Four months
after suffering a heart attack, Sir Ranulph Fiennes has run seven
marathons, in seven days on seven continents. What will it do to his
body?
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INSIDE SIR RANULPH'S BODY
1 Jet lag will undermine routine
2 Dehydration, particularly in humid Singapore
3 Heart working ever harder
4 Cramps and loss of glycogen to fuel heart
5 Crushed capillaries and stress fractures
6 Torn muscles
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Now it is all
over for the 59-year-old explorer.
He has run a marathon a day. First was Patagonia at the
southern-most tip of Chile, then the Falkland Islands, then Sydney,
Australia, and on Wednesday he completed a 26-mile run in Singapore.
Next was London, then Cairo and finally, on Sunday, New York.
The schedule was unbelievably gruelling, says sports scientist Dr
Craig Sharp, not least because of the effects of jet lag.
The chopping and changing will have hit the body clock hard and
undermined exercise routine.
Running at the equivalent of 4am, when metabolism is at its
lowest, meant it was "much harder to get going," says Dr Sharp.
At least they vaguely travelled west to east, which is thought
to be easier than going the other way.
The three-week rule
Even without the globe-trotting, running seven marathons in as
many days is a seriously punishing regime. The unwritten rule is
that a runner leaves at least three weeks between marathons.
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 This is a test of endurance for the mind
as well as the body - I think he's up to that 
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Every marathon
runner hits what's known as the "wall" during a race. Up to this
point, the body has been feeding its muscle with stored sugars known
as glycogen.
Eventually these run out and stored fats become the fuel. But
these are less efficient than sugars; the body must work harder to
release them and so the heart pumps faster.
Four months ago Sir Ranulph suffered a heart attack and underwent
by-pass surgery.
Ironically, says Dr Sharp, the operation may have helped, by
clearing his arteries. That's just as well since Sir Ranulph's heart
will not pump as fast as that of someone younger.
The "wall" however, will move forward with each marathon, since
the body will not be able to fully replace its sugar stores between
races.
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WILL HE LOSE MUCH WEIGHT?
Fiennes (above, centre) will probably lose
only 3½ kilos, says Craig Sharp
Two kilos of fat; one of glycogen; and 0.5 of
fluid
'Remember, he will still be eating lots'
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A side-effect
is that their breath will smell sweet - a by-product of the body
burning fat rather than sugar.
The pounding of feet and strain on muscles will hurt. Mike Stroud
has started to "pass blood" in the urine. This will be the
haemoglobin from red blood cells caused by the crushing of
capillaries in the feet each time they hit the road. (Six out of the
seven marathons are on hard surfaces.)
Small muscle tears will hurt and not have time to repair. One to
two percent of muscle will be damaged after each race.
Another risk is stress fractures to the bones - tiny cracks in
the feet and ankles. These would be "unbelievably painful" to run
on.
Yet Sir Ranulph's years of arduous exploring will have built up
strong bones, minimising the risk of such an injury, says
physiologist Joe Dunbar.
The same goes for
potential strains to tendons and inflamed knees, while their feet
are probably tough enough to repel blisters. Cramp however, is
inevitable - the combination of chronic overuse of muscles and the
body's inability to absorb enough minerals.
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