A 27-year-old British man, Russ Cook, has achieved a remarkable feat in the realm of charity running. On Sunday, after a year-long journey, he successfully completed his mission of running the entire length of Africa.
Over the course of 352 days, Cook travelled through 16 countries, covering approximately 10,000 miles from the southern to the northern coasts of the continent.
The Brit documented his journey on Instagram where he tried to convey the immense challenges of running across the expansive African continent and in turn enabled people from across the world to join him on his journey.
Cook encountered dangerous situations along the way, including an armed robbery in Angola where thieves seized his belongings, including money, passports, and equipment at gunpoint.
Additionally, he faced bureaucratic hurdles, such as lacking a visa for Algeria. Cook took to Twitter and posted a viral social media plea, leading to the U.K.’s Embassy of Algeria granting him a courtesy visa and Cook’s journey continued without interruption.
Right girls and boys, we have a bit of a problem. We haven’t been able to get visas for Algeria, and if we don’t get them, then it’s game over for project africa.
I’ve been running now for 278 days, covered nearly 12,000km through 13 countries and raised over £140k for charity…
— Russ Cook (@hardestgeezer) January 23, 2024
Cook has raised over £830,000 for SandBlast, a charity that helps displaced people in the Western Sahara and the Running Charity, a group that supports youth at risk of homelessness in the U.K.
Although Cook asserts that he is the first individual to complete a full-length run of the African continent, the World Runners Association contends that one of its founders accomplished this feat in 2010. In response, Cook has argued that his journey covered a greater distance.
To commemorate his remarkable achievement, he finished his run with a refreshing swim in the Mediterranean and celebrated with a strawberry daiquiri, marking his triumphant success.
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