Man runs seven marathons in seven days

NEW YORK, Nov. 2 (UPI) -- A British explorer who suffered a heart attack only four months ago broke a world record Sunday by running seven marathons in seven days.

The New York marathon was No. 7 for Sir Ranulph Fiennes, reported ic Wales, the web site of the Trinity Mirror. Fiennes finished the New York run in five hours and 25 minutes.

Ranulph, 59, and his fellow explorer, Michael Stroud, ran 26 miles every day, competing in marathons in the Falkland Islands, Chile, Australia, Singapore, London, Egypt and New York.

They originally planned to run on every continent, but bad weather re-routed them from a planned Antarctic marathon to the Falkland Islands run, the web site said.

Fiennes underwent double bypass surgery after a near-fatal heart attack in June.

The Guinness Book of World Records called him the "world's greatest living explorer" for leading more than 30 expeditions.