This has helped the charity reach many more people living with a terminal illness as well as providing vital emotional support for their families.” To date, Sir Ranulph has raised £6.3m for Marie Curie. “I have sponsored him to raise funds for Marie Curie before, which included the Everest and Eiger challenges. He is a friend and hero to me and I am proud to support his latest endurance challenge. He said: “Sir Ranulph proves with enormous willpower what can be physically achieved. He’ll also be training in a heat lab later in the month, which recreates the desert climate, to test his ability in the heat.”īut Paul Sykes, a long-time supporter of Fiennes who has previously funded his charity expeditions, said he had every faith in his friend’s abilities. “We’ve been trying to improve his endurance by running on the Merthyr Mawr sand dunes and Exmoor.

He said: “This race is tough – tough for anyone, but with Ranulph’s previous health conditions and age, he’s going to find it incredibly hard. Rory Coleman, who has been training Fiennes for the challenge, said the race could be tough given the adventurer’s health problems. The race, which takes place in one of the world’s most inhospitable climates, requires the runners to complete a marathon a day and a double-marathon one day, carrying everything they need on their backs. I hope, if I become the oldest Brit to complete it, I’ll raise lots of money for Marie Curie.” “I’ve been training for six months and, although I may be 71, I’m not ready to stop any time soon. “With just a month to go, there’ll be no cake or treats for my birthday this year,” he said. Speaking ahead of the race, he said he hoped to raise £2.5m for the UK charity. The explorer, who turns 71 this weekend, will run the equivalent of a marathon a day for six days in an attempt to become the oldest Briton to finish the race, which has been described as the toughest foot race on earth.ĭespite his fragile health – Fiennes has suffered two heart attacks, undergone a double heart bypass and a cancer operation, and also has diabetes – he plans to take on the challenge in aid of Marie Curie.

Download sahara ultra marathon