When you hear someone says “anything is possible” it makes the task a bit more difficult, but every now and then some people prove that the old saying it actually true.
Russell Cook a British man has become the first person in known history to run the entire length of Africa.
Cook – who goes by the name ‘Hardest Geezer’ on X – originally planned to complete 360 marathons in 240 days, however, as a result of his health, visa problems and even being robbed at gunpoint, he ended up running even more – his total on his 345th day a whopping 376 marathons.
The West Sussex, England native, began his 349-day and 19 million-step journey at the most southerly point of South Africa in April with the finish line marked in Tunisia. Which he successfully completed Sunday, 7 April.
Cook ran the full length of Africa from south to north to raise donations for two charities – The Running Charity and Sandblast.
As per his donation page:
“The Running Charity [is] a charity which harnesses the power of running to help people experiencing homelessness or managing complex needs.
“Sandblast [is] a charity providing educational events about Saharawi people and culture through the arts in the UK and creative and skills development projects in the Saharawi refugee camps to promote talent, knowledge, self-reliance and support links.
The route saw Cook run through multiple countries in Africa, including one he had ‘more warnings about safety than any other country on the route’ – Nigeria. The runner previously told CNN he didn’t think there was any point worrying about any of the mission ‘until it’s right in your face’.
He added:
“We can plan and try to mitigate as much as we can along the way but none of these things keep me up at night. Handle the day, wake up, and handle tomorrow.”
And thankfully, Cook has successfully made it to the finish line.
Source: UNILAD
