Russ Cook, a British man also known by his Instagram handle the Hardest Geezer, became the first person in recorded history to run the length of Africa when he finished his 9,475-mile journey in Tunisia on Sunday.
Cook embarked on his enduring journey at the southern tip of South Africa on April 22, 2023, according to a video he posted on his YouTube channel. He finished on April 7, 2024, in Tunisia. commemorating the feat with an Instagram post captioned: “The first person ever to run the entire length of Africa. Mission complete.”
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While Cook was all smiles crossing the finish line, his long voyage was anything but a cakewalk.
The trip saw him trek through 16 countries, travelling the length of 385 marathons throughout his trip. The trials and tribulations he dealt with along the way included being robbed at gunpoint in Angola, blackmailed by corrupt governments and kidney issues resulting in him pissing blood.
His journey almost came to an unceremonious end in February when the Algerian government initially refused to grant him entry to the country. (RELATED: Alert Issued Over Multinational Outbreak Of Deadly Disease)
Right girls and boys, we have a bit of a problem. We haven’t been able to get visas for Algeria, and if we don’t get them, then it’s game over for project africa.
I’ve been running now for 278 days, covered nearly 12,000km through 13 countries and raised over £140k for charity…
— Russ Cook (@hardestgeezer) January 23, 2024
But after he tweeted at the country’s President, Tebboune Amadjid, and the Foreign Minister, Ahmed Attaf, Algeria granted him a courtesy visa and he was able to finish his hero’s journey.
Hi @hardestgeezer, please submit your visa application from where you are located. Our Missions will grant you a courtesy visa on the spot.
You can submit your application either to our Embassies in Bamako, Dakar or Nouakchott or to our Consulate in Nouadhibou (Mauritania). 1/2 https://t.co/NMAsL6um7U
— Embassy of Algeria in UK (@EmbAlgeriainuk) January 28, 2024
Cook raised over $1 million in his Project Africa fundraiser for The Running Charity and Sandblast.
I can’t get over how much of a legend this dude is. In 2024, there really aren’t a whole lot of “record firsts” left to be set. This one was left untouched for a reason. Because you have to be a massive psycho (in the best way possible) to pull it off. This dude started pissing blood like two weeks in and it didn’t remotely deter him. Robbed at gunpoint and lost his passport and phone shortly after that. Still kept going. Africa threw everything it had at him and he prevailed. His story reads like a modern day Homer novel.
A true modern day Odysseus. I’m not sure if it’s even possible to top this feat but I can’t wait to see what he does next.