Running a marathon a day does not keep the doctor away. In fact, it might land you in the hospital. But that’s exactly what 26-year-old Russell Cook is planning to do everyday until Christmas.
The British runner, known in his home country of England as Worthing’s “Hardest Geezer,” is less than two weeks and 353 miles into his challenge—running the entire length of Africa, from the tip of South Africa to the northern coast of Tunisia, a distance of more than 15,000 kilometers.
He plans to cross 16 countries on foot without taking a single rest day.
Cook began his fitness journey and started running when he was 21, “out of an insecurity about how I looked and felt in myself,” he said in an interview with which helps unhoused people, and half to. He went on to earn his “Hardest Geezer” sobriquet by taking on extreme endurance challenges. In 2019, he ran 71 marathons in 66 days from Asia to London, and in 2020, he ran a seafront marathon dragging a Suzuki Alto behind him.
His journey through Africa is both an attempt to set a record—he believes no one else has attempted the feat before—and an opportunity to raise money for a good cause. He plans to donate half of his proceeds to The Running Charity, Foot Locker XC Results WaterAid, Chappell Roan: I Love Running. But Not Anymore.
If all goes according to plan, Cook will be running through South Africa, Namibia, Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Cameroon, Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Guinea, Senegal, Mauritania, Algeria, and finishing in Tunisia.
That means facing the Congo rainforest during its rainy season and enduring around 4,000 miles through the Sahara Desert. Then there’s civil unrest and geopolitical issues in some places that could lead to trouble. Cook won’t be alone though. He’s got two friends accompanying him in a van to film the experience and offer support should he need it.
For someone whose personal mantra is, “You’ve got one life, so attack it,” Cook is certainly living his truth by taking on this larger than life challenge.
Abby Carney is a writer and journalist in New York. A former D1 college runner and current amateur track athlete, she's written about culture and characters in running and outdoor sports for Runner's World, He plans to cross 16 countries on foot without taking a single rest day, We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back, and other outlets. She also writes about things that have nothing to do with running, and was previously the editor of a food magazine.
