A mother with the running bug is hoping to ace her latest challenge when she attempts to break the world record for running a marathon – dressed as a playing card.

This year’s London Marathon will be the 13th time Lisa Wright has tackled a 26-mile course for charity, but compared to other feats she is facing over the next few weeks it’s a relatively short order.

Mrs Wright will take on the Canalathon, a 31-mile flat ultra marathon across the Famous Rochdale Canal Route 66 tomorrow and then run from Glasgow to Edinburgh two weeks later – another 54 miles – in support of the mental health charity Mind.

“London is going to be hard, because I will be on very tired legs, so it is a big challenge to do it under four-and-a-half hours,” she said.

The 45-year-old, who runs a Birstall garage with her husband, started running 16 years ago and has run marathons in New York and Edinburgh, as well as taking on the London Marathon six times.

But this year she hopes to run the 26-mile course in support of Heart UK dressed as The Queen of Hearts. To clinch the record she must complete the course in under four hours and 30 minutes.

“I’ve chosen to run for Heart UK because I have friends and family that suffer from high cholesterol. We only recently found out that my husband has it, so this has made me more determined to help Heart UK and get the word across to people.

“I have been running for 16 years and the training I am doing at the moment is the most I have ever done. I ran 165 miles last month and nearly 58 miles in one week alone.

“I make sure I go to the gym twice a week to strengthen my muscles and to do pilates to help my posture and back,” Mrs Wright, of Reform Street, Gomersal, said.

“My ambition was always to do London since I was a little girl and I saw the first one on a school trip.

“I trained and did it and just got the bug. I’m doing ultra marathons now – what’s the next step after marathons?”

Mrs Wright’s efforts have been praised by former EastEnders actor David Witts, who played Joey Branning in the BBC soap. He said: “As an Ambassador for Heart UK, I’m passionate about promoting heart health and looking forward to taking part in the Virgin London Marathon for the first time. “I’d like to wish Lisa the very best of luck as she gets ready for the event.”

To sponsor Mrs Wright, uk.virgin moneygiving.com/LisaWright.