WIND, rain and muddy water did not stop three young men raising cash in memory of a close friend.

Sam Gosden, 20, and Aiden Bateman and John Sutton, both 19, tackled the gruelling eight-mile run to raise funds in honour of Guy Evans, who died from an undetected heart condition in 2008.

The trio completed the run through a water filled vehicle testing course at Aldershot Barracks in Hampshire to raise more than £500 for charity Cardiac Risk in the Young (Cry).

About 80 per cent of the money will go to a special Guy’s Memorial Fund for heart screening.

The 17-year-old, a pupil at St Birinus School, Didcot, died after his moped crashed in Featherbed Lane, between Wantage and Didcot.

An inquest revealed Guy died because he was unable to breathe due to a suspected heart arrhythmia.

Sam, an apprentice at Didcot Power Station, said: “We began training several months ago, running around Didcot and the local villages after work and building up stamina at the gym.

“It’s taken quite a bit of time to get our fitness back up to scratch since Christmas but it’s been worth the slog.”

The run was the first of a number of fundraising events the friends are planning over the year to promote heart screening.

Aiden added: “No one knew that Guy had a heart condition that could kill him so suddenly. We owe it to him to do what we can to make sure other young people can find out if they are at risk and do something about it.”

John, a friend of Guy’s since they were 11, was with him on the night he died.

He said: “What happened to Guy just came straight out of the blue. It’s really hard to get your head around.

“A sudden arrhythmia can happen without any warning, so having the screening could help save lives.”

Guy’s mother Beth Chesney-Evans, 56, of Blackwater Way, Didcot, said: “I’m so proud of the boys for doing this in Guy’s memory.

“It was a really tough challenge and they put in loads of training.”

A charity, GUYfestUK, is being set up by Guy’s family and friends to promote heart screening and the teaching of basic first aid in Oxfordshire schools.

For more information, visit c-r-y.org.uk