Race Across the World's Sioned shouldn't be sneered at for her tears

Metro

a day ago

'I don't want to be here.'
Four episodes into this year's series of Race Across The World, it seemed as though 19-year-old Sioned was on the verge of quitting the BBC series.
Following their arrival in India, she and 18-year-old boyfriend Fin had to find a transport link to the city of Varanasi, after riding in a bus that had Sioned putting her head between her knees to cope with the loud traffic around them.
Two episodes earlier, she burst into tears while sitting on a beach in China with Fin, as the reality of being away from home hit her in a massive tidal wave. Some fans of the show ridiculed her for 'always crying', and said that they were 'fed up' with her complaints.
In my opinion, anyone who sneered at her for sobbing, for admitting that she was overwhelmed, or that she was out of her comfort zone, should be ashamed of themselves.
How hard is it to try and put yourself in another person's shoes, even if you can't relate to the way that they're feeling?
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I admit, I can't relate to Sioned in a lot of ways. She grew up in a small village in Wales, whereas I grew up in the hustle and bustle of London. I thrive on the energy of a busy city, while Sioned prefers the peace and quiet of the countryside.
That doesn't mean that I can't fathom how difficult it would be for a teenager to embark on a globe-trotting trip for the first time in their life. Especially if they're travelling to a country with a massive change of pace, while figuring out how to complete their journey with a language barrier and struggling with what seems to be sensory overload.
Sioned wasn't being spoilt when she burst into tears. She wasn't showing herself up to be a child who's been wrapped in cotton wool for her whole life. She was allowing her emotions to bubble over the surface, rather than bottle them up and have them explode at a later point.
She has a right to feel what she's feeling, even if you would have been absolutely fine in her situation. And letting her emotions out is definitely healthier than keeping them to herself.
I can't imagine how I would have coped travelling for over 50 days in countries I've never been to when I was 19 years old. The summer after I finished school, I went to a few spots in Spain and Italy with my friends for a couple of weeks.
It was a laugh, and I didn't cry like Sioned, but I also had my phone, my passport, pre-planned accomodation, a decent understanding of where I was heading, and wasn't racing against anyone to complete my journey.
Had I been racing across the world, I know I would have been woefully unprepared. Definitely more so than I would be if I went now in my 30s with a decade more life experience under my belt.
Fortunately, other people watching Race Across The World similarly admire the way that both Sioned and Fin have evolved since day one of the race.
They both have grown significantly, with Fin becoming a lot more confident in his decisions rather than relying on his girlfriend to make the hard choices whenever they were at a crossroads.
'I'm so impressed with Sioned and Fin!! Might be rooting for them now,' Bethan shared on X, as Kate commented: 'If Fin or Sioned's family are on here you should be so proud of their honesty, maturity and empathy.' I couldn't agree more.
Not only have Sioned and Fin had a journey where they've overcome challenges they've never encountered before, but they've also made great progress in the race. During legs three, four and five, they were massively behind the leaders, finishing 23, 27 and then 33 hours behind. More Trending
But they never threw in the towel, like plenty of people thought they would. At the end of leg six, they'd managed to narrow the margin so they were just six hours behind leaders Brian and Melvyn, before moving up to third place by the end of leg seven.
So for everyone snarking at Sioned for crying as Fin held her tenderly, telling her that everything was OK as they took a moment to breathe, just ask yourselves – how would you fare on Race Across The World?
I'd bet it's a lot harder than it looks. And these two teenagers deserve your respect.
The Race Across The World 2025 final airs tonight at 9pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
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