
01:09Are you enjoying that? Tasty.
01:11A symbol of hospitality for nearly 3,000 years,
01:15embodying the Georgian belief that every guest is a gift from God.
01:19Hello. Hello, everybody.
01:22Fancy meeting you all here.
01:24Beautiful. Imagine.
01:26Such an amazing place for halfway line.
01:28Yeah. Yeah, yeah.
01:29It's such a milestone.
01:31I have no clue what to expect in the next couple of countries.
01:34No idea.
01:34The map is pretty empty.
01:37The teams are entering a new phase of the race.
01:40As they prepare to cross a changing landscape,
01:43the leaderboard also shifts.
01:45Mark and Margo have leapt into the lead,
01:48while Katie and Harrison trail by nearly 20 hours.
01:51We've dropped from first fourth quite dramatically.
01:56Oh, bottom's terrible.
01:58Like, we had great experiences last time,
02:00but I want to make up time.
02:01I think it is just about finding that balance
02:03between race and experience.
02:05We clearly haven't found experience in one or the other.
02:08We've proved we can win a leg.
02:10Actually, we've stumbled into winning a leg,
02:12but we've gone up and up and up the leaderboard.
02:15Trying to stay at the top now?
02:16Yes!
02:16Yeah.
02:18Due to the land borders being closed
02:20between Georgia and Azerbaijan,
02:22it is not possible for the race to continue over land.
02:25You must fly to Akhtau, Kazakhstan.
02:28Wow!
02:29Yeah.
02:30Kazakhstan.
02:31That's a big one on the map.
02:33It's huge.
02:34Oh, my God.
02:35That's going to be amazing.
02:37What's there?
02:38Vast open spaces and grasses everywhere, no trees.
02:43Jeepers.
02:45I'm quite apprehensive.
02:46I know a little bit about the stands,
02:49but Kazakhstan, I've got no idea at all.
02:52It's going to be a wild ride,
02:53and we're up for a wild ride.
02:54We didn't sign up for things just to be regular, safe.
02:58I can't believe I'm going to Kazakhstan.
02:59It just feels mental.
03:01I don't know what to expect.
03:03I literally couldn't tell you.
03:04I don't know what these countries are like for English,
03:06but I can't imagine that you're going to rock up and go like,
03:08You all right, bro?
03:09Do you know what I mean?
03:11It very much feels like the unknown now.
03:23You're right.
03:24I'm not a huge tutti.
03:25You our understanding of this problem with the physicists look worthy,
03:43well I'm gonna need my sunglasses here look at that oh let's get out into
03:48Kazakhstan welcome to Kazakhstan here we are after their flight from Georgia the
03:55four teams have touched down in Akhtar
04:03set between desert and sea a Soviet-era city engineered solely for industry this
04:11is the gateway to Kazakhstan the world's largest landlocked country one of vast
04:19horizons and challenging landscapes that have shaped a culture of both endurance
04:25and generosity it looks good here though look at that see just for miles I've been
04:34a prairie race leaders Mark and Margo are the first to depart your fifth
04:39checkpoint is Zamin National Park oh that'll be glorious
04:46Zamin Uzbekistan well found Margo a journey of around 2,200 kilometers into the
04:55soaring peaks of Zamin National Park part of the Turkestan mountain range and
05:03nicknamed the Uzbek Switzerland it's alpine meadows and hidden valleys shelter
05:08rare birds links and Siberian ibex home to some of Central Asia's most dramatic
05:15scenery a contrast to the arid plains that lead here whoa the route's gonna be wild
05:22getting there I think I think so I mean you could go around this way via
05:26Kazakhstan that is considerably longer I think the best way to go to Uzbekistan
05:30go through Uzbekistan yeah that's the most direct route isn't it for their longest leg yet the teams
05:37must choose between two countries they can make an early crossing into Uzbekistan following ancient
05:44Silk Road routes through bustling cities shorter in distance but transport may be less reliable or they
05:52can stay in Kazakhstan tracking Northeast across remote lands dotted with Soviet era settlements all
06:00connected by a 16,000 kilometer railway network that offers slower but steadier travel we've only
06:08just got to Kazakhstan I'd like to see more I think it's gonna be very much like this you know
06:13quite boring visually hmm Kazakhstan sounds a bit like more crazy and wild like the wild west hmm Mark
06:21has had a lot of choices so far I've enjoyed the things we've done but we've made decisions that
06:25were right for him but as races continues I've realized that I have to have my turn of choosing
06:30things so let's have a little look in the directory see what jobs are on offer okay yes yes look
06:34at
06:35this mark look at that one the horse farm near Turkestan I love horses you do yeah do you hmm
06:42I'm not too
06:42keen on horses but I think Mongolian and Kazakhstan horses I think they're quite small stuff are they
06:47I might be okay with joyful horses yeah coming first I think we've got the chance to take risks even
06:54though it looks further to travel I feel it's going to be faster but I've got nothing to base it
06:59on it's
07:00a gamble yes okay let's gamble and go to Kazakhstan roll the dice yeah we want to get to train
07:05stations
07:06to keep the race on track the in-laws are planning a Kazakh adventure heading northeast from Akhtau city by
07:13rail
07:14oh sorry do you speak english the train station
07:16he will take me great yes yes yes oh thank you my name is Janice
07:26Genghis the man I'll go in the front with Genghis lovely
07:31hey hey welcome Kazakhstan
07:36hey hey
07:39look at this it is like the wild west mark look at this isn't it yeah
07:45train choo-choo choo-choo
07:48caspi sea mm-hmm
07:50caspi sea patom what's out no we want the station oh yeah I think you want to show us the
07:55caspian sea
07:56yes caspi sea I'm getting a bit of a tour here I'm not sure about this margot this is what
08:02we like
08:02adventure the adventure of a lifetime Kazakhstan 90 minutes behind there's a train route that goes
08:11straight through Kazakhstan I'm sick of buses joe and kush debate their options
08:17fingers though it's going to take longer than it's worth in my opinion
08:20Uzbekistan looks way shorter our number one priority is the race so I want to take the faster route regardless
08:27I can't lie it isn't wacky but I think overnight chain will be sick an amazing experience
08:32I want to do Kazakhstan
08:34Uzbekistan does look more efficient it does look quicker but I'm not thinking about efficiency
08:39I'm thinking about the experience
08:40uh is this traveling through Kazakhstan yes oh bro so from 8 30 am tomorrow we can get from
08:49Aktau to Kizlodra one day five hours oh wow okay 29 hour train we're going to cover so much
08:55distance by this one overnight let's go Kazakhstan clenching the argument for joe
09:01the best friends have found a cross-country train leaving in the morning taking them a hugely beneficial
09:071,400 kilometers deep into Kazakhstan 29 hour train is going to be boss we are super super stoked
09:15tomorrow we are covering more distance than the length of the uk that could be sick
09:27Kaspian sea wow Kaspian sea we're seeing the Kaspian sea right okay spanning an area the size of Japan
09:35the Kaspian sea isn't a sea at all but the world's largest lake gorgeous didn't think we'd get to see
09:41this did you no I didn't five nations share its vast shoreline Turkmenistan Azerbaijan Russia Iran and
09:52Kazakhstan oh this is beautiful
09:58I am liking Kazakhstan so far already get a sense of the pride they've got in their country
10:03Kaspian sea Kaspian sea yeah thank you without you we wouldn't have seen it station
10:10choo choo choo chicken chicken ticket yeah what's he telling you oh 6 30 oh dear we missed it
10:20so if we'd come straight out we could have yeah we might have done it yeah 8 30 tomorrow yes
10:26okay
10:28eyeing up the same long distance train as joe and kush it's gonna be a long hard journey i think
10:34for us
10:34just zip it man this journey is going to be a triumph they will also need to wait until morning
10:40losing their lead before they've left acta no matter what the consequences i'm glad we've done it
11:02welcome to kazakh thank you thank you my friend this is kushney hey look at these more 8 30 in
11:12act
11:12town i've just seen my home model did you yeah they're on the same dream
11:19that's mad we've um closed that gap looks like it's go time
11:25wow the efficiency leaving on time two teams set off on their long-haul train journey bound for
11:32the vastness of kazakhstan it's gonna be interesting isn't it i'll ask me that in 29 hours
11:39first carved over a century ago these russian and soviet tracks skirt the sparse usturd plateau
11:49outside some of the most remote terrain on earth inside the carriages are famed for their village-like
11:57community where the kazakh spirit can turn strangers into family
12:01community where they are and they are and they are and they are and they are and they are
12:06i have no clue what this game is don't know what it's called don't know how it works this guy
12:10just
12:10whips out the board and started pointing not a single word spoken yet
12:19oh oh yeah yeah yeah wait you can't i know yeah i'm probably getting battered right now i don't know
12:25what the score is but it is fun just like interacting with someone in a different way oh wait i
12:31think
12:31he's showing me oh my god he won second in the championship
12:38oh my god you're playing with a master job it's the strangest sausage i've ever seen yes isn't it
12:46very old sausage right you're gonna have to help me with that no no got to eat it keep your
12:52strength
12:52up i was a vegetarian for 20 years i'm becoming a vegetarian again not on this trip you won't be
12:59blokes over there of having vodka with their breakfast do you think we should get some
13:03vodka without i am not having vodka with my breakfast no it must be a tradition a kazakhstan
13:07tradition mark oh let's have a vodka no no vodka first thing of all yeah i'm gonna ask if it's
13:13traditional okay okay you can see i'm gonna ask them about the culture what english no no no
13:20what is the name margot margot margot like my name's sultan sultan do you have vodka for breakfast
13:29is this usual this is a good tradition oh mark's having a great time yes hypnotize give me your vodka
13:52i give me your vodka mark you don't want to come around and join us no no i'm happy here
13:59oh sorry
13:59sorry sorry sorry is that all i don't drink vodka at all really it's not my drink he wants to
14:05marry me
14:05does he no no no no no no no you're a very naughty boy i'm on trend joe's actually i
14:11like to look out
14:11the window and see the landscape as two teams advance further into kazakhstan look at that look
14:27that is just unreal as far as the eye can see nothing it sounds silly but like you can see
14:33why
14:33people think the earth is flat third to get going andrew and molly set out their plan i really want
14:42to do a city i love the idea of being around people in culture yubekistan is synonymous with
14:49the original silk road some of the most beautiful cities in the world i think that could be dead fun
14:55it'll be fun opting for a route east through uzbekistan the pair set their sights on an ancient
15:03city kiva you all right yeah okay where's the train we're trying to go to uzbekistan through
15:15benu you know yes no no no determined to reach uzbekistan today they must first make the five-hour
15:25trip to benu aiming for an evening connection across the border how much to go to benu now i think
15:33we missed a train to benu where we know we would have got a connection to uzbekistan so we're kind
15:39of racing the clock a bit because i really want to go to kiva city 50. molly yes guys willing
15:47to take
15:48us for 50 dollars yes all right to benu and we'll be there for four o'clock she's happy great
15:53i think we
15:54take it okay go go go go are you happy with us yeah yeah yeah yeah we need to get
16:01there
16:05no no no no no well then grand we get the train no how much i don't want to know
16:13i really haven't
16:15clue what to get on yeah we had agreed 50 dollars and then his mates obviously got around them and
16:19decided that that wasn't the money to pay i don't want 100 i want 70. but molly's currently in
16:28negotiations with about 20 men that's okay yeah then goodbye goodbye you all right molly there yeah
16:33she's holding her own so uh but we just have to wait and see yeah 70. daddy he endured for
16:4170. well done
16:42that was good
16:45right go stressful it means we get the connection tonight which is the main thing when's the last
16:52time you ever had something like that i've never had that before never jesus molly well done kid
16:57with andrew and molly finally on their way to benu oh by the way we're still in europe we're not
17:04in
17:04europe we're in asia harrison kazakhstan playing the euro qualifiers katie and harrison waste no time
17:10in doing the same i don't do continents i do football confederations we're going through azbekistan rather
17:17than over the top through kazakhstan immediately it looks like the direct route
17:25chasing the same train as andrew and molly they look to move quickly across azbekistan
17:31we are 20 hours behind first last leg we maxed out on experience but it did feel like we threw
17:37away
17:38three lengths worth of hard work i just don't want to sign in last again we're racing a lot more
17:44than
17:44the last leg but it is about balance whilst we're in these places we're going to try and experience as
17:50much as possible oh there's camels oh my god there's just camels in the middle of the world this is
17:57gonna be cool right let's go bye bye
18:07what time 48 and it goes to knuckles okay yes knuckles time tickets secured
18:14hello just like the front runners the bottom two teams are now neck and neck happy days are you
18:24getting this one as well yeah yeah yeah yeah that's all sorted right let's get on the train
18:33there is a race back on it's nice to know that we've caught with someone already i'm sure they're not
18:38happy to be with us because it means they've lost their lead on us there's no other train we could
18:43have got so we've got what we needed to do i'm not worried about who i can see yeah worried
18:47about
18:48who i can't see exactly and if people are around us that means we're in the game
18:53if you'll have some bread i will have some of them i say a bit like jesus bread and water
18:57isn't it
19:00i am starving got no water no food but what we've been doing here is eat when you can because
19:07you
19:07don't know when you're going to eat next the problem is it's not that hard to find food so every
19:12time i eat i've been eating like i'm not going to eat next 48 hours but realistically it's the next
19:18four to eight hours
19:36don't drink the water thanks not exactly the orient express
20:12as the 29-hour train pulls two teams further across kazakhstan
20:18their rival two teams have made it to uzbekistan got a train ticket sorted for tomorrow morning out
20:25of nokos i'm very much looking forward to getting to explore uzbekistan a bit
20:30a nation now dominated by youth with 60 of its citizens under 30
20:36yet beneath that energy lies a history stretching back more than two millennia
20:40with some of central asia's oldest settlements
20:45how old is this cemetery then katie think of old and then think like even older than that
20:52just outside nukas one of those ancient sites still remains
20:57mr khan a sacred necropolis in use for 22 centuries as a burial ground for local communities
21:05profits and royalty we're getting into someone's grave it's kind of creepy on what the wow
21:15even the brickwork on it it's just you've got hundreds of different types of bricks in it and
21:19then been put together to create a pattern yeah it must have been such a fast
21:24i really want one will you build a building for me when i die must be jerky
21:32it's just cool to go somewhere that's so untravelled part of world i never thought i'd go to
21:37i know we're obviously racing this leg to try and get out of fourth place but
21:41been nice to stop for a second isn't it like to get an appreciation of of what uzbekistan's about
21:48yeah thousands of years i've always stood some of them date back to 400 bc
21:53and the dinosaurs around oh my god are you serious
22:00where's the ticket office sorry on the other side of town at nukas station
22:07sorry do you really buy a ticket ticket andrew and molly have their own plans to explore uzbekistan
22:14i am especially looking forward to kiva city we'd love to see the culture rather than going
22:21into nature just more daddy things but yeah that'd be lovely actually we're looking to get to kiva
22:27city when is the next train about five a.m every day all right thank thank you thank you right
22:33okay
22:33having missed another train we seem to keep getting stuck they search for alternative transport
22:41hello english english is there a bus to kiva bus no taxi taxi talk taxi i don't know what to
22:49do i don't
22:49know yeah sorry just let us stop i need to do something i want to enjoy today sorry just one
22:55sec i don't like having to pay for another taxi but i don't want to be stuck at a train
23:00station
23:01i really don't know what to do you can see it from the map the distances we're covering it's going
23:05to
23:05be a long leg a lot of travel i think you could get lost very very quickly in this leg
23:09i'm beginning
23:10to realize that molly has the ability to be confident but at times she doesn't have that inner
23:15self-belief um so my job is the reminder that there's a time to put the skates on okay sorry
23:26for being a bit indecisive i'm just overthinking probably we have to make a call yeah kiva city
23:35so do yes okay okay yes molly's kiva city dream has cost them another taxi ride
23:47good call yeah i think it's our call i don't know if it's a good one you all right i'm
23:52just kind of
23:54stream at least we should get there in a couple of hours and enjoy kiva yeah
24:00as father and daughter make the last 190 kilometer push to kiva two teams are still
24:06racing along the rails through kazakhstan's kizilorda region an open desert step where
24:13settlements are scarce and the horizon seems never-ending look at that a bit of flatland
24:19oh my god you see that it's a rock
24:24how do they survive on this landscape to start off with it was actually quite a variety of terrain
24:30but it's now just flattened out into a vast step i have not seen one tree since eight o'clock
24:37this
24:37morning wake me up if anything interesting happens i think you're pretty safe
24:50on the edge of the karakum desert lies kiva
24:57a gateway for silk road traders to rest and recover before facing the vast sands of central asia
25:04within it lies itchin cala a maze of narrow streets and blue tiled minarets enclosed by towering clay walls
25:13still perfectly preserved today oh look at this molly wow
25:20you okay just a bit fed up i just feel like we've taxied this whole yeah i know journey and
25:27you know andrew and molly's city stopover has cost more than a day and a half's race budget on taxis
25:34alone a modern reminder of just how remote this outpost is to reach kiva yep it's just lovely
25:42eventually got here but honestly very deflated very deflated kind of annoyed
25:53of course there's a lot of money to get here and we're gonna have to spend a lot of money
25:57to get
25:57out of here more than likely or we just sacrificed the race it's something i wanted to do and it's
26:08not
26:08worked out very well so a bit of guilt with that
26:16you all right i've been fed up sorry yeah do you wanna we go for a walk have have a
26:25bit of
26:25a bit of us time i'd love to go for a walk all right kid yeah okay yeah we'll have
26:30a walk
26:40look at it it's amazing it is crazy i don't really know why i'm upset i'm trying to prove
26:47myself that i'm independent but i really do overthink things i'm always kind of going oh
26:53could i've done that better could i've gotten it for cheaper where's the best place to see it molly
26:58up on the walls no oh wow that's beautiful
27:08i wish i could stand on my decisions with pride beautiful beautiful spot amazing but i'm scared
27:17of negatively affecting people and with this race it's daddy i don't want to disappoint him
27:24oh it's lovely actually i probably need to trust my god i know that is within my power
27:31so i think this is what i need to do from now on in it is beautiful happy we did
27:38it good call
27:39all right molly but you think it's fascinating i always find is that like the sun goes down and it
27:46always goes back up again i know yeah no matter what your day is like at least it'll come up
27:50tomorrow
27:50yeah that's the thing i think that's what we need to think about it's kind of a nice round off
28:05the noise oh look at that color beautiful it is lovely isn't it in kazakhstan after more than a
28:13day's travel this is kizilorda yo joe is this us joe oh joe and kush and mark and margot alight
28:23in kizilorda more than halfway to the checkpoint we need a hotel should you try and find our fella
28:31see if he's here to bed in with kazakh culture bigzat my name bigzat kush lovely to meet you my
28:39friend
28:39joe and kush have arranged a homestay with local businessman bigzat and his family
28:45you've got a very nice face welcome to thank you my house this is my family
28:53this is my father my mother in kazakh tradition the national dish of beshbermak is served on special
29:05occasions it's sharing platter a symbol of unity and hospitality
29:24it's so good it tastes amazing
29:31me basketball and kush thai boxing
29:44my father he fight muay thai me my father my biological dad passed away when i was one
29:54my mom was along with me and my older brother and she met my dad slash stepdad matt he was
30:01a fighter
30:02he's coached me and my brother for as long as i can remember muay thai thai boxing
30:08as a kid i remember doing pads in the garden that's a big one he'd do round the pads with
30:13us
30:14and then make us do press-ups while the other one does the pads even though we're not blood he
30:20never
30:20once shied away from treating me as his own so growing up with him as someone strong to look up
30:29to
30:29you it means the world your medals
30:37bro what are you saying champion number one champion
30:44there's a language barrier but i can sort of relate to the journey that they've grown up with
30:49watching their dad and being inspired to then pursue the same passion hey you've done this you
30:56know muay thai i think this guy's got a lovely family it's so lovely all of it's so sweet
31:00oh my god
31:06in uzbekistan taxi taxi train station train english
31:25okay thank you no time to mess around with half-assed train noises we're in a race
31:33having spent the night in nukas katie and harrison are bound 550 kilometers southeast to the medieval city
31:41bukhara gonna get traveling all day you can't really ask for much more
31:47to the south in kiva train to bukhara andrew and molly have the same idea two is that the earliest
31:54there's no earlier one yeah molly the earliest is two it's half ten now and it's going to be a
32:01long
32:01wait the taxis how much yeah it's 50 quid it's going to cost several the money to get the taxi
32:07this leg
32:08we've taxied a lot i think i'd rather prioritize budget getting to bukhara so where trains best
32:15yeah that's a good call yeah i need two tickets to bukhara i'm feeling very good much better today
32:22the last couple of legs i've realized that being last hasn't been a hindrance paris and katie were
32:2710 hours behind us i'm sure they've got the same train of us out of here so i think really
32:32in the next coming legs it's not gonna matter if we can just stay in the game stay as close
32:37as
32:38possible appreciate it thanks very much there's no point one in the first couple you only want to
32:43win one so so we keep telling ourselves 560 kilometers away in southern kazakhstan
32:51you can see some of that soviet architecture isn't it two teams wake up in kizilorda
32:59in the 1920s it was the soviet capital owing to its strategic position on the tashkent railway line
33:06well workers unite look at that that's all the good that so good propaganda isn't it it's very strong
33:12and dramatic as mark and margot head out of the city to reach their homestay
33:18horses come on marco want to go to sleep
33:27so cool joe and kush have the opportunity to explore their host bekzat's dojo
33:39definitely a random experience during you though in the middle of kazakhstan
33:47of course has been starved from his muay thai it was nice to see him let off some steam
33:56come to this gym it means a lot to me it's more than just throwing and hitting and fighting
34:02there's a lot of meaning behind it
34:06i think back to memories with my dad i found it sick to do what your dad does
34:12being in the gym i wonder what he'd be thinking the beast standing on the side
34:16with like a particular sort of smirk on his face watching me do judo throws
34:26i remember the day he passed it was locked down and it was it was a real big shock
34:33he had really poor mental health and he took his own life
34:41you never sort of forget that that shock factor
34:50i still think about him all the time being on this journey it's brought me little moments of
34:57of ah be boss to tell him
35:01and i wish i really wish i could um sort of show him who i am now because when you're
35:0714 it's like
35:09i didn't know who i was and i was still a child
35:13and i made a lot like i made a lot of mistakes when i was younger
35:16and i feel like if i could sort of show what i've learned
35:32and i was like
35:33losing kush's dad it was so sudden
35:36i think experiencing them hardships like so unexpectedly it has affected kush's personality
35:46he wants to stay in control of himself you know he doesn't he's never drank he's never got
35:51drunken before doesn't smoke doesn't do anything without checking safety twice
35:59because it was such a shock i guess he doesn't want anything like that to happen again
36:04thank you i'm very grateful we're doing the race together
36:11like we can literally go to each other for anything we just need to get to turkstan hopefully we can
36:16go
36:16some work keeping the budget healthy i'm always there for kush and i know he's always there for me as
36:23well who's turkistan oh perfect thank you goodbye check the jobs directory there's a job seven food at this
36:37quasi that looks sick that would be boss as joe and kush push on south in search of work
36:47across the border in uzbekistan it's tight now i don't know how you're going to do this boy
36:51andrew and molly are finally on their seven-hour train journey to bukhara
37:00batman's on top
37:04heading the same way how is it this is scary but kind of cool this is what i've been wanting
37:10to do with this whole time katie and harrison i feel like this is an out-of-body experience
37:17looking at a desert outside of a sleeper train yeah i just never thought i'd be here really pleased
37:23with how we're racing so far we spent a good day in knuckers but then got out there as soon
37:28as we
37:28reasonably could and now we're nine hours on the move to bakara he couldn't ask for much more really
37:35uh
37:36harrison nice to meet you uh katey where are you from where did you come from uzbekistan we're from uh
37:48manchester manchester united
37:54kuzanov ah manchester city yes it was beckerson the center back
37:58must be quite good yeah he's good yeah if you said to me five years ago that you'd be traveling
38:05across the world and seeing these places i wouldn't have believed you i'm obviously a world away from
38:10home but i don't feel it before the race i certainly wouldn't be going up to speaking to people but
38:18i think
38:18it's become a second nature now it is very lovely to meet you two you have been very kind it's
38:24the bit
38:24that i kind of dread but it's always the experience i get the most out of and i'll come away
38:29thinking
38:29just how wonderful everyone is this is a gift from me to you it is very precious to me because
38:35it's my
38:35first achievement in knuckers oh no no no no you sure uh-huh uh-huh it's a medal ah half
38:45marathon
38:45marathon ah uh running i have run a half marathon two in manchester i can send you my medal if
38:53you
38:54would like it my name is faisal love fazolo my name is harrison
39:01we are friends hello they're lovely aren't they beautiful would you like to get on one ride not
39:14particularly in kentau just outside the city of turkistan mark and margot have made it to the horse farm
39:24run by cool arnish and his family okay one job you've got to do is shovel shit this is very
39:35ripe
39:37mucking in in exchange for bed and board give me a wheelbarrow i'm fine absolutely fine
39:45i love wheelbarrows essential to survival horses have long sustained life on the step
39:51as transport the source of kumas are fermented mare's milk and as a vital food source mum loves
39:59horses that's how my granddad loved horses oh god your granddad was a my great great granddad was a
40:05horse trader yes yes so what will we do with the horses what oh they're meat meat you eat these
40:15oh lord
40:18my dream has turned into a nightmare good taste of reality isn't it
40:25when i thought about the kazakh horses i just thought of them running wild excitedly over the
40:30fields or something are we all right i didn't really associate it with the reality of
40:38it's a major food source and that is reality of the way of life but i want to be open
40:43-minded
40:43but sometimes my mind just um doesn't want to go there poor fella i'm not as squeamish as
40:52margot is of course it's human life isn't it we eat animals light's gone hasn't it now right let's go
41:02i'm here am i i'm the head of the table there we go to welcome their guests the family has
41:08prepared a
41:09traditional meal it's like a banquet i feel like a king margot oh gosh oh thank you very much
41:21look at that that goat ram's head ram's head for guests of honor
41:30wow look at that oh lord what is this it might feel impolite not to accept it okay i'll try
41:44a bit
41:44of that okay do something do you like it it tastes of succulent lamb yes i'm enjoying this route i
41:55am
41:55enjoying it but it's not been everything i'd hoped for it was a bit of a surprise really i don't
42:02know
42:02why i think my fairy tale thinking got me into another fine mess and what's that i don't know it's
42:11meat mark this is why i brought you on the race i'm taking one for the team hi hello hello
42:19they are all
42:20happy to see you in our home oh she gave me such a hug she gave me a hug thank
42:26you thank you a wonderful
42:31family it's been a real joy meeting them just raised my spirits we have gifts for you oh my goodness
42:41oh my god someone like i would imagine people from the ex-soviet union to be yeah
42:53you'll see images in the west of them being very dour and grumpy this is not the case here
43:01these are vibrant exciting lovely people with big hearts this is my wife this is julia the brochure
43:11that i carry with me the celebration of julia's life so beautiful she is beautiful she's very very
43:16beautiful really is an eye-opener of how we should like to treat fellow humans amazing the kazakh way
43:23oh your treasures absolute treasures thank you thank you very much thank you night night night
43:30isn't that lovely that was an incredible night it was not what i expected for a while there back at
43:37the farm i was like i know you were very down weren't you about i was i was yeah but
43:43they've opened
43:44their hearts and home to us absolutely you could feel it it was so genuine wasn't it this homestay
43:49it hasn't been about horses it's been about humans you know families yeah in communities and that's what's
43:53been so wonderful about it absolutely 40 kilometers south in the center of turkistan
44:04getting ourselves dressed up for the first time in a long time i like a smart casual fit you know
44:10what i mean joe and kush are bolstering their funds with a shift at a luxury events venue
44:16i wonder what celebration is for today's celebration is called a circumcision party sick
44:29the kazakh tradition of sundet toy
44:34a celebration of every boy's journey towards manhood how these gifts lavish for this is a
44:42really big deal and an opportunity for families to display their wealth by spending big on lavish
44:48banquets and entertainers i've never been anywhere like this my team was in a church it was quiet it
44:55was family and friends and these guys they're getting handed wads of cash
45:10oh my god there's an eagle wow look at that imagine getting an eagle in your party room that would
45:16be lit
45:16oh nice to meet you nice good nice good yes it's nice to meet you yeah i am so beautiful
45:25thank you i love the outfits okay thank you
45:31we will watch okay bye bye bye your eyes are so beautiful give me one minute
45:46this job has been lively shall i say we wanted that randomness we wanted to experience new things i think
45:54this has ticked both of them boxes i don't know i was just blown away that this type of thing
46:00is
46:00happening around the world like yeah it was a celebration of these two lads getting a circumcision but
46:07i feel like it was it uplifted everyone in that moment
46:10we're like yeah yeah yeah
46:13what do you say i said confine me after you've finished dancing sick
46:18steady confidence this is the best job oh my god it's mine and joe's calling you know what i mean
46:25we've been talking to everyone everyone's so nice it's really made me so thankful that i listened to joe and
46:31we decided to go through kazakhstan i mean it's such a beautiful country it's got so much heart and
46:36trying to learn to enjoy the moment a lot more trying not to think so much about the future or
46:40the past
46:40you just you just got to take it all in your stride and enjoy it as much as you can
46:43and today's been
46:44so enjoyable low key though have you seen the mother she's fine
47:04oh harrison you look bonita orange is your color having arrived last night do you want to get moving we've
47:15been racing pretty hard this leg we do have time we can go and have a wander around katie and
47:20harrison
47:21are exploring bukhara another key stop on the silk road it was a center for islamic theology unlike the
47:31stillness of kiva it reminds a city where ancient madrasas centers of higher learning set alongside a
47:38modern working city stunning mosque incredible isn't it at its center the 500 year old kalyan mosque
47:47so have you got a scarf
47:53incredible what a bit of craftsmanship you don't see that on a new build in manchester
47:58the year it's grand arches and geometric detail designed to evoke a sense of harmony and balance
48:07katie you stand right in the middle the symmetry of that maybe that's why you like it so much here
48:14because everything is symmetrical it is so we're gonna get some food yeah i'm starving
48:25it's a little bit of luxury isn't it very peaceful i wouldn't have done this a few years ago yeah
48:31you
48:32you used to be really boring so it's just good that you're not letting yourself miss out on these types
48:37of experiences really boring is a bit harsh you're quite boring without the race i wouldn't have allowed
48:45myself to go traveling to see these things in person it's not in the plan i set out for myself
48:50at 17 18
48:52years old my priorities in life have been to save money get on the property ladder as soon as i
48:59can
48:59if that's all sorted then i think it takes away a lot of the worries and stresses that i saw
49:03our family grew up with we're good we struggled a little bit financially there was a lot of moving
49:10i think i've lived in maybe 14 different houses i've loaned money to my family from the age of 16
49:17since i started working kind of like the bank of harrison rather than bank of mum and dad
49:24the stresses of financially not always having enough that's what shaped me to be so financially
49:31motivated and secure but i think my mindset on that is definitely starting to shift my bill here
49:37so as much as you thought wow service charge what service charge well it was very good service to be
49:46fair it was right well the tourist information center over there get taxes there to zamen yeah
49:54poised just 430 kilometers from zamen sorry do you have any english the two teams in bukhara set about
50:02securing onward transport we are trying to get to zamen national park to strike out towards the
50:11checkpoint do i mean how much 100 dollars no we are on small budget is there a no problem we
50:21don't
50:21care about good car we have cheap with now finish low low low no finish okay give me one minute
50:30okay thank you
50:32it's a killer on the budget but we are last we need to catch up if you're happy with spending
50:39it then
50:40that's fine yeah we go to zamen yeah okay it's very clean glass to be fair oh god it's gorgeous
50:49in here
50:50as katie and harrison as well as andrew and molly plot a route east through uzbekistan
50:56the priority for today is across the board into uzbekistan the two teams in kazakhstan are ready
51:02to approach from the north i feel like tax is quickest for sure i think we should just try and
51:08flag one down here once across the border it's a final push to zamen as the roots converge and the
51:15pack
51:15comes together we're going to uzbekistan fasten your seat belt we'll be in checkpoint in no time
51:25wrong way bro he's taken a wrong turn he's been told to make a u-turn but he keeps thinking
51:30and he's
51:30smart it is uzbekistan this way he doesn't know he's gone oh my days presume he knows that there's
51:49it should be fine we'll get there don't stress
52:02high in the mountains on uzbekistan's eastern edge the fifth checkpoint
52:13it's very dramatic isn't it you like a national park don't you know i do
52:17sort of uzbekistan version of wales poised and ready to go the national park opens and the teams
52:25embark on the final push by taxi this is the bit that i love but it also stressed me out
52:31i can't wait to get going get me out of this taxi and ready to run within the zamen mountains
52:37the sofa plateau known for its distinct flat high plains and cool thin mountain air thank you thank you
52:49finally amphitheater and the way for other instructions amphitheater
52:57uh no idea where it could be amphitheater is a man-made amphitheater over there look
53:10looks to be that up there yeah that's in the opera house kind of thing salmon amphitheater standing nearly
53:162 500 meters above sea level it's a walk for us it's right up here yeah it's right here okay
53:27just a
53:28suck my legs are wobbly the altitude has just killed me keep going doing well don't go too fast
53:37i did take my inhaler i'm working very slowly i might have another go with the inhaler i'm in now
53:43physical state to run do you want some water no i'm okay with water with your heart's pounding but we're
53:49all right altitude running is not what i'm meant to do oh almost there seating stage yeah amphitheater
54:14i love an echo yes there's a cable car cable car oh wait that is a cable car oh it's
54:22over there
54:23i can see it i can see the lines down yeah cable car looks to be here i think we're
54:28getting the wrong
54:29way margo if it's far to go i'm just gonna have to have a rest you're getting fit of all
54:34the cute
54:34people come on two people 140 000 thank you thank you get on get on get on oh my god
54:56oh look at this this is crazy jesus oh my oh my god
55:03polly we're going vertical oh my god my view is insane this is sick so nice to see a hill
55:18where do you think the other teams are imagine if they're just in the cable car behind this
55:23that'd be hilarious that'd be so good all my beers wow
55:30oh right find the checkpoint hotel and sign in hotel oh hotel was this hotel is
55:43a little bit vague isn't it looks like a hotel no let's try it i have no idea if that's
55:53the checkpoint
55:53hotel yeah it looks nice
56:00first option better be it
56:07i don't see a book
56:11i think it's wrong hotel
56:14welcome to zamindor resort please sign in 33
56:20oh what the hell
56:22yes what we're back we're back we're back oh my god oh no no
56:32i'm so happy to be back in first place i think transport lined up really quickly just try go the
56:38direct way through and it works confidence restored that we uh now to race
56:50oh no what that is so impressive
56:57the fact harrison and katie got here before us does kind of show that azbekistan was the quicker route
57:04but i'm still not regretting going through kazakhstan we have had the best experiences
57:09hopefully we're going to stay consistent near the top and then on the last leg
57:12do that little sprint to the end
57:19third time being third but very pleased about it thought we were not going to do as well as what
57:24we did hello molly that was a tough week that was very that was a tough weekend pure utter
57:30relief journey two to kiva kind of nearly broke us i really struggled this leg and i'm so pleased
57:35everything worked yeah that's the entrance just there up on top yeah i'm not walking any further
57:42till you're certain we've got it just going up a fire escape come on up margot good evening
57:48please sign in yes before yeah well look at that katie and harrison are back in the lead again
57:55katie and harrison have had it a lot of times move over let someone share the throne
58:00boring boring we've been fought before we were four three two one we're going forward
58:05we're choosing better routes no more side quests no more side horses let's do it
58:15margot the car coming
58:19let's go yes let's go this leg i'm letting monica go over your daughter she did so great job
58:26mark and i have fourth and we have got to race this could be a white knuckle ride oh i'm
58:32so stressed
58:32i hate to see you in such a negative space we just can't give up oh my god i'm on
58:39a horse
58:40in kyrgyzstan this isn't real i feel like i'm in a painting
58:48what are you doing
58:50details of organizations offering information and support with bereavement or feelings of despair
58:59are available at bbc.co.uk action line
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