UK’s ‘Hardest Geezer’ completes challenge to run length of Africa
Al Jazeera
Russ Cook finishes the journey of more than 16,000km (9,940 miles) in 352 days, raising $870,000 for two separate charities.
Sore and sandblasted but triumphant, runner Russ Cook has reached the northernmost point of Africa, almost a year after he set off from its southern tip on a quest to run the length of the continent.
Dozens of supporters gathered on a rocky outcrop on Sunday beside the Mediterranean in northern Tunisia, cheering on the British charity fundraiser, who has run more than 16,000km (9,940 miles) across 16 countries in 352 days, and is believed to be the first person to complete the feat.
“I’m a little bit tired,” Cook said – likely an understatement.
In the course of his journey, the 27-year-old endurance athlete from Worthing in southern England crossed jungle and desert, swerved conflict zones and was delayed by theft, injury and visa problems.
Cook – known on social media by his nickname, Hardest Geezer – set off on April 22, 2023 from Cape Agulhas in South Africa, the continent’s southernmost point. He hoped to complete the journey in 240 days, running the equivalent of more than a marathon every day.
