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Local students wave goodbye to IGGY explorer

�Mark
Coventry students visited IGGY on campus last week to hear from arctic explorer Mark Wood and wave him off on his latest expedition, to the Himalayas to climb Mount Everest. Mark is partnering with IGGY on his journey, and members will be able to take part in activities during the expedition.

Eight students from Finham Park School in Coventry met Mark to hear his exciting story so far and question him on his gruelling regime in preparation for the impending expedition. The teenage students had a chance to taste some of the food that Mark will use to keep him alive while he is away, including a lasagne which comes from a packet and requires water to expand, and a calorific chocolate bar. In total, Mark will consume 8,000 calories per day whilst on expedition.

Dr Philip McTernan from Warwick Medical School shared information around the effects that extreme physical exercise will have on Mark’s body while he is away.

Finham Park Student, Jon Ablett, said:

Today has been inspiring and incredible. Hearing Mark's stories has made us all see the world from a different perspective."

Mark will lead a team of explorers to the summit of the world’s tallest mountain in a journey which is expected to take over 80 days. As well as climbing Everest, Mark will visit a number of Nepalese schools to donate computers, and will also be blessed by monks in a monastery.

IGGY members will able to communicate with Mark during his expedition by submitting questions for him to answer via Skype. IGGY has run a competition for members to design a flag for Mark to take to the top of the mountain, and the winning design will be flown from the highest point in the world.

IGGY members will also be able to participate in a number of academic challenges, set by Warwick Medical School, which will explore the effect of extreme physical exercise on the human body.

Follow Mark's expedition on the IGGY website