After 16,000km and 352 days, UK man Russ Cook reaches goal of running length of Africa
- Russ Cook on Sunday completed epic Africa run that took him across 16 countries
- The 27-year-old set off from South Africa’s most southerly point on April 22 last year
Sore and sandblasted but triumphant, runner Russ Cook reached the northernmost point of Africa on Sunday, 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 beside the Mediterranean in northern Tunisia, cheering on the British charity fundraiser, who has run more than 16,000km (10,000 miles) across 16 countries in 352 days.
“I’m a little bit tired,” Cook said – likely an understatement.
During 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.