IT was a tense sprint to the finish line in tonight’s finale of Race Across The World.
The final episode followed the pairs travelling from Goa, India, to the southernmost tip of India, Kanniyakumari, 1000km away.
The final four pairs were whittled down to one[/caption]
Caroline and Tom were crowned winners of the show[/caption]
But after a 51-day cross-continent race, it was mother and son duo Caroline and Tom who took home the £20,000 prize.
The pair, who were leading the race from its fifth episode earlier this month, beat brothers Melvyn and Brian, sisters Elizabeth and Letitia and young couple Fin and Sioned to the finish point.
And it was an emotional moment for the duo, as mum Caroline broke down in tears on the big reveal that the all-important guest book was empty on their arrival.
Celebrating their win, Caroline broke down in tears in emotional scenes, telling her son: “We must never doubt ourselves, ever, ever, ever again.”
Tom added: “I’m lost for words, I can’t believe it.
“Fifty one days racing through countries I never thought I’d go to.
“I never thought we’d come this far, I never thought we’d achieve so much, and I’ve never been prouder of my mum – she got me through it.”
Caroline and Tom were closely followed by sisters Elizabeth and Letitia, who arrived at the finish line just shy of 20 minutes later.
Forty five minutes behind the winners, Fin and Sioned arrived in third place, while brothers Brian and Melvyn took a further three hours to reach the end.
On their way home from the series, the duo revealed that while they had sworn themselves to secrecy about winning the cash, it didn’t take long to spill the beans.
Caroline revealed: “[We told] my husband, in the car on the way home – we couldn’t hide it!”
Tom added: “We had made a pact on the plane not to tell anybody, but within minutes of seeing him we let that one go, it was so hard to keep it in.”
However, the mother and son duo still haven’t decided what they’re going to do with the cash.
Tom concluded: “I haven’t really thought about what I’m doing with the money yet.
“I don’t want to be stupid and waste it. Mum and I want to go backpacking again, so some of it will be used for that.”
The reunion episode of Race Across The World airs June 18 at 9pm on BBC One and you can catch up on all episodes on BBC iPlayer.
The duo will feature on a reunion episode next week[/caption]
