Two Ceredigion dads have completed a 100-mile castle-to-castle ultra marathon for the Wales Air Ambulance and Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital.

Paul Davies and Leighton Daniel RAN from Bamburgh Castle in Northumberland to Edinburgh Castle, raising around £7,000 so far.

The ultra marathon saw them tackle the 100 miles with 40 hours of no sleep, 36 hours on the course, 29 hours of moving time and 202,000 steps, as well as a “tonne of cuppa-soup!”

An exhausted but proud Paul from Aberaeron said “never again… until next time!”, adding: “This was mentally and physically the hardest thing we’ve ever done. We can now sit back and reflect on our incredible achievement and the sheer scale of our accomplishment.

“We’d like to say a massive thank you to our friends and family for the support they have shown us. When times were tough, it was their messages that really kept us going.

“We’ve raised an incredible amount of money for two amazing charities.”

Paul wanted to thank Wales Air Ambulance medics who cared for his son when he was burnt in an accident.

Harri, 12, was 18-months-old when hot liquid spilt on his arm. He was transported by helicopter to Morriston Hospital.

Paul, who is also dad to Emily, 10, said: “Living in a rural part of Wales, where main hospital services can sometimes take a few hours’ drive to get to, the Wales Air Ambulance is such a valuable service.

“For Harri to receive immediate help from the burns unit, he was airlifted to Morriston Hospital, meaning the 1.5-hour car journey took less than 10 minutes.

“Me and my wife, Rachel, will be forever grateful for the help they gave our son that day. Fundraising events like this are so important to the air ambulance as they rely heavily on charitable donations, so I really wanted to give something back.”

Police Officer Leighton, also a dad-of-two, and Paul set their fundraising target at £5,000 but quickly smashed that.

This is not the first time that Paul, general manager of Y Seler, has completed an ultra marathon. In 2020 he ran 70 miles from Carlisle to Newcastle within 16 hours!

Elaine Orr, Regional Fundraising Manager for Wales Air Ambulance, congratulated Paul and Leighton.

“They should be incredibly proud of their efforts for taking on the challenge, whilst raising an amazing amount for two important charities,” she said.

“It is always heartwarming to hear of families who have needed the Wales Air Ambulance go on to raise funds for us. Paul and Rachel know firsthand how important our service is to the people of Wales.

“A huge thank you to Paul and Leighton for picking our charity as one of the good causes to raise funds for. They set themselves an epic challenge and accomplished it. Put your feet up, you both deserve a well-earned rest.

“A huge thank you also goes to everyone who has supported Paul and Leighton in this fundraiser.”

You can donate at www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/paul-davies-271