Senior Lecturer in Medicine and Nutrition, Institute of Human Nutrition
Southampton University

Mike Stroud qualified as a doctor in 1979 but spent much of his next 10 years of hospital practice travelling around the world on expeditions. He then left mainstream medicine altogether, to spend 6 years researching human performance at extremes, a period which culminated in his appointment as Chief Scientist at the Defence Research Agency ?Centre for Human Sciences?. During this time, Mike continued to undertake expeditions including in 1992/93, the first unsupported crossing of Antarctica on foot with Sir Ranulph Fiennes. This raised more than ?2 million for good causes and led to the award of both the OBE for ?Human Endeavour & Services to Charity? and the Polar Medal for ?Services to Polar exploration?.

In late 1995 Mike returned to working in hospitals and later became a Senior Lecturer and Consultant Physician in Southampton. Nevertheless he has continued to travel extensively and took part in several multi-sport, ultra-distance endurance events including the Marathon of the Sands, 2 Eco-Challenge Adventure Races and an unsupported 200 km run across the Qatar desert. Most recently, he and Sir Ranulph ran 7 marathons, on 7 Continents in 7 days, raising money for the British heart Foundation.

As well as his own feats of endurance, Mike is also well-known for his TV commentaries on others putting themselves in stressful situations. He featured in all three BBC series of ?SAS ? Are You Tough Enough?? set in Scotland, Borneo and the Namib Desert and recently presented the 8 part BBC series ?The Challenge?. He has written two books ?Shadows on the Wasteland ? Crossing Antarctica with Sir Ranulph Fiennes? and ?Survival of the Fittest - understanding health and optimal human performance?.