Hardest Geezer shares honest concern about doing another big challenge after running entire length of Africa

Russ Cook is just about to complete his staggeringly gargantuan journey by running the entire length of the African continent.

Russ started out on 22 April last year, beginning his run from the most southerly point of South Africa, and is today (7 April) expected to finally cross that finish line at the most northerly point of Tunisia.

While his original plan had been to run the whole thing (the equivalent of 360 marathons or thereabouts) in 240 days, real life got in the way several times.

Russ was robbed at gunpoint of passports and cash in Angola and later surrounded by 'blokes with machetes' after getting lost, but he's been able to plod on and prove his nickname 'Hardest Geezer'.

It has been one hell of a physical and mental challenge where Russ has had to factor in rest days and not run quite so much each day on doctor's orders.

Then there was the entire episode where Russ' whole run might have been scuppered because he lacked a visa to get into Algeria, but fortunately a mass social media appeal raised enough attention that the country granted him a courtesy visa.

Once he crosses that finish line there's going to be a party at a hotel in Bizerte with a punk band playing and according to the BBC, Russ will finally be able to get his hands on a long-awaited strawberry daiquiri.

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Russ has run over 10,000 miles and at time of writing, has raised more than £676,000 for charity, which is one hell of an accomplishment.

So what happens to him after he's run the length of Africa and quaffed a celebratory strawberry daiquiri?

Russ finally gets to wake up as the first person to run the length of Africa, but with such a monumental achievement under his belt, there might be the temptation to tie his trainers back on and find a new road to run.

Is he supposed to find a new and even more punishing route to run in order to top his achievement?

"Probably what will be a big concern for me if I ever did something this big again, I'd be like 'do you want it enough though Russ?'," Cook said of the possibility of undertaking another challenge when it would be hard to think of one he could do which could match it.

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"I'd have to check myself to be like 'do you actually want', because it's f**king hard! Do you know what I mean?

"So if you don't want it you're done."

Whether he chooses to do something like this again or not, I think it's safe to say that Russ has earned the mother of all rests after he finally crosses that finish line.

People are continuing to donate to Russ' fundraiser and you can do so here.

Topics: World News, UK News, Charity, Social Media

Joe Harker

Joe graduated from the University of Salford with a degree in Journalism and worked for Reach before joining the LADbible Group. When not writing he enjoys the nerdier things in life like painting wargaming miniatures and chatting with other nerds on the internet. He's also spent a few years coaching fencing. Contact him via [email protected]

@MrJoeHarker