‘Hardest Geezer’ is not first man to run length of Africa, says running group

A Briton’s claim of being the first person to run the length of Africa has been thrown into doubt after it was contested by a running association.

Russ Cook, nicknamed the Hardest Geezer, celebrated crossing the finish line in Tunisia on Sunday after spending 352 days taking on the challenge which saw him cover more than 10,000 miles.

During the trek, Mr Cook, from Worthing, West Sussex, took more than 19 million steps and passed through 16 countries while raising money for charity.

However, the 27-year-old’s claim has been challenged by the World Runners Association (WRA) – a group made up of seven athletes who have successfully circumnavigated the world on foot.

The WRA said one of its members, Jesper Kenn Olsen, from Denmark, was the first person to run the length of Africa, during his “world run” challenge which saw him run across several continents.

The association said Mr Olsen began his challenge on December 28 2008 in Taba, Egypt, before running 7,948 miles (12791km) to the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa – completing his journey in 2010.

“Mr Olsen ran through Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, Swaziland and South Africa. He hereby fulfilled the criteria for a full-length run across Africa,” said WRA president Phil Essam.

“The WRA recognises Mr Jesper Kenn Olsen of Denmark as the first person to have run the full length of Africa.

“The World Runners Association therefore contests the claim made by British national Mr Russ Cook to be the first person to run the length of Africa.”

Mr Cook set off from South Africa’s most southerly point on April 22 2023, facing visa complications, health scares and an armed robbery, and believes he is the first person to run the full length of Africa.

He arrived in Ras Angela, Tunisia’s most northerly point, at about 4.40pm on Sunday and was greeted with shouts and cheers from those who had flown out to meet him.

Speaking at a press conference in Bizerte, Tunisia, on Monday morning he said he hopes the completion of his challenge will inspire others to take up sport.

“Honestly it’s totally bananas to me the amount of people who have been following and coming out to support,” he said.

“It would be awesome to get people moving more. I’m a big believer in sport in general doing wonders for people’s lives. It changed my lifestyle.

“I would love for more people to be inspired or motivated to go out running or taking on any kind of sport.

“Our whole goal is to use the power of running to try and empower young people who are going through hard times.”

Describing what motivated him during his almost year-long journey, Mr Cook said: “I think my deepest level of motivation for me is the legacy for my family, the Cook name, and when I have kids and what I want to pass on to them – that’s the deepest level of motivation for me when times are tough.

“I knew it was going to be hard, but I knew I was going into the unknown so I had no idea of how hard it was going to be. It’s safe to say it surpassed all expectations.”

Mr Cook said he went through about 30 pairs of trainers during his journey, which has raised more than £779,000 for charity.

Asked how he washed during the challenge, he jokily replied “Not very often”, before explaining there was a shower on the vehicle that accompanied him but he also used rivers, bucket baths, lakes and hotel showers when possible.