A Tauranga nurse is set to become the first New Zealand woman to run in the Polar Circle Marathon in Greenland - all while battling arthritis.
In October, Nicola Wearne will crampon her shoes and run around crevasses for the 8km-long marathon - a hard challenge for any runner, let alone one with arthritis.
Ms Wearne was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis at 38.
"At one point I was on so much medication I rattled," she said.
After two years of battling unexplained joint pain and fatigue, she put her symptoms down to being a full time mum of two, working full time and being a keen runner.