TUNIS, Tunisia: On April 7, British runner Russ Cook reached a rocky outcrop beside the Mediterranean in northern Tunisia almost a year after he set off from the southern tip of Africa, completing his quest to run the length of the continent.
The British charity fundraiser ran more than 10,000 miles across 16 countries in 352 days.
“I am a little bit tired,” Cook, 27, said.
During his journey, the athlete from Worthing in southern England, known on social media by his nickname, Hardest Geezer, crossed jungle and desert, swerved conflict zones and was delayed by theft, injury, and visa issues.
Cook, who set off on April 22, 2023, from Cape Agulhas in South Africa, the continent’s southernmost point, hoped to complete the journey in 240 days, running the equivalent of more than a marathon every day.
Speaking previously about how running helped him deal with his mental health struggles, Cook previously ran about 2,000 miles from Istanbul to Worthing in 68 days.
His African run has raised more than £690,000 (US$870,000) for the Running Charity, which works with homeless young people, and Sandblast, a charity set up for displaced people from Western Sahara.
“It is quite hard to put into words, 352 days on the road, long time without seeing family, my girlfriend,” Cook told Sky News as he started running Sunday.
“My body is in a lot of pain. But one more day, I am not about to complain,” he added.
