Seven friends from Dolgellau have raised more than £9,000 for charity by taking part in the Dyfi Ultra marathon.

The team - Huw Ynyr Evans, Iwan Gwyn Evans, Rhys Evans, Dylan Evans, Gerwyn Thomas, Llion Lloyd and ThoTommas Hughes - who set themselves a target of £3,000, are delighted to have raised £9,027 so far. The money raised will be split between Mind, Wales Air Ambulance and the British Heart Foundation.

The team inspired people to donate by taking part in last month’s Dyfi Ultra, a 50-mile ultra marathon which includes a total height gain of 3,000 metres as runners go along coast, trail, mountain, river and forest in South Snowdonia, taking in a total of 15 peaks.

Speaking on behalf of the team, Tom said raising money “helped massively with motivation to complete the marathon”.

“The causes mean a lot to us all,” he said.

“We couldn’t have done it without support from family and friends at mountain peaks and especially at checkpoints. They kept our bodies functional and helped us get some vital energy for the 50 miles.”

On Facebook he added: “Massive effort from the team to complete a ridiculous challenge.

“A little bit of grit and determination from our part but we owe a hell of a lot to our family and friends.

“Thank you to all the support crews for their help and it definitely wouldn’t be possible without them.

“The cheers arriving and leaving every checkpoint and fuelling station was amazing.

“Thank you to everyone who we saw out on course for their encouragement and motivation.

“Seeing familiar faces and their effort in supporting us was huge for moral and tilting the negative mind-set into a positive one.

“To the other athletes we saw along the way, [we] made some new friends and always received positive encouragement.

“A little friendly competition pushing each other through physical barriers.

“A massive thank you to everyone that’s donated to the charities as well. It’s had a huge impact on our determination to complete the race. With all the money raised we just couldn’t give up. Thank you.”

The GoFundMe page remains open.

To donate, visit www.gofund.me­/9b61a78a