AN EX-soldier will swap his trainers for oars to take on a record-setting, but dangerous, challenge in aid of charity.

Jordan Wylie, from Andover, will push the boundaries one step further and become the first person on record to row completely unsupported across the Bab El Mandeb Straits.

The straits are located between Djibouti, on the Horn of Africa, and Yemen, on the Arabian Peninsula, and link the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean, via the Gulf of Aden.

Last year, Jordan ran in three of the most perilous countries in the world – Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia — and raised £100,000 for children affected by war.

Speaking about this year’s challenge, Jordan, aged 35, said: “One thing that appeals to me is mentally pushing the boundaries of what other people believe to be impossible. When I was told no-one had rowed this strait, it was something that appealed to me.

“I know something is dangerous when someone tells me that it can’t be done which brings something out in me — I am always trying to find projects that are different.”

The challenge is not for the faint-hearted as piracy, armed rebels and terrorism is rife on the stretch of water.

Jordan, who used to work in maritime security and has sailed on the straits before, will also have to deal with the prospect of the world’s largest super tankers, the ocean’s biggest sharks and venomous marine life.

“I am doing it solo and unsupported which makes it more dangerous than anything else. I am going to be unarmed and completely on my own in a little rowing boat,” the Kings Royals Hussars veteran added.

But the veteran is not only taking on the adventure to get his heart racing as he will also be raising money for Seafarers UK, Frontline Children, and Epilepsy Action — in light of him suffering with the condition.

“Epilepsy is just another risk to manage, people get caught up in worry, but it is about managing them. I never know when I’m going to have a seizure,” the dad-of-one added.

And to train for the expedition, Jordan has linked up with a team of high-profile rowers to prepare for what’s ahead.

“Moving on from running I wanted to do something that I have never done before so I am teaming up with the British Olympic rowing team.

“I am starting off with rowing machines then onto small rowing boats in the Southampton Solent area, and then only onto ocean rowing boats before moving onto an elite level.”

Jordan will not disclose what date he will be completing the challenge for safety reasons.

Later this month he will also head to Scotland to tackle Ben Nevis, with all funds raised split between Frontline Children and St. Dominic’s Sixth Form College, in Harrow, who are fundraising for new sports equipment to support students.