A Woodford Green woman is taking on her hardest challenge yet as she attempts to be the fifth woman ever to complete a gruelling 300 mile continuous triathlon.

Ilford Recorder: Jo Rodda will be taking on the Enduroman Arch to Arc challenge this summerJo Rodda will be taking on the Enduroman Arch to Arc challenge this summer (Image: Archant)

Jo Rodda, 38, who works as a psychiatrist at Victoria Hospital, Romford, will be running, swimming and cycling from Marble Arch to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris hoping to beat the current record of 92 hours.

The Arch to Arc Enduroman challenge has only been completed by 14 other solo athletes and, if everything goes to plan, Dr Rodda hopes to set off on August 23.

She has been inspired to do this by close friend and father-of-two Simon Malyon, 42, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) three years ago, a disease that affects an estimated 100,000 people in the UK.

Dr Rodda said: “The Malyons have taught me a lot about getting on with life, they are living with a condition and not being defined by it.”

The race starts with an 87 mile run to Dover, followed by a 22 mile swim across the English Channel to Calais and ends in a 181m cycle to Paris.

The training required for this kind of race is incredibly intense and Dr Rodda has “lived and breathed” it for the past six months.

Her average weekend includes 100 miles on the bike, six hours swimming and 25 miles running.

No stranger to ultra-marathons, Dr Rodda said “I really enjoy pushing myself to the limit and seeing where that is.

“I have competed in the Marathon de Sables which is a 150 mile run through the Sahara Desert.”

As the event draws closer, the Jo2Paris4MS team have created Simon’s Miles where anyone can offer their support by contributing the distances they have covered to an online calculator which currently stands at just over 8,500 miles.

They are also around half way to reaching their £20,000 target for the charity MS Trust.

Mr Malyon himself, despite requiring a wheelchair, has managed almost 140 miles so far on an exercise bike.

To donate and for more information visit www.jo2paris4ms.com