 | It has been suggested that
Project Africa be
merged into this article. (
Discuss) Proposed since April 2024. |
.jpg) Cook in 2024 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nickname | Hardest Geezer |
| Nationality | English |
| Born | 13 March 1997 Worthing, England |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Ultrarunning |
| Updated on 7 April 2024. | |
Russell Cook (born 13 March 1997), also known as Hardest Geezer, is an English endurance athlete from Worthing, West Sussex. In April 2024, Cook became the first person to run the entire length of Africa from the southernmost to the northernmost point of the continent as part of Project Africa. [1] [2] [3]
Early life and education
Cook was born in Worthing, West Sussex, [4] attended Vale school in Findon before attending Worthing High School and Worthing College.[ citation needed]
Career
In 2020, Cook ran from Istanbul, Turkey to Worthing, England in 68 days. [5] Also in 2020, [6] he set the world record for the fastest marathon run whilst pulling a car, in 9 hours, 56 minutes. [5]
Running the length of Africa
On 22 April 2023, Cook began Project Africa, planning to run the entire length of the African continent. He began in Cape Agulhas, South Africa, the southernmost point and ended in Ras Angela, Tunisia, the northernmost point on 7 April 2024. [7] The course covered 16,000 km (9,900 mi) and crossed 16 countries. [7] During the run, he had to overcome several challenges including being robbed at gunpoint, food poisoning and being accosted by men with machetes. [2]
As part of his endeavour he raised money for the Running Charity, who offer running and mental health programmes to people who are struggling, as well as the charity Sandblast who support the indigenous Saharawi population of Western Sahara. [1] Cook took on the challenge because he had faced mental health issues, gambling addiction, and struggles with alcoholism. [4]
Having completed the challenge, the claim Cook was the first to run the full length of Africa was disputed by the World Runners Association (WRA) and Nicholas Bourne. The disputes center on differing routes and semantics. The WRA agreed Cook is the first to run from Africa's southernmost to northernmost point [2] but claims WRA member Jesper Olsen is the first to run the full length in 2010, running from Taba, Egypt to the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa as part of a world run, [8] [3] while Nicholas Bourne's 1998 run, starting in Cape Town, South Africa and finishing in Cairo, Egypt, was certified by the Guinness World Records in 2000. [8] According to The Independent, "Mr Bourne said disputes often arise around ultra-running records because there was no governing body to oversee and set criteria for long-distance challenges". [8] According to Guinness World Records they have no official record for the first man to have run the length of Africa because "there is no recognised standard for the route, distance or time taken". [9]
References
- ^ a b Davies, Caroline (2024-04-07). "'I'm a little bit tired': Briton becomes first person to run the length of Africa". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 2024-04-08. Retrieved 2024-04-09.
- ^ a b c Mather, Victor (8 April 2024). "Guns, Machetes and Illness: The Perils of Running the Length of Africa". New York Times. Archived from the original on 8 April 2024. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
- ^ a b Kelly, Guy (2024-04-08). "How the 'Hardest Geezer' ran across Africa straight into an unlikely feud". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on 2024-04-09. Retrieved 2024-04-13.
- ^ a b "Russ Cook: The man who ran the length of Africa". BBC News. 2024-04-07. Archived from the original on 2024-04-07. Retrieved 2024-04-07.
- ^ a b Heath, Jacob (2020-10-26). "The record-breaking Sussex runner known as 'The Hardest Geezer'". Sussex Live. Archived from the original on 2024-04-06. Retrieved 2024-04-09.
- ^ Green, Olly (2023-07-19). "Russ Cook: The 'Hardest Geezer' aiming to run the length of Africa". Run247. Archived from the original on 2024-04-09. Retrieved 2024-04-09.
- ^ a b "He did it! 'Hardest Geezer' Russ Cook finishes gruelling challenge to run length of Africa". Sky News. Archived from the original on 2024-04-09. Retrieved 2024-04-09.
- ^ a b c Braidwood, Jamie (2024-04-08). "Row erupts over Hardest Geezer's claim of 'record' run of Africa". The Independent. Archived from the original on 2024-04-09. Retrieved 2024-04-09.
- ^ Somerville, Ewan (2024-04-08). "Guinness to hand 'Hardest Geezer' world record for Africa run". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on 2024-04-13. Retrieved 2024-04-13.
| It has been suggested that
Project Africa be
merged into this article. (
Discuss) Proposed since April 2024. |
|
Cook in 2024 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nickname | Hardest Geezer |
| Nationality | English |
| Born | 13 March 1997 Worthing, England |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Ultrarunning |
| Updated on 7 April 2024. | |
Russell Cook (born 13 March 1997), also known as Hardest Geezer, is an English endurance athlete from Worthing, West Sussex. In April 2024, Cook became the first person to run the entire length of Africa from the southernmost to the northernmost point of the continent as part of Project Africa. [1] [2] [3]
Early life and education
Cook was born in Worthing, West Sussex, [4] attended Vale school in Findon before attending Worthing High School and Worthing College.[ citation needed]
Career
In 2020, Cook ran from Istanbul, Turkey to Worthing, England in 68 days. [5] Also in 2020, [6] he set the world record for the fastest marathon run whilst pulling a car, in 9 hours, 56 minutes. [5]
Running the length of Africa
On 22 April 2023, Cook began Project Africa, planning to run the entire length of the African continent. He began in Cape Agulhas, South Africa, the southernmost point and ended in Ras Angela, Tunisia, the northernmost point on 7 April 2024. [7] The course covered 16,000 km (9,900 mi) and crossed 16 countries. [7] During the run, he had to overcome several challenges including being robbed at gunpoint, food poisoning and being accosted by men with machetes. [2]
As part of his endeavour he raised money for the Running Charity, who offer running and mental health programmes to people who are struggling, as well as the charity Sandblast who support the indigenous Saharawi population of Western Sahara. [1] Cook took on the challenge because he had faced mental health issues, gambling addiction, and struggles with alcoholism. [4]
Having completed the challenge, the claim Cook was the first to run the full length of Africa was disputed by the World Runners Association (WRA) and Nicholas Bourne. The disputes center on differing routes and semantics. The WRA agreed Cook is the first to run from Africa's southernmost to northernmost point [2] but claims WRA member Jesper Olsen is the first to run the full length in 2010, running from Taba, Egypt to the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa as part of a world run, [8] [3] while Nicholas Bourne's 1998 run, starting in Cape Town, South Africa and finishing in Cairo, Egypt, was certified by the Guinness World Records in 2000. [8] According to The Independent, "Mr Bourne said disputes often arise around ultra-running records because there was no governing body to oversee and set criteria for long-distance challenges". [8] According to Guinness World Records they have no official record for the first man to have run the length of Africa because "there is no recognised standard for the route, distance or time taken". [9]
References
- ^ a b Davies, Caroline (2024-04-07). "'I'm a little bit tired': Briton becomes first person to run the length of Africa". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 2024-04-08. Retrieved 2024-04-09.
- ^ a b c Mather, Victor (8 April 2024). "Guns, Machetes and Illness: The Perils of Running the Length of Africa". New York Times. Archived from the original on 8 April 2024. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
- ^ a b Kelly, Guy (2024-04-08). "How the 'Hardest Geezer' ran across Africa straight into an unlikely feud". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on 2024-04-09. Retrieved 2024-04-13.
- ^ a b "Russ Cook: The man who ran the length of Africa". BBC News. 2024-04-07. Archived from the original on 2024-04-07. Retrieved 2024-04-07.
- ^ a b Heath, Jacob (2020-10-26). "The record-breaking Sussex runner known as 'The Hardest Geezer'". Sussex Live. Archived from the original on 2024-04-06. Retrieved 2024-04-09.
- ^ Green, Olly (2023-07-19). "Russ Cook: The 'Hardest Geezer' aiming to run the length of Africa". Run247. Archived from the original on 2024-04-09. Retrieved 2024-04-09.
- ^ a b "He did it! 'Hardest Geezer' Russ Cook finishes gruelling challenge to run length of Africa". Sky News. Archived from the original on 2024-04-09. Retrieved 2024-04-09.
- ^ a b c Braidwood, Jamie (2024-04-08). "Row erupts over Hardest Geezer's claim of 'record' run of Africa". The Independent. Archived from the original on 2024-04-09. Retrieved 2024-04-09.
- ^ Somerville, Ewan (2024-04-08). "Guinness to hand 'Hardest Geezer' world record for Africa run". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on 2024-04-13. Retrieved 2024-04-13.