Here’s What These Former Race Across The World Finalists Did Next After Crossing The Finish Line

With Race Across The World having recently returned for its first ever celebrity series, fans of the BBC show are embarking on a whole new journey along with some famous faces and their travel companions. 

For many of those who took part in the epic challenge series before them, Race Across The World proved to be a life-changing experience, and the show has inspired a number of professional and personal changes for the contestants – not to mention a whole lot more travel, too. 

Here, we check in on all of the finalists from the previous three series of Race Across The World to find out what they did next…

Elaine and Tony – Series 1

Former PE teachers Elaine and Tony were the surprise winners of the first series, having originally been drafted in as replacement contestants when Kinda and Bindu were forced to withdraw before the first checkpoint. 

Having started off on the backfoot, the married couple were the first to arrive at the final checkpoint of the Marina Bay Sands in the London to Singapore race a full three hours ahead of runners up Darron and Alex. 

Since the show aired in 2019, Tony and Elaine have continued to make the most of retirement by travelling to see even more of the world, including New Zealand and Ushuaia in Argentina, which just happens to be the location of the season two finish line. 

They are also regularly seen on social media spending time with their seven grandchildren. 

After their series, Elaine and Tony told Metro that they’d spent some of their £20,000 prize money on their family, as well as buying two electric bikes. The couple also donated a chunk of their winnings to charity. 

Darron and Alex – Series 1

Father-and-son duo Darron and Alex had entered the race hoping to reconnect, and over the course of their 12,000 mile journey, viewers watched their relationship blossom. 

It seems certainly Darron has not lost his appetite for cheap travel, recently travelling across Bulgaria by train. He has also visited Lisbon, Copenhagen, Canada and Iceland since competing on the show. Darron also shares vlogs from his travels on his own YouTube page. 

Meanwhile, according to Alex’s LinkedIn page, he is now working as a Customer Advisor at EE. 

Natalie and Shameema – Series 1

Childhood pals Natalie and Shameema wound up in third place back in series one, and famously loaned a fourth-placed Josh and Felix cash to help them cross the finish line at the Marina Bay Sands when the boys ran out of money.

Shameema, who was recently divorced when she took part in the first series, is now working as a cognitive behavioural psychotherapist. 

Natalie has since relocated to Berlin, where she has been visited by her “sister” Shameema, who wrote in a post on Instagram of her second trip to Germany in 2022: “Since @raceacrosstheworld we have both made changes in our lives whilst being less afraid of the ‘what if’s’ and the unknown.”

Josh and Felix – Series 1

Josh and Felix were best mates as well as business partners, and were using the trip to help get their creative juices flowing on their next venture when they entered the first series. 

After finishing in last place on the final leg, they now co-own and run an arts venue in Cornwall, as well as a creative space in London.

Emon and Jamiul – Series 2

Uncle-and-nephew duo Emon and Jamiul got to know each other all over again on their race, after a family estrangement meant they hadn’t spent much time together in the years prior.

After their journey got off to a disastrous start when they wound up in fifth position at the first checkpoint, they turned things around to claim that series’ victory, crossing the finish line at Ushuaia in Argentina an astonishing 20 seconds ahead of runners up Jen and Rob.

After scooping the £20,000 prize fund, they decided to donate half the money to charity to help children living in poverty. 

In 2022, Emon won a regional Pride Of Britain Award after running a marathon while fasting for Ramadan, which raised £34,000 for an orphanage in Bangladesh that his father founded. He has since competed in a number of other fundraising runs.

Jamuil now works as an architect and has his own YouTube channel, where he has posted videos about travel, food and wrestling.

Dom and Lizzie – Series 2

Upon entering Race Across The World, siblings Dom and Lizzie said they were hoping to get back to a place of closeness they’d previously had in their childhood, and finished in third place in the second series after bonding as a team. 

Lizzie’s Instagram reveals she has capitalised on her love of travel and is now a Latin America Travel Designer, having previously also worked for a PR agency for influencers founded by former YouTuber Caspar Lee.

According to Yorkshire Live, Dom, meanwhile, works as an associate creative director at an eCommerce Growth Agency. 

Jo and Sam – Series 2

Mother-and-son Jo and Sam fell at the final hurdle back in series two after, despite qualifying for the final leg by reaching the checkpoint, their dangerously low funds meant they could not leave the hotel to finish the race.

In the reunion show at the end of the series, it was revealed that Jo’s cancer had returned. She later went into remission, but in March 2023, she tweeted that her lymphoma had come back again as she shared her thoughts on the new series with fans.

However, she and Sam have managed to enjoy more travelling together, with Jo revealing they’d visited Australia, and had returned to Mexico to “try and see some of the stuff they didn’t on the race”. She also said she was hoping to head to Vietnam and Cambodia after completing her treatment.  

Sam, meanwhile, is currently on a trip of his own around Australia. 

Jen and Rob – Series 2

Married couple Jen and Rob might not have won the second series of Race Across The World, but they were certainly two of the series’ most memorable characters, thanks to their bickering, Jen’s humorous meltdowns and her ever-present hun bun. 

Since returning to the UK, the couple are now parents, having welcomed twin boys together at the end of 2021.  

Jen also became a bit of an influencer, sharing her reviews of wine on Instagram, as well as documenting the renovation of their family home. 

Rob also reported to have launched his own tech company specialising in accessibility for deaf people. 

Tricia and Cathie – Series 3 

Childhood best friends Cathie and Tricia clinched series three of Race Across The World earlier this year, when they travelled across Canada from Vancouver to Newfoundland. 

Following their win on the show, Tricia told The Tab of how she quit her job in a bank and decided to “call up” the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) and asked if they had a job, having spoken of her experiences of chromo retinopathy uveitis on the show. She now works for them as a community connections coordinator. 

Tricia and Cathie now share their travels and various fundraising efforts together on their shared Instagram page. 

Zainib and Mobeen – Series 3

Married couple Mobeen and Zainib had a 14-hour lead going into the final leg of the race, but lost out on winning when Cathie and Tricia pipped them to the post by two hours. 

After returning from their journey, the couple shared their hopes to adopt a child with their fellow travellers in the reunion episode, after being inspired by a man they met on their travels whose story resonated with them. 

In July, in a post on their shared Instagram page, the pair wrote they were now “considering one last go with private IVF again before adoption”, but added that “adoption will happen regardless of biological conception”.

“It’s something we are extremely passionate about,” they said. “Learning and growing everyday to prepare ourselves for the rollercoaster ride ahead.

“But having the time to just refocus and rest has been essential in helping us process and move forward. One step at a time. We got this.”

Ladi and Monique – Series 3

Fans fell in love with father-and-daughter Ladi and Monique and their close bond, with the pair narrowly missing on finishing in second place on the show by just 30 minutes.

In an interview with The Mirror after the show finished in the spring of 2023, fashion model Monique revealed that she and her dad are hoping to return to Banff in Canada for a ski season together, and told of her plans to go to Zanzibar.

She has also been pictured in Tanzania and Thailand recently on her Instagram page. 

Ladi also said he is keen to explore more of the world, with his sights set on South America – including Brazil, Colombia and Nicaragua – and Africa. 

Celebrity Race Across The World airs on Wednesdays at 9pm on BBC One. 

This article has been updated to correct an error about Emon and Jamiul’s finishing time.