British athlete runs length of Africa

A British endurance athlete, who calls himself the ‘Hardest Geezer’, has completed a marathon 352-day, 16,000 km journey along the western coast of Africa, having traversed 16 countries on the route.

Russ Cook began his charity challenge last April, setting off from the southern coastal village of L’Agulhas in South Africa.

The 27-year-old has since run more than 16,000 km (nearly 10,000 miles) along the western coast of the continent before finishing in Ras Angela, Tunisia at the most northerly point of Africa on Sunday.

Cook raised more than $870,000 for good causes, with the proceeds going to The Running Charity, which helps young homeless people, and Sandblast, which provides assistance to people displaced from the Western Sahara.

“The first person ever to run the entire length of Africa. Mission complete,” the British runner posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday.

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Cook faced some challenges during his epic journey, experiencing stomach issues during the early stages, and being forced to take a break on the 45th day after doctors found blood and protein in his urine. Back pain also stalled progress on the 200th day.

The athlete was robbed while running in Angola on June 24, with the perpetrators taking cameras, phones, cash, passports and visas from him and his support team.

The missing visas caused issues on the 278th day of the journey as Cook attempted to cross the Algerian border, but the British embassy in Algiers intervened to ensure the challenge could continue.

Cook had invited his supporters to join him for the last day of his journey. He also shared plans for a celebration at a hotel in Bizerte, Tunisia, featuring a performance by English punk rock band Soft Play.