Ran & Mike Run into the Record Books
Rob / 02.11.2003
Ran Fiennes and Mike Stroud completed the Land Rover 7x7x7 Challenge, finishing the last of their 7 marathons on 7 continents on the 7th day at the New York Marathon.Even in New York conditions were unseasonably hot and humid, but they crossed the line in Central Park together in 5 hours and 27 minutes. Looking tired but elated they immediately began a round of press interviews, while some of the other 30,000 marathon runners collapsed across the line behind them. Ever the master of understatement Fiennes said the challenge had been “very knackering on our legsâ€!
He then asked for hot chocolate and chicken masala, and joked, “nothing with cholesterolâ€, a reminder the challenge was staged in aid of the British Heart Foundation, and that the 59 year old had double heart bypass surgery in June after collapsing on a plane. Mike Stroud, who has been on many other adventures with him, including the first unassisted crossing of Antarctic, commented, “He ran every step of every marathon – it’s outrageous. I’ve had to walk a lot of it.â€
Stroud had suffered from stomach upsets and illness since the second run in Singapore, which was the low point on the challenge, and when asked where he “hit the wall†in New York he answered, “100 yards into the race!†Fiennes praised him for “pushing all the wayâ€, and said they’d done it “to show you can do anything if you have the will.â€
The pair completed the marathons on the Falkland Islands, at Santiago in Chile, Sydney, Singapore, London and Cairo, before the final flight to New York. It was a schedule which allowed little time for recovery, and meant constantly changing time zones and climates. In total they travelled 45,000 air miles and covered 183.4 miles in the 7 days. They hope to raise a 7 figure sum for the British Heart Foundation and Fiennes is sure to be an inspiration to others recovering from heart surgery or illness.
There is excellent coverage of the whole challenge on both the BBC and Times websites.
