A BRADFORD man and his nephew sprinted to victory on TV's gripping Race Across the World - and donated half their £20,000 prize to street children in South America.

Having been estranged for 10 years, Emon and Jamiul Choudhury were practically strangers when they embarked on the epic challenge; travelling 15,000 miles from Mexico City to Ushuaia in Argentina, the world's most southerly city, without flights, phones, the internet or bank cards. Competing against four other pairs - two couples, a mother and son and a brother and sister - they made their way across South America, through some of the world's most volatile regions, on a limited budget, taking on jobs along the way.

On last night's episode of the BBC2 show, narrated by actor John Hannah, Emon, 35, of Saltaire and Jamiul, 25, of Oldham had a rocky start to the last leg in Argentina, with only six per cent of their budget, less than £200, left. With two pairs leaving after running out of money, the race to the final destination was between Emon and Jamiul, siblings Dom and Lizzie and married couple Jen and Rob.

After working at stables in Mendoza, Emon and Jamiul travelled along Argentina's Atlantic coastline, but ended up with a 14-hour wait for their next bus. They decided to hitch-hike, but declined a lift which would have taken them off the coastal road. Later they took a job fishing in Puerto San Julian, before meeting up with both rival pairs at a bus station for the journey to Rio Grande. From there it was a frantic dash to Ushuaia and in nail-biting scenes, Emon and Jamiul jumped into a taxi. Unable to pay the full fare, they gave the driver their iPods. In the final scenes, they set off on a thrilling race by foot to the final checkpoint - a 250m high mountain-top hotel. Ditching their rucksacks in a bar, Emon and Jamiul ran through streets towards a winding road up to the hotel, closely followed by Jen and Rob. The two pairs ended up scrambling up the mountain then, in the final hurdle, took a woodland trail to the summit. Exhausted, Emon and Jamiul arrived first - with Jen and Dom reaching the summit just 20 seconds later.

In emotional scenes, the uncle and nephew said they would donate £10,000 to South American charities helping street children.

Earlier in the series, they were visibly shaken when they came across a group of barefoot children sleeping rough in Sao Paulo, Brazil. “It shouldn’t be like this, man,” said Emon, who left some of his belongings for the children.

After completing the race of a lifetime he said: "This trip has taught me how important family is. We're very fortunate to have family around us but a lot of kids in the world aren't."

Speaking of donating the cash, Jamiul added: "I feel like a bigger winner if we do this."

Reunited at a wedding three months before the programme, the uncle and nephew say their South American journey brought them closer together. Along the way they took various jobs, including cleaning a yacht, and visited spectacular places such as Copan Ruinas and the Rainbow Mountains of Peru. “The biggest challenge was the budget - £26 a day each for food, travel and accommodation,” said Emon, who runs Ezy Care car parts business in Bradford. “Another challenge was the language. But we got by. People were helpful; we saw the beauty of mankind.

“The scenery blew our mind. We were always aware of the race, but we wanted to make the most of the trip too. It was an amazing experience."

As Jen broke down in tears at the final summit, surrounded by spectacular mountains, Emon hugged her and said: "Look around you, this is what it's all been for."