This Guy Just Ran the Entire Length of Africa

Russ Cook is believed to be the first person to have accomplished the feat

by Evann Gastaldo
April 7, 2024

British runner Russ Cook sits after arriving to the finish line in Ras Angela, the most northern point of the African continent, in Tunis, Tunisia (The Snapshot People LTD via AP)

A British runner—once described by Runner's World as an "extreme ultrarunner"—finished running the entire length of Africa on Sunday afternoon after having set off nearly a year prior. Russ Cook crossed the finish line in Tunisia, having run from the southernmost tip of the continent to the northernmost tip—through 16 countries—in 352 days, the Guardian reports. The 27-year-old goes by his nickname of "Hardest Geezer" on social media (Run 24/7 once explained that he got the nickname "thanks to the series of outrageous physical feats he has achieved"), where he has quite a following—his Africa trek, which equaled the distance of about 376 marathons, raised more than $800,000 for charity, the BBC reports.

He is believed to be the first person to have accomplished the feat. As for the "why," Cook has spoken openly about his struggles with mental health, gambling, and addiction when he was a teenager. He started running at a friend's suggestion, and says the training required for running marathons ultimately kickstarted him turning his life around. Among his other feats, he became the first person to run from Asia to London in 2019. His Africa run was not without complications—at one point, he and his support team were the victims of an armed robbery; at another, he was delayed due to trouble getting an Algerian visa, which he ultimately got, apparently thanks in part to attention from Elon Musk and other big names.