WORTHING’S ultra marathon man Russ Cook has completed his epic south to north African charity challenge, covering more than 10,000 miles in the process.
Mr Cook, 27, started in South Africa and after tortuous months on the road, finally finished in Tunisia on Sunday, April 7.
He is also the first person to run the entire length of Africa from south to north.
He also describes himself as Worthing’s “hardest geezer”, and set off from South Africa just under a year ago, and after an incredible series of challenges finally brought his journey to an end.
Mr Cook battled through several injury problems and illness, faced issues with getting a visa into some countries and also got lost in the jungle.
During the challenge Mr Cook ran through 16 different countries but it has all been worthwhile as he has raised in excess of £800,000 for charity.
It took him a total of 352 days to achieve his goal. An exhausted Mr Cook said with typical understatement: “I am pretty tired, but this is mission completed.”
Heavily bearded, Mr Cook faced several unexpected challenges including being on the receiving end of an armed robbery in Angola when he and his support team had cameras, phones, cash, passports and visas stolen.
But that failed to deter him as he continued to run more than a marathon a day.
Beset with consistent back pain, the hardest geezer said: “I took a couple of days off to get some scans. No major damage so figured the only option left was to stop mincing about like a little weasel, get the strongest pain killers available and zombie stomp the road again.
Having reached the final destination in Tunisia, Mr Cook celebrated in style with his long cherished aim to enjoy a huge glass of a strawberry daiquiri which he drank with considerable relish to celebrate his remarkable achievement.
He is raising money for The Running Charity, which supports people experiencing homelessness and managing complex needs.
The other charity is Sandblast, which provides educational events about Sahrawi people and culture through the arts in the UK. The charity also provides skill development in Sahrawi refugee camps.
To support Mr Cook’s charities, visit: https://givestar.io/gs/PROJECTAFRICA
