A couple are on top of the world after finishing the toughest and highest marathon on Earth.

Stewart Gardner and Charlotte Roberts, from Oakworth, are back home after completing the gruelling Everest Marathon.

After a stamina-sapping eight-hour run through the foothills of the Himalaya around Everest, the couple crossed the finishing line at Namche Bazaar together in joint 40th position out of 70 runners.

From there it was a further one-day trek to the highest airport in the world at Lukla, where they caught a plane back to Katmandu and their return flight to England.

Back at her home in Lane Ends, Charlotte, 41, says: "It is one of the hardest things I have ever done but it was a brilliant experience. The weather was fantastic and the scenery was incredible.

"What we found most difficult was the lack of air at 17,000 feet. And for the first 14 miles I couldn't breathe that well so it was a case of running when I could and walking when I couldn't.

"As the altitude dropped we picked up and got stronger towards the finishing line."

Their fitness levels were put to the test even before the race started. To reach the start line close to Everest Base Camp, the couple had to trek with fellow competitors through the foothills for two weeks and climb 17,000 feet above sea level.

"It was extremely demanding and I think everyone agreed that one of the hardest things was getting to the start, well and fit enough to run the race," says Charlotte.

"Quite a few people had gastro-intestinal problems and some had difficulty running because the air was so thin, but the medical back-up was superb. The people in Nepal were so welcoming and the sherpas did a great job in getting us to the starting line."

Charlotte, a lecturer in biological anthropology at Bradford University, and Stewart, 45, who is a jeweller in Halifax, are both members of the Calder Valley Fell Runners Club based in Mytholmroyd.

Cash raised by the couple will be donated to Manorlands, the Oxenhope cancer-care home, and the Everest Marathon Fund.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.