Athletes Craig Rendle, Mike McGovern, Will Hynd and Andrew Cox all completed the gruelling Mont Blanc Mountain Marathon on Sunday.

The 26.2 miles through the French Alps is rightly regarded as one of the toughest races in the world.

Mile after mile of leg-sapping climbs are followed by steep descents through slippy scree.

And to make it worse, the altitude at more than 2,000 metres has the heart racing almost all of the way.

Craig, from Innerleithen, told us: “The climbs weren’t too bad but there was low cloud and a lot of rain which meant the descents were very tricky as you couldn’t really see where you were going. The rain made it treacherous at times.

“We were all looking forward to seeing the views from the tops of the mountains and the passes but you could hardly see a few metres in front of you.

“The altitude meant that you couldn’t get into a running rhythm either.

“It was still a great experience and we ran almost all the way together as a team.” The race started in the centre of Chamoix, which sits almost as high as the top of Ben Nevis, and over the next 26.2 miles runners have to climb a further 2511 metres, with a combined elevation loss of 1490 metres along the way, finishing at Planplaz.

Organisers normally set an eight-hour cut off but due to the conditions they allowed competitors an additional two hours to complete the course.

Mike from Peebles, Will from Walkerburn, and Craig all crossed the finishing line together, while youngster of the group, Andrew from Innerleithen, pushed on in the closing stages to finish a few minutes ahead - all four Peeblesshire runners clocked times around the five hour mark.

Craig added: “It was a great experience but it was even greater raising £5,000 for charity.

“All four of us would like to thank everyone who sponsored us and supported us in the run up to the marathon.” The £5,000 raised will go to the St James’s Place Foundation, which doubles donations, and supports children’s and cancer charities.

Since being formed in 1992 the Foundation, which is the charitable arm of the St James’s Place Wealth Management Group, has raised over £34 million.

To find out more, log on to the following website: www1.sjp.co.uk/about-st-james-place/our-responsibilities/st-james-place-foundation