(Image: Hasan Mrad/IMAGESLIVE via ZUMA Press Wire/REX/Shutterstock) Get the latest top news stories sent straight to your inbox with our daily newsletter More Newsletters Subscribe Please enter a valid email Something went wrong, please try again later. More Newsletters We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. More info Thank you for subscribing! We have more newsletters Show me See Our Privacy Notice See Our Privacy Notice × Group 28 Get the latest top news stories sent straight to your inbox with our daily newsletter Invalid email Something went wrong, please try again later. Sign Up No thanks, close We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. More info × Group 28 Thank you for subscribing! We have more newsletters Show Me No thanks, close See our Privacy Notice A Brit nicknamed 'Hardest Geezer' has finished an epic challenge of running the length of Africa, having faced machetes and being kidnapped at gunpoint. Russ Cook, from Worthing, West Sussex, has crossed 16 countries in a 16,000 kilometre journey which he began on April 22 last year. He has faced a test of endurance and also the many obstacles en route from visa complications and health scares to armed robbery as he attempted to become the first person to run the full length of the continent. Russ set off at around 10am on Sunday from a petrol garage in Ghezala, a town in north-west Tunisia, and has now c rossed the finish line located in Ras Angela, the country's most northerly point. He has spent 352 days on the road having started at South Africa's most southerly point and has raised more than £650,000 for the Running Charity and Sandblast as part of the venture called Project Africa. Read More Related Articles Ryan Gosling and Paul Rudd make surprise cameos as Kristen Wiig returns to
Saturday Night Live Read More Related Articles Dave Myers honoured by huge motorbike ride as Si King shares poignant statement Speaking at the finish line, the 27-year-old endurance athlete said, understandably: "I'm pretty tired." For the final day of his challenge, Mr Cook invited his supporters to take on the last marathon with him, with many flying out to Tunisia to run alongside him. "How can you be tired when there's this many people running with you? " he said, reports the Mirror . "There's so much energy." "The realisation that my wife got pregnant, had a baby and we now have a two month old in the time he's done this really put it into perspective," shared an awe-struck supporter who joined Russ for a segment of his final run. "I did 22km and I had to pull the pin. He did 16,000km. It's left me speechless." Mr Cook is set to host a celebratory bash at the finish line in a Bizerte hotel, with
British punk rockers Soft Play, previously known as Slaves and featuring Laurie Vincent and Isaac Holman, slated to perform. The band expressed their excitement: "We are big fans of his and he is a fan of us." Russ Cook has crossed the finishing line (Image: hardestgeezer/Instagram) Russ has been raising money for charity with his mammoth run (Image: hardestgeezer/Instagram) Posting on X/Twitter, where he's been documenting his journey, he exclaimed: "Can't quite believe it but we've managed to pull off Soft Play playing the finish line party in Tunisia. Get your daiquiris ready girls and boys this is gonna be mega." Initially, his goal was to traverse from Tunisia to
South Africa, completing 360 marathons in 240 days without breaks. However, his plans were thwarted early on by difficulties in securing an Algerian visa. To add to his challenges, 50 days in, he faced an armed robbery in Angola on June 24, resulting in the loss of passports, visas, phones, cash, and other essential items for him and his support crew. Russ was joined by supporters for the final leg of the journey (Image: AFP via Getty Images) Russ admitted he was pretty tired at the end of the run (Image: Hasan Mrad/IMAGESLIVE via ZUMA Press Wire/REX/Shutterstock) Last Tuesday, Russ described the challenge as "the toughest in my life but an immense honour". He shared his experiences online: "We have met incredible people in every single country we've been to that have welcomed us with love and kindness. The human spirit is a beautiful thing. Very grateful for these experiences and would definitely encourage anyone out there to go get after that adventure, whatever it looks like for you." However, the journey took a perilous turn when, during the fundraising challenge, he found himself in a remote settlement confronted by machete-wielding men demanding money. Recounting the incident, he said: "Emptied my bag to show I had nothing but a half-eaten biscuit. Gave it to them, and ran. Spent the next few hours bushwhacking through overgrown jungle paths." He continued, detailing his efforts to evade further danger: "Trying to stay off any tracks until I was far away." But the situation escalated when he realised the support van couldn't access the road and two men "pulled up on a bike." Reflecting on the harrowing experience, he added: "What happened next was a seven-hour motorbike ride deeper into the jungle. In my head, I thought this was it. Me. The self-proclaimed hardest geezer. About to get held in a Congo gulag before being ripped apart limb by limb and eaten." Russ faced a test of endurance and also the many obstacles en route from visa complications and health scares (Image: hardestgeezer/Instagram) Russ faced many dangers along the way (Image: No credit) Russel shared how he was forcibly taken to a village and then confined to a hut, with a group of men angrily debating his fate. However, after negotiating with the men and having his team organise an escape plan, he managed to survive the ordeal. His health troubles added more pressure to his journey, such as a stomach issue on day 45 that saw him needing medical aid due to blood in his urine. The pace slowed further on day 200 during his time in Nigeria and days 205/206 were also missed. But all that is in the past now as Russ looks forward to simple pleasures back home at the end of the historic run. "Honestly just looking forward to cutting about Worthing, grab a meal deal, spend some time with my girlfriend, Sunday league, curry with the boys.
England to win euros and a heatwave summer? ! Dreamland," he penned, reflecting on what he has missed most about the
UK. This incredible trek across Africa follows a previous feat where, at 22, he ran from Asia to England, totting up 71 marathons in a span of 66 days. Don't miss the latest news from around
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