Ranulph Fiennes, is a British adventurer and holder of several endurance records. He is also a prolific writer.
Despite suffering from a heart attack and undergoing a double heart bypass operation just four months before, Fiennes joined Stroud in 2003 to complete seven marathons in seven days on seven continents in the Land Rover 7x7x7 Challenge for the British Heart Foundation. “In retrospect I wouldn’t have done it. I wouldn’t do it again. It was Mike Stroud’s idea”.Their series of marathons was as follows:
- 26 October – Race 1: Patagonia - South America
- 27 October – Race 2: Falkland Islands - “Antarctica”
- 28 October – Race 3: Sydney - Australia
- 29 October – Race 4: Singapore - Asia
- 30 October – Race 5: London - Europe
- 31 October – Race 6: Cairo - Africa
- 1 November – Race 7: New York - North America
Originally Fiennes had planned to run the first marathon on King George Island, Antarctica. The second marathon would then have taken place in Santiago, Chile. However, bad weather and aeroplane engine trouble caused him to change his plans, running the South American segment in southern Patagonia first and then hopping to the Falklands as a substitute for the Antarctic leg.
Speaking after the event, Fiennes said the Singapore Marathon had been by far the most difficult because of high humidity and pollution. He also said his cardiac surgeon had approved the marathons, providing his heart-rate did not exceed 130 beats per minute. Fiennes later said that he forgot to pack his heart-rate monitor, and therefore did not know how fast his heart was beating.
