The Enduroman Arch 2 Arc isn’t like other triathlons. You only have to look at the number of people who have completed it to understand its challenge: 37, since it was first attempted by Englishman Edgar Ette back in 2000.

What makes it so difficult? Again, the numbers speak from themselves. An 87-mile run, from London’s March Arch to Dover, followed by a 21-mile swim across the English Channel, and then a 181-mile cycle from Calais to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, all without stopping (in theory anyway). To put that into context, an Ironman, which is often seen as the ultimate test of ultra-endurance athletes, involves a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bicycle ride and a 26-mile run. Piece of cake.

Next month, beer sales manager Chris Leek, from Orpington in Kent, will aim not just to add his name to the list of people to complete the Enduroman but to break a world record in the process. Chris, 32, an amateur athlete with no professional training, is looking to finish the mammoth 289-mile triathlon in a time better than the current record of 73 hours and 39 minutes. Oh, and he's doing it without a wetsuit.