Fresh from a gruelling Atlantic crossing, Hamble’s own Jack Jarvis and his team, United We Conquer, return home after a record-breaking row in support of veterans’ mental health. Speaking to Voice FM, Jack reflects on the highs, lows, and purpose that powered their 3,500-mile challenge.

It seems that in recent years we have witnessed a spike in coverage of ultra endurance events and challenges. A brief doom-scroll through social media will usually yield at least one instance of a person covering sickeningly long distances by bike, boat or foot - often in aid of a good cause.

There is data to prove that this is not just a case of my various algorithms attempting to guilt trip me into doing more than a quarterly 5k too. According to the 2025 UK Running Report, marathon and ultra-marathon activity on apps like Strava rose by 9% in 2024. 

This year, applications for major running events such as the London Marathon dwarfed last year’s figure of 578,000, with a staggering 840,000 entrants competing in the UK alone.

There is one test of endurance though that seems to be gaining significant traction and is almost certainly more punishing than running a marathon: rowing the Atlantic Ocean.

It must be said that this demanding feat is not a new one, with the first recorded instance dating back to 1896. In 2025 alone though, three Atlantic crossing records have already been made or broken.

Jack Jarvis holds one of them - and it's not his first. 

The 28 year old and his team, United We Conquer, arrived back in the Hampshire village of Hamble last week to rapturous applause from a large crowd. The team, which also included David Bruce, Sam Edwards and Adam Radcliffe, spent 56 days at sea and travelled 3,500 miles (5,630km). 

“It was actually a bit overwhelming having only dealt with [three] people for the 56 days prior, but it was incredible” Jack says.

The rowers have now raised over £100,000 for the armed forces mental health charity, Head Up, as a result of the challenge.

Having served 14 years in the military, and with two Marines on board as well, Jarvis says he was keen to support a charity that leaves servicemen and women “better prepared for any challenges they face in the future” regardless of whether they are in crisis or not. 

The fundraising goal was not the only thing smashed by the team during the crossing. Before departing New York in June, they set themselves the challenge of beating the world record for the greatest distance rowed in 24 hours, which stood at 116 nautical miles.

“We actually broke it twice”, Jack casually tells me. “We did 130 miles one day and then the next day we did 140!”. The team are now awaiting for the official confirmation that the record is theirs - Jack says “they can pick whichever day they want”.

This confirmation will mean that the rower now holds two world records for Atlantic crossings. In 2022, he became the first person to complete a solo, non-stop row across the Atlantic from mainland Europe to North America. 

On this occasion, Jack was raising money for the brain cancer charity, Brainstrust. Again, the charity is close to his heart, having lost his grandfather to a brain tumour in 2007. 

Although Brainstrust wasn't the recipient of the donations for his second crossing, the memory of his grandfather remained crucial to it. 

“I always look back to him when I'm having tough times. He didn't choose to have a brain tumour and he fought that with all his will…so if he can battle that, I can do 56 days in the Atlantic.” 

Having spent the last 56 days on five hours sleep per day and food rations, Jack has been enjoying some well deserved down time. 

That being said, the soldier is already eyeing up his next challenge and it looks like he will be adding to those Strava ultra-marathon statistics, with a potential running challenge from Asia to the UK on the cards.