Russ Cook, aka the “Hardest Geezer,” has just completed something no person has before. The 27-year-old from West Sussex in England has just ran the entire length of Africa, taking 352 days to complete the incredible feat.
Cook crossed 16 countries, covered 10,000 miles, and completed the equivalent of 386 marathons over the past year. He crossed the line on Sunday to the sound of his fans and supporters chanting “Geezer, Geezer, Geezer:”
While he will undoubtedly go down in history as an incredible British athlete, Cook wasn’t always dedicated to such accomplishments. In an interview he gave with The Times during his run, he explained that in his early 20s he struggled with his weight and an addiction to gambling.
I just accepted the reality that was handed to me.”
“I was drinking a lot,” Cook said. “I was quite overweight, struggling with gambling and working lonely, miserable jobs that I really hated. I didn’t have any zest of life left. I just accepted the reality that was handed to me.” Expanding on his gambling addiction, Cook said that he “lost basically everything” he owned to the habit.
Cook celebrated completing the epic run on Sunday by taking a dip in the Mediterranean Sea before enjoying a strawberry daiquiri cocktail with his girlfriend. He had one last motivational message for his supporters: “You get one chance at life. Go have a stab at it.”