A British man has created history and become the first person in the known history to run the entire length of Africa.
Russell Cook from West Sussex, England, began his 349-day and 19 million-step journey at the most southerly point of South Africa in April with the finish line marked in Tunisia.
The 27-year-old successfully completed his mission earlier today (Sunday, 7 April).
Cook, who goes by the name ‘Hardest Geezer’ on X, originally planned to complete 360 marathons in 240 days, however, as a result of his health, visa problems and even being robbed at gunpoint, he ended up running even more – his total on his 345th day a whopping 376 marathons.
The route saw Cook run through multiple countries in Africa, including one he had ‘more warnings about safety than any other country on the route’ – Nigeria.
The runner previously told CNN he didn’t think there was any point worrying about any of the mission ‘until it’s right in your face’.
He added: “We can plan and try to mitigate as much as we can along the way but none of these things keep me up at night. Handle the day, wake up, and handle tomorrow.”
And thankfully, Cook has successfully made it to the finish line.
