An Inspiring Story
Born in Dagenham, Lee grew up in a household dominated by alcoholism and domestic violence, never feeling able to challenge his father.
Lee dreamed one day being strong enough to face his father. He dreamed of becoming a Royal Marine. In 1992 he achieved that goal.
Lee served in The Royal Marines for 24 years, leading a section in capturing the first objectives in the second Iraq War. He then volunteered for Special Duties and was one of only three out of 126 who eventually passed the course.
He completed three tours of Afghanistan as an agent handler, often working undercover in the most dangerous place in the world. He became the person he always dreamed of being.
A Life-Changing Event
On a dark wintery night and off duty in the UK, Lee lost that person he became when he stopped to help at the scene of a crash on the M3 motorway.
Struck by debris when another car hit the scene, Lee came within a whisker of bleeding to death. He instructed a passer-by to stand on his groin when a makeshift tourniquet wouldn’t work.
Through their best efforts, surgeons were unable to save Lee’s right leg. His life then changed.
4x World Record Holder
Unperturbed by becoming disabled, Lee learned to walk again, would row across the Atlantic with the world’s first physically disabled crew of four – with just three legs between them – and embarked on his epic solo row and other endurance challenges. He then became a multiple world record holder.
The Endurance Athlete
Lee’s expeditions are not presented as spectacle. They are proof of sustained discipline under uncertainty — and they anchor the credibility behind his work on resilience and leadership.
Below some of Lee’s notable feats of human endurance.
In 2015–2016, Lee and three other injured veterans (the Row2Recovery crew) rowed the Atlantic from La Gomera to Antigua in 46 days, 6 hours and 49 minutes, becoming the first physically disabled team of four to row any ocean (Guinness World Records).
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In 2019, Lee (also known as Lee “Frank” Spencer in some record listings) completed a solo Atlantic row from Portimão, Portugal to Cayenne, French Guiana. Guinness World Records recognises his achievement for the longest solo row by a physically disabled person: 3,162 nautical miles in 60 days, 16 hours and 6 minutes.
The expedition also attracted major national coverage, including reporting that he broke the existing able-bodied solo Atlantic row record by a significant margin (36 days).
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In 2022, Lee attempted a combined endurance challenge spanning an English Channel swim, a Land’s End to John O’Groats cycle, and ascents of Britain’s highest peaks. The initial attempt was halted at the Channel stage due to conditions, with the wider challenge documented by Lee and multiple outlets covering the attempt.
Learn more“There were some brilliant and inspirational stories shared and when those guys walk in it has a big impact on the group.”
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