Almost a year and 15,000 kilometers later: Russ ‘The Hardest Geezer’ Cook becomes the first ever to walk the entire length of Africa

Running from the southernmost point of South Africa to the northernmost point of Tunisia. That was the -on paper- simple task that Russ Cook tackled over the past year. The English ultrarunner wanted to be the first person ever to run the entire length of Africa. The initial goal was to cover these 15,000 kilometers in 240 days.

Ultimately, The Hardest Geezer needed 352 days to complete his journey. On Sunday he completed the last kilometers to reach his destination in Tunisia. Cook has kept his followers informed of his adventures in Africa via social media in recent months. This is how he became acquainted with the rainy season in Congo and walked through mountains and deserts. In Algeria he faced visa problems and in Angola Cook and his team were victims of an armed robbery. Oh yes, there was also a kidnapping. Just to say: it was something.

Addiction

In addition to eternal fame, ‘Project Africa’ yielded something else. Thanks to his adventure, Cook raised more than €870,000 for charity. After 15,000 kilometers, Cook can say goodbye to his running shoes – for a while? Because the flamboyant Englishman loves challenges. In 2021, he became the very first person ever to walk through Asia to London. That same year, Cook was buried alive for a week, with only water, oxygen and a camera in his coffin.

Cook’s achievements are exceptional, especially considering that he played little or no sports during his teenage years. At the age of nineteen he completely changed course and started (ultra) running. “I drank and gambled a lot. It was a dark time,” Cook previously told the British media. “When a friend asked me to take part in the half marathon in Brighton everything changed. Thanks to running, I started to believe in myself and taught myself discipline.”