Explorer Sir Ranulph Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes, 3rd Baronet, OBE, (Ran to his mates) will be among those tackling the Original Mountain Marathon this weekend.

The event, formerly known as the Karrimor International Mountain Marathon, has 66 teams in the elite class. Fiennes, 62, famous among other things for sawing off the ends of his frostbitten fingers because they annoyed him, will be partnered by 40-year-old Jon Brooke in the two-day marathon in Galloway, southern Scotland.

Long-distance expert Mark Hartell, 42, will team up with Tim Laney, five years his senior. Maps of the course are not issued to competitors until they start the event, which is in a different location each year. grough is guessing the Keith Richards taking part in the Class A group is not the chain-smoking, guitar-wielding Stones musician.

An astounding 1,860 teams – more than 3,000 competitors – are listed to start the race. Most unlikely sounding name among them: Buster Crabb. Would that be the mysterious British frogman or the similarly spelt famous American swimmer and film actor?

The 39th OMM/Kimm returns to the area last used in 1996 and which carries a fearsome reputation for its difficult terrain. Runners and walkers have to navigate the course over two days, with a wild camp between, carrying their gear and being self-sufficient. Prizes are on offer for the first eight teams in each class, plus the best ladies’, mixed, veteran and family teams.