A pair of Race Across the World stars faced a significant setback during the latest episode of the BBC series. The hit travel competition sees five intrepid teams embarking on a journey of a lifetime, spanning over 12,000 kilometres across southern Europe and Central Asia. They must navigate seven checkpoints on their way to Hatgal in remote northern Mongolia.
With no phones or internet access, and armed only with the equivalent of the airfare to fly the route, participants rely on ingenuity, resilience, and the kindness of strangers to reach the finish line first.
Teams Race to Tbilisi
Following the exit of cousins Puja and Roshni last week, the remaining four teams continued their journey to the next checkpoint on Thursday (April 23). Their destination was Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia and one of the world's oldest continuously inhabited settlements.
As they left Halfeti behind, the teams faced a pivotal decision: head north towards the Black Sea coast or strike east through Türkiye's arid heartland.
Race leaders Harrison and Katie had their advantage slashed to less than ten hours, with the chasing teams sensing an opportunity. After leaving the checkpoint, Harrison and Katie became the only team to head north, seeking their first homestay of the race and enduring an uncomfortable 14-hour overnight bus ride that could give them a crucial advantage. Meanwhile, the other three teams went east, facing tricky bus connections that forced one pair to reroute to stay in contention.
Mark Falls Ill
Later in the episode, the journey took its toll on Mark, who unexpectedly fell ill—forcing his and Margo's progress to a temporary halt just 200 kilometres shy of the checkpoint in Georgia.
"I'm not feeling too good, I must admit," Mark said. His sister-in-law replied: "You're the priority. Even if we lose, like, you know, hours." She added: "There's no point in me sitting in the hotel while you're ill, is there?" Margo then headed out to explore the local area alone while Mark recovered in bed.
"We came here mainly, Akhaltsikhe, for Mark, but now it's going to be Margo's day. I am sorry Mark's sick. It's disappointing in race terms, and I do fear we're going to be trailing in fourth place," Margo explained. "Not a lot we can do about it, so I'm not going to get upset about it. I'm just going to go and eat some dumplings and drink some wine, because if you can't do anything about it, you've just got to live your best life."
Back in the hotel, Mark said: "I'm feeling pretty ropey this morning. I had TT troubles all night. Tummy trouble. So, I haven't slept at all. It is frustrating. I would have loved to get to Tbilisi this evening. I don't think that's going to happen, but we wait and see if I can recover."
Despite facing a setback, Mark and Margo successfully managed to surge into the lead for the first time at the halfway point, while former frontrunners Katie and Harrison tumbled to last place.
Race Across the World is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
