Fiennes completes marathon third leg

Dr Mike Stroud and Sir Ranulph Fiennes have four more marathons to go

British adventurer Sir Ranulph Fiennes has completed the Australian leg of his seven continents, seven marathons challenge.

The route, taking in the sights of Sydney, brought Sir Ranulph and running partner Dr Mike Stroud close to halfway through the gruelling exploit.

"As it gets nearer the end it gets more worrying that a plane might be slightly late," the adventurer said.

Sir Ranulph, 59, who had a heart attack in June, flies next to Singapore, then London and Cairo before finishing the week in New York on 2 November.

As well as the Australian leg, he has also completed runs in Patagonia, southern Chile, and the Falkland Islands.

The latter will be deemed to fulfil the Antarctic leg, after poor weather and engine trouble forced the pair to abandon plans to fly to King George Island in Antarctica.

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They said their biggest challenge would be staying on schedule after the London race on Friday afternoon, in order to catch the next flight to Cairo.

I didn't want to put my shoes on because of the blisters Sir Ranulph Fiennes

"I'm just a bit worried, as is Mike, that our performance will continue to deteriorate," Sir Ranulph said at a news conference in Sydney.

"I feel not as good as I did a couple of days ago - I didn't want to put my shoes on because of the blisters."

Sir Ranulph told the Times he was suffering from a recurring blister after a previous frostbite injury.

"It's where I had a skin graft after losing half my toe in the bath," he said.

'Good fun really'

Each 26-mile run has to be completed within six hours for the venture to stay on schedule.

In Sydney on Wednesday, the pair had just seven hours on the ground - five earmarked for running plus an hour at each end to clear immigration.

By 5pm Sydney time (0500 GMT) they were en route for Singapore, where were set to rest in proper beds for the first time since leaving Punta Arenas in southern Chile at dawn on Monday.

Sir Ranulph has described the adventure as "good fun really" and is using the opportunity to raise money for different charities at each leg of the event, including the British Heart Foundation.

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