Running around Africa for almost a year of Cook, nicknamed "Geezer"

Russ Cook became the first person to conquer a distance of 16,000 km, through 16 African countries, within 352 days.

The 27-year-old runner, from West Sussex (UK), completed his goal in Tunisia on Sunday afternoon, April 7.

The total running distance of Cook, nicknamed "Geezer", is equivalent to 386 marathons, in 352 days. To put it another way, he has taken more than 20 million steps.

Cook was applauded by fans after completing the journey from the southern tip to the northern tip of Africa. Photo: Reuters

Cook departs on April 22, 2023 at the southern tip of South Africa, Cape Agulhas, and ends at the northern tip of Tunisia, Ras Angela. When it came to the final stage, a group of fans - who had been following Cook's journey through social networks - ran along. His posts on X , Instagram or Youtube always attract millions of views.

As Cook crossed the finish line, people chanted his nickname "Geezer, Geezer". The 27-year-old runner can finally relax and take a dip in the sea. Later, when asked by Sky Sports about how he felt, Cook replied: "I'm a little tired."

Before that, when entering the final stage, Cook was so emotional that it was difficult to express in words because after 352 days of running on the road, he had not been able to see his family or girlfriend and his body had suffered a lot.

Through this special journey, Cook raised 758,000 USD. He will donate the money to the Running Charity Foundation, which provides running and mental health programs for young people who are homeless and facing other life complications, and the Sandblast Foundation. specializes in supporting people in the Sahara desert.

Not only challenging his endurance and patience, the British runner's journey many times made him face danger. Cook was stopped by a group of armed robbers in Angola and captured by a gang of machete-wielding men in the Republic of Congo. He also had to overcome health concerns and complicated visa application procedures. Typically when in Algeria. He had to make a video complaining about this issue on X, attracting 11 million views. Thanks to that, the Algerian embassy in the UK intervened and helped him get a visa.

Before taking on the challenge, Cook said he was an ordinary person who wanted to do something different. The British runner affirmed that this was the biggest challenge of his life and a source of great pride. In the past, Cook has done other strange challenges such as running from Istanbul to London, being buried alive for a week and running the fastest marathon while towing a car.