Briton first to run Africa full length

A MAN from West Sussex has become the first person to run the full length of Africa after he crossed the finish line in Tunisia.

Russ Cook, from Worthing, spent 352 days taking on the mammoth challenge which has seen him cover more than 16,000km, take more than 19 million steps and pass through 16 countries while raising money for charity.

Mr Cook, nicknamed “Hardest Geezer”, arrived in Ras Angela, Tunisia’s most northerly point, at around 4.40pm yesterday and was greeted with shouts and cheers from those who had flown out to meet him.

Speaking to Sky News at the finish line, the 27-year-old endurance athlete said: “I’m pretty tired.”

He set off from South Africa’s most southerly point on April 22 2023, facing visa complications, health scares and an armed robbery in his bid to become the first person to run the length of the continent.

For the final day of his challenge, Mr Cook invited his supporters to take on the last marathon with him, with many flying out to Tunisia from the UK and beyond to run alongside him.

To celebrate his mammoth feat, he will be throwing a finish line party at a hotel in Bizerte, Tunisia, featuring a performance from the British punk rock duo Soft Play, formerly known as Slaves.

Throughout the venture, called Project Africa, Mr Cook has raised more than £600,000 for two charities, the Running Charity and Sandblast, the latter of which is a UK-registered charity raising awareness of the indigenous Saharawi people of western Sahara.

Last Tuesday, he said on X that the challenge had “no doubt been the toughest of my life” but an “immense honour”.

He wrote: “Thank you to the people of Africa for being such an amazing part of this journey.”

FINISHING LINE: Russ Cook accompanied through Tunisia yesterday for the final 40 miles of his 16,000km run.