Dr Mike Stroud is a leading authority of survival, nutrition and endurance.
He is perhaps best known for his record-breaking expeditions with Sir Ranulph Fiennes. He first teamed up with Sir Ranulph in 1986 in an attempt to be the first to make an unsupported journey by foot to the North Pole. After several failed attempts from Canada and Siberia, they went South again in 1992 and succeeded in breaking several world records – the first unaided walk across Antarctica from coast to coast and the longest unsupported walk in history. On his return in 1993 Mike was awarded an OBE for Human Endeavour and services to charity (The Arctic and Antarctic journeys raised more than £4 million for Multiple Sclerosis).
During this expedition they had covered 1400 miles without any help at all from men, animals or machines. They had dragged their supplies and equipment across the frozen ice shelves, climbed the Polar plateau and descended one of the largest glacier systems in the world. The temperature as often as low as minus 50 degrees, with winds excess of 100 miles per hour.
Mike qualified as a doctor in London in 1979 and then spent ten years in a variety of hospital posts interspersed with far reaching expeditions and travel. In 1990, he entered into full time research on endurance, nutrition and survival under extreme conditions, working at both the RAF Institute of Aviation Medicine and the Army Personnel Research Establishment. He later became the Chief Scientist at the UK Centre for Human Sciences. In 1995, he returned to hospital medicine and university work and in 1998 was appointed as a Senior Lecturer in Medicine and Nutrition, and Consultant Gastroenterologist at Southampton.
He is the author of two books, ‘Shadows On The Wasteland’, documenting his crossing of Antarctica, published by Jonathan Cape and ‘Survival Of The Fittest’, about the relationship between nutrition and exercise – getting the best out of your body.
A few years ago, Mike led a team called ‘Fit For Life’ which consisted of Sir Ranulph Fiennes, Rebecca Stephens MBE and Mike’s 72 year old father Vic the ‘ECO Challenge’. The ECO Challenge is a gruelling race across Canada where the contestants have to use many skills such as climbing, skiing, canoeing, riding, whitewater rafting and mountain biking.
Mike uses his experiences to produce a highly polished presentation that can be tailor made to suit every occasion but of course, it lends itself particularly well to motivational themes but he can also relate it to teamwork and adapting to change. The presentation can be anything from a few appropriate words to a full hour he can also do after dinner spots (but prefers to use slides when possible).
The presentation is an account of this journey, describing both the physical and psychological hardships that he and Sir Ranulph endured. He also likes to compare those difficulties they faced with the problems that they met on earlier North Pole expeditions, allowing him to illustrate the similarities and differences between the Arctic and Antarctic and to mix contrasts in wildlife and geography with the stories of falling through thin ice on the Arctic Ocean and crossing crevasse fields in Antarctica. The lecture is illustrated with a stunning collection of slides of both expeditions and the scenery and wildlife that are found at both ends of the earth. Despite some desperate conditions, this presentation does not lack humour!
Clients include: Esso, two after dinner spots for Unisys, given a talk on survival to teams on ‘Earth 2000’. Series of educational talks for schools, The American Community School, Unipoly, North Derbyshire TEC, Gore-Tex, Morgan Stanley Investment Bankers, Boehinger Mannheim, Sheraton Hotels, Sears’ Technology Conference, The Stoke on Trent Community Partnership’s ‘Aiming High’ project, The Executives Association of Great Britain, presented awards at TEC Training Award Events, Sears’, Educational Achievement Awards in the Netherlands and spoken to numerous schools across Britain.
As a leading authority of survival, nutrition and endurance Mike appears frequently on TV and radio. He was the endurance and medical expert on all three series of BBC TV’s, Are You Tough Enough for the SAS. He was also presenter and endurance expert on the BBC TV series, The Challenge.
To enquire about or book Mike Stroud for your event contact Arena Entertainment. Either send an email to info@arenaentertainments.co.uk or speak to one of our booking agents on 0113-239-2222.
