RUNNING a marathon is no walk in the park, but only the most dedicated would attempt the run up the tallest Welsh mountain.

But that's exactly what Shrivenham's Ben Fry and friends Ciaran Evans-Fry and Paul Holland did when they took part in the Welsh Snowdonia Marathon on June 6 to raise money for the victims of the earthquake in Nepal.

More than 8,800 people were killed and 23,000 injured in the disaster, which measured 7.8 on the Richter scale, near Kathmandu on April 25 destroying homes and much of the countries' national heritage.

In response, 33-year-old Ben and his friends decided to try to raise at least £1,000 for The Leprosy Mission, which is providing essential medical and welfare support for the victims of the quake.

He chose the charity after hearing about their work form his wife, who volunteered as a radiographer at the charity’s Anandaban Hospital, which has provided emergency medical care to around 2,000 victims at the hospital and in 15 makeshift medical camps since the disaster struck.

"Following the devastating natural disaster in Nepal this year we have decided to raise money for the communities struggling to cope with the aftermath," he said.

"We have chosen the Leprosy Mission charity for Nepal, it's providing essential medical and welfare support for the people effected by this disaster.

"It was a tough challenge but nothing compared to that faced by the people we are raising money for.

“Seeing what the staff from Anandaban have been doing to help earthquake victims, for me it was simple that we needed to do something to help them and a mountain climb seemed appropriate.

"A charity like The Leprosy Mission isn’t one people would instantly think of as providing medical relief from the earthquake but, thankfully for the locals in the Nepali hills, it was a charity which helped them when they most needed it."

The plucky trio completed the 32km course, which started at Abergwyngregyn, near the foreshore of Conwy Bay, and finished on the 1,085m summit of Snowdon and included the ascent of the five 1,000m.

“The Snowdonia climb was very hard work but there was great satisfaction in finishing,” said Ben.

"It is a gruelling event, even in fine weather and is the supreme test of fitness, endurance and navigational skills amongst some of Britain’s finest mountain terrain. The long Fell Race is considered to be one of the most arduous events in the UK fell running calendar."

To show your support for the team you can sponsor them online through their Just Giving page at www.justgiving.com/Ciaran-Paul-Ben06062015