A Melbourn housewife who never dreamed of running a marathon has overcome chronic pain and her fear of failure to achieve her goal again and again.

Royston Crow: Jane Leach shows off a marathon medal with daughters Lucy, 16, Katie, 14, Jane and Mazie, seven.Jane Leach shows off a marathon medal with daughters Lucy, 16, Katie, 14, Jane and Mazie, seven. (Image: Archant)

Jane Leach has already completed the Paris, London and Berlin marathons this year and on Sunday will run the Royal Parks Foundation Half Marathon, before heading off to New York in November for the last leg of her mission.

The mother of three girls said: “It is all about overcoming fears and setting challenges.

“Sometimes the challenge is starting something. If you start it you start believing anything is possible.

“I’m 45. If anybody had told me 20 years ago that I would be running a marathon at my age I would be crying with laughter.

“I cried with joy at the end of the Berlin Marathon.”

A self-confessed PE teacher’s nightmare, Jane never took much interest in sport at school.

She has bone fusion in her back, chest and pelvis, and has suffered from chronic back pain for more than 20 years which was caused by ankylosing spondylitis.

Doctors told her three years ago that she couldn’t have the condition because she didn’t have a genetic marker which 95 per cent of sufferers possess. After hearing this, Jane decided to address the problem by getting fit.

Since then she had lost two stone and despite feeling pain sometimes when she runs, enjoys a much better quality of life.

She said: “When I first started I couldn’t run more than one minute. I have slowly gone from one minute to being able to run a full marathon in 4hrs 46mins in London. It really is quite something. Sometimes I cannot quite believe what I have achieved.”

Jane, who lives with her daughters and husband Chris in New Road, was eventually diagnosed with the condition in July last year.

Since then she has been supported by the National Ankylosing Spondylitis Society which has helped her learn to live with the condition.

To show her appreciation for the charity she is using the events to fundraise for NASS.

To support her visit the Virgin Money donation website and search for JazzyQ42.