A former Monmouth Comprehensive School pupils has completed the 'toughest footrace on Earth'.

Paul Janes, who now lives in Switzerland, ran in the Marathon Des Sables – 150 miles over rocky, uneven ground and sand dunes in six days in the Moroccan Sahara, carrying his food and equipment with him (with the exception of a tent and water).

On the hottest day it was a sweltering 52 Celsius (126 Fahrenheit).

Paul would like to thank all his supporters for helping him raise almost £10,000 for Mencap.

Paul was in 42nd position overall after day three but after that suffered extremely sore feet, which slowed him down a lot.

He was determined to complete the course, and finished 553rd out of 795 successful finishers and 59 abandons. His fiancée Anny was waiting for him at the finish line, which helped keep his spirits up.

Paul has already signed up for his next adventure, the Ticino Trail. He will have 31 hours or under to cover 117km of mountainous terrain, including 12 mountain passes, making a grand total of 8,500 vertical metres (almost the height of Everest) and reaching altitudes of 2,500m above sea level.

He hopes to sign up for the Marathon Des Sables again in the future if his fiancée agrees.