A psychiatrist has become a world record holder after completing a gruelling 289-mile triathlon. 

Dr Jo Rodda, of Woodford Green, is one of only 21 people to have ever completed the Enduroman Arch to Arc challenge, from London's Marble Arch to Paris's Arc de Triomphe, in its 14-year history.  

The 38-year-old amateur athlete is now the fastest woman to finish the 87-mile from London to Dover, the 22-mile swim across the English Channel and the 181-cycle ride from Calais to Paris.  

She completed the course in 78 hours and 39 minutes, making her the third fastest finisher overall and smashing the women’s record by 14 hours. 

Dr Rodda had only recently overcome a life-long phobia of swimming in the sea when she joined an open water swimming club in March.  

She admitted her fiercest challenge was spending 15 hours in the deep, choppy water of the Channel. 

But the highlight was crossing the finish line at Paris's world-famous landmark with friend Simon Malyon, 42, whose multiple sclerosis diagnosis inspired her to take part and raise over £30,000 for the MS Trust.

She added: "It was really special and had long been a dream of both of ours for walk the last 100 yards together.

"Simon is in a wheelchair so it was just as tough for him to train as this whole experience was for me."   

For more on this story, see next week's Guardian - out next Thursday