A MONMOUTH school teacher and two friends last week completed a gruelling six-day, 150-mile run along the River Wye in aid of charity.

Gerry Stentiford, the head of Geography at Monmouth School for Boys, ran alongside Charlie Newington-Bridges, from Usk, and Julian Sarsby, who lives near Raglan.

The trio completed the run, dubbed the Marathon des Salmon, to raise money for Ty Hafan children’s hospice and the Wye and Usk Foundation, an environmental charity.

Beginning their adventure at Plynlimon in the Cambrian Mountains, the three friends ran the equivalent of a marathon each day – with a double marathon thrown in on one day for good measure.

They braved fields of stinging nettles, blistering sunshine and torrential rain as they made their along the Wye, before arriving in Chepstow on Saturday.

The journey was based on the Marathon des Sables, an ultra-marathon in the Sahara Desert advertised as ‘the toughest footrace on earth’.

“The toughest part for us was probably the day when we had to run the length of two marathons”, Mr Stentiford said.

“We ran the final three miles in the dark and had to bash our way through waist-high stinging nettles, which was a tough moment for us all.”

The trio’s journey was even more impressive considering they ran while carrying all their food, water and equipment.

But when they entered Monmouth School for Boys on Friday afternoon, they were given a morale boost by a cheering crowd of family and friends.

Mr Newington-Bridges praised those who had supported them.

“A challenge like this takes a lot of forethought and with one or two little hiccups we got across the line”, he said.

“Our families have been brilliant putting up with tired husbands and fathers for the past nine months.

“Our families have been incredibly supportive.”