Hardest Geezer: British man Russ Cook completes run across Africa

Check out: The moment Russ Cook completes his run across Africa!

After a year of beginning his journey, which involved crossing various landscapes such as deserts, mountains, and rainforests spanning 16 different countries, Russ Cook (also known as the Hardest Geezer) has finally finished his goal to run the entire distance of Africa.

Originally, the plan was to complete the challenge of traveling a distance that exceeds 385 marathons before Christmas.

Instead of a straight 16,300km travel, which is over 10,000 miles, it took 352 days for the 27-year-old redhead from Worthing to complete the journey. He faced countless challenges along the way, including life-threatening situations and unforgiving weather conditions as he traveled northwards from South Africa to Tunisia's Mediterranean shore.

The chef and his squad encountered armed robbery, endured vexatious border hold-ups and were accompanied by law enforcement during their journey. He persisted despite being unwell, wounded, and traversing grueling landscapes.

However, Cook's final marathon was made special when the individuals he had motivated and honored on social media, where his accomplishment was recorded, accompanied him on Sunday. This marked the end of Cook and his team's extraordinary journey.

He asserts that he is the pioneer who ran the entirety of the continent and up to now amassed over £600,000 for his preferred charities while accomplishing the astonishing endurance challenge. He is more than halfway to reaching his £1m objective.

This tells about what happened to him in the previous year.

Project Africa Begins: Day One

On April 22nd, 2023, Cook began his monumental task, which he had spent years organizing, getting ready for, and practicing for.

He covered a total distance of 50.6km on the first day of his journey, which was more than 30 miles. He began his expedition from the South African village of L'Agulhas, located at the southernmost point of Africa.

Afterwards, he planned to trace the western shoreline of Africa by traveling through various countries including Namibia, Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of Congo, Cameroon, Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Guinea, Senegal, Mauritania, and Algeria.

Gunpoint Robbery On Day 64

Even though Cook had done all he could to get ready for the trip, there were still some unexpected events that happened during the last year which he couldn't have predicted. Around two months after starting the journey, Cook and his team were held up at gunpoint and had everything stolen from them, including their passports, money, phones, and equipment.

After the event, in which no one was injured, the crew was accompanied by police for the remainder of their journey in Angola.

Further along the mission, Cook experienced a situation where he got separated from his team due to blocked paths. Luckily, he had another stroke of luck when a gang carrying machetes approached him and demanded money.

Running Despite Food Poisoning On Day 167

During his daily ultramarathon, Cook had to face both physical and mental strain, as well as various instances of illness and injury that added to the challenge.

At the beginning of the challenge, the Briton encountered an unknown disease that posed a significant danger to the person's health. Additionally, the person also experienced difficulties with food poisoning, which occurred multiple times throughout the course of the challenge. One instance of food poisoning lasted for several days while the person was in Cameroon.

As he traveled from Nigeria to Benin, after 200 days, Cook was hit by the flu. He confessed feeling drained in those times and said, "Honestly, I don't feel like myself right now."

"Mission In Jeopardy: Back Injury On Day 205"

Despite Cook's determination to continue despite previous injuries, such as a concerning foot ailment, he was compelled to take a two day break due to an issue with his back.

The agony felt by the self-proclaimed 'Toughest Guy' was intense, prompting him to undergo scans. Fortunately, the results revealed no signs of bone injury, so he carried on with relief.

It's hard to fathom the harm caused to the body every day. On the 266th day of his journey through the mountainous regions of Guinea, he described the sensation of someone replacing his hip flexors with strands of cheese.

Help Needed: Day 278

Cook and his team frequently encountered problems with obtaining visas, but the most significant border issue occurred when they were trying to travel from Mauritania to Algeria, which was a distance of 12,000km.

Since visas for Algeria were out of reach, he had to resort to social media and seek assistance. His efforts paid off as British MPs stepped up to aid him after his plea went viral, eventually leading to the grant of his visa.

During his travels around Africa, Cook encountered numerous positive experiences, but in particular, he never experienced so many people stopping to offer him assistance and provisions like in Mauritania. With his visas now approved, the end of his journey was near.

Desert Weather: Sandstorms & Snowstorms

After spending more than 300 days exploring Africa, Cook reached the Sahara desert, but unfortunately, his physical condition was extremely exhausted and he was constantly experiencing pain.

Besides encountering sandstorms, he also faced fierce snowstorms in the Algerian deserts. He had to take refuge during the snowstorms, and also, he had a momentary separation from his team due to a van breakdown.

However, he managed to reach the end goal by continuing the race while wearing swimming goggles to shield his eyes and a T-shirt wrapped around his mouth.

Is In Sight!

For quite some time, Cook had been yearning to relax on a Tunisian beach, sipping on a delicious strawberry daiquiri.

Finally, on Sunday, he achieved his goal by reaching the tip of northern Tunisia at Ras ben Sakka.

Confessing that he had cried a bit at the beginning of the last day, he paused for a second and gazed at the endless line separating the sky and the sea, while placing his hands on his skull.

During the last 44 kilometers of his journey, many people who were fascinated by his adventure over the past year accompanied him. Finally, he reached the finish line where he was warmly greeted by his family, friends, and partner. He described it as a mystical event that had been on his mind for a long time.

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