BIOGRAPHY

Born in 1987 in Orpington, Kent, Chris is 1 of 4 children to his parents Linda and Dennis Leek. A very active child, Chris found his love for swimming at an early age, following in his eldest sister Emma’s footsteps. Representing the county of Kent and local swimming club Orpington OJays, at the age of 14, Chris broke his arm playing football, and after 7 months out of the pool, decided to not return and instead take up rugby. This love for rugby continued, and Chris successfully managed to get into the Sheffield Hallam University team. Unfortunately, another sever leg break put Chris’s sporting progress to a halt.

When Chris left University in 2009, with a first class degree in Sports Management, he followed his father’s career path into Sales and specifically into the drinks industry. Chris has worked for the Budweiser Brewing Group for 11 years now and has held varying positions within the company.

In 2014, on an evening out with friends, Chris decided he wanted to set himself a goal. A goal that would challenge his physical and mental strength to levels he had not ever experienced. This goal was to complete the UK Ironman. Where most participants would have a base level of fitness to start from, Chris did not. Told by people he would never achieve this, the next day he booked his place, and within 20 weeks, a dream became reality. Completing the feat in 11hrs 47mins, Chris proved to himself that if you set yourself a goal, and believe in yourself, anything is possible. This achievement, unbeknown to himself was the start of his trilogy of achievements.  

In 2015, having completed many different triathlons, Chris needed a new challenge. Having moved to Blackfen, in Sidcup, with his now wife Charlotte and dog Parker, Chris searched the internet. 2015 was a challenging year for Chris and his family. His father Dennis, who had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2004, had now been diagnosed with Lewy Body Dementia. This new challenge Chris set out to achieve had to be big enough that it brought fear and a level of uncertainty with it. It had to be so big, that he would have to grow as an individual, mentally and physically, to even be brave enough to take it on. One evening when Charlotte was working, he found that challenge and without even researching what the training plan entailed, he booked and paid for it. In 12 months, Chris set out to swim the English Channel, without a wet suit, a feat at the time only around one thousand people had ever completed.  

Wasting no time, Chris set himself a demanding training plan. Having never experienced swimming in the sea without a wetsuit, he traveled to Dover to meet the DCT team, a specialized team that support people setting out to achieve the dream of swimming to France. After 30 mins in 16 degree Celsius, Chris came into several problems and was immediately asked to swim back to shore. Displaying hypothermic conditions, this wasn’t the best introduction into cold water acclimation. Feeling slightly embarrassed, this was the setback Chris needed to get himself into gear. This challenge was beyond crazy, however to prove he could and he would do this, he had to reach out and get some advice and most importantly a plan.      

In 2016, Chris successfully swam the English Channel, becoming the 1,147th individual to do so in a time of 12 hours 9 mins. However, it certainly wasn’t plan sailing. Having 2 shoulder surgeries at the start of the year due to over training, post recovery, Chris only had 12 weeks to learn how to swim again and build up his physical strength to complete the mammoth task. On the day, August 25th, Chris had to deal other challenges that he hadn’t experienced in training. Jelly fish, tanker ships and swimming in the dark, all elements that Chris and his team had to overcome. Having achieved this for his father, Chris raised over £25K for Parkinson’s UK.   

Chris promised himself he would never get into cold water again. The pain he experienced was beyond words. However during his training he met a women called Rachel Hill. An individual who was training for the Arch 2 Arc triathlon. Having failed on her first attempt to complete the challenge, she learnt from her mistakes and was ready to take it on again. There was something about Rachel Hill’s aura that made Chris very interested in watching her progress. Rachel became the 3rd person to complete the feat, non-wetsuit, and in the process had the women’s world record.

He knew, when he sets his mind to something, he finds a way to get to the finishing line. Needing all his family on board, in 2018 Chris signed up for the challenge. With Chris’s father now needing 24/7 care, he set himself 2 goals. To break the Non-wetsuit World Record for the Arch 2 Arc, and to raise £1million for 3 charities very to his heart. Chris didn’t just sign up for the Arch 2 Arc, he set out to inspire others, to challenge the norm and to prove that the ordinary man can achieve extraordinary things.

Chris took 8 months to train for this amazing feat, ignoring (yet respecting) the recommended 3 year training program. With the support of his family, team, and work place, Chris set out to achieve the impossible. At 5pm on August 5th 2019, Chris left Marble Arch London, in his quest to achieve his dream. By 2:30pm on August 7th, at the end of the Champs-Élysées, underneath the Arc De Triomphe, Chris became the new world record holder.

2019 will forever be a very special year for Chris and his family. Whilst holding a high pressured Account controller position managing 6 individuals, supporting with the caring of his ill father, living out family duties and planning a house extension, Chris also had to remain focused and obsessed to find time to train for his challenge.

This focus, dedication and obsession drove Chris to achieve his dreams of not only completing the Arch 2 Arc, but breaking the World record in the meantime. To date, Chris has raised over £170K for his chosen charities, and continues to seek out opportunities to find ways of achieving the £1 Million target he set himself.

Currently Chris is helping mentor individuals that wish to take on the mammoth 21 mile swim for England to France, giving them advice based on his own experiences. He also supports future Arch 2 Arc athletes in tackling demons and training plans.

Over the past few months Chris has started to share he story on the stage, at business conferences, schools, and during motivational talks. Sharing his story and how he has overcome obstacles in everyday life.  

A proud ambassador for #Teamparkinsons, Lewy Body Society and Michelob Ultra UK, Chris is in the process of writing a book on his Arch 2 Arc Journey: Can an ordinary man achieve extraordinary things?