iStockphoto / NicoElNino
Runner Russ Cook is about to do something nobody has ever ever done before in the history of mankind: run the full the length of Africa from Cape Agulhas, South Africa north to Ras Angela, Tunisia. He has been averaging a full marathon every day for 340 straight days and is now just 11 days away from completing his goal.
Through 340 days, Russ Cook has ran 15,553 kilometers across 15 countries in Africa. He has battled injuries and illnesses. Cook was robbed at gunpoint. He survived a near-death experience in the jungle. And countless other wild experiences that he’s documented along the way on his YouTube, Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter) pages.
Russ Cook To Become First Person To Run Full Length Of Africa
I came across Russ Cook’s insane feat via Joe Pompliano who shared an update on Russ Cook’s African challenge, pointing out that Russ has also raised over $340,000 for charity. I chipped in £5 for Russ Cook’s journey, feeling inspired by what he’s done.
Since May 2023, Russ Cook is averaging running 51.1 kilometers every single day:
Action pic.twitter.com/NB3qWYYHBG
— Russ Cook (@hardestgeezer) March 27, 2024
The finish line is in sight
Yesterday, Russ Cook shared this update on his journey. At that point, he has ran 15,553km up Africa and only had 11 days left to go. As of the time of writing this, he only has 10 days left of running to become the first person to ever run the entire length of Africa:
It really is near-impossible for our brains to comprehend this distance:
15,553km ran
368 marathons
15 countries 🇿🇦🇳🇦🇦🇴🇨🇩🇨🇬🇨🇲🇳🇬🇧🇯🇹🇬🇬🇭🇨🇮🇬🇳🇸🇳🇲🇷🇩🇿
£269k raised for charity340 days✅ 11 left to go🫡 pic.twitter.com/rOLH7BwCC9
— Russ Cook (@hardestgeezer) March 27, 2024
Russ Cook goes by the name ‘Hardest Geezer’ across social media. In a video weeks ago answering questions about his African run, Russ Cook explained where that came from. Saying that he and his friend both wanted the name. To settle who gets it, they did the only reasonable thing and went to a local park and had a boxing match. So that explains that.
With only 10 days left until his challenge is complete, Russ Cook says he’s rented a hotel in Algeria for a celebration.