A UNIQUE charity challenge is taking place this week in memory of a Gwent woman who died last year.

High Peaks Sore Seats is a gruelling three-day event, taking place between July 18 and 20, to raise money for the Thrombosis UK charity.

Each day the nine men involved will cycle to a mountain, climb it, then cycle to the next location.

Yesterday they cycled from Holyhead to Snowdon – the highest mountain in Wales, at 1,085 metres – which they climbed before cycling to Dolgellau.

Today, they will be cycling to Cadair Idris where they will hike 893 metres before cycling to Carmarthen.

Tomorrow will be the final day of the challenge, with participants cycling from Carmarthen to Pen-Y-Fan, which is the highest peak in South Wales, at 886 metres.

The men will then cycle from Pen-Y-Fan to Ebbw Vale, the hometown of Vicky Bennett, who died last year after a blood clot in her lung – a pulmonary embolism – sent her into cardiac arrest. She was expecting her first child when she died.

Once the challenge is completed, the group will have cycled a total of 416 kilometres and ascended 7,745 metres in the space of three days.

According to the event organisers, one in every 10 people who suffer a pulmonary embolism will die if not treated.

In a group statement the men involved – friends and family of Ms Bennett including her fiancé, Stuart – said: “Vicky was a fiancée, daughter, sister, niece, friend and mother-to-be who loved to cycle.

“To celebrate Vicky’s life, and raise money for a fantastic charity, we have challenged ourselves to undertake a unique charity event. We will cycle through Wales from Holyhead to Vicky’s hometown of Ebbw Vale, hiking the three highest peaks in the country in three days.

“We will be raising money for Thrombosis UK, a charity that aims to raise awareness, carry out research to increase understanding of thrombosis, and to improve care.”

The group hopes to raise £8,000 and raise public awareness about pulmonary embolism.

To donate, go to justgiving.com/fundraising/welshpeakssoreseats