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Inside Englishman Russ Cook’s historic 352-day marathon across Africa
Against the backdrop of the Mediterranean’s gently lapping waves at Ras Angela in northern Tunisia, a crowd gathered on April 7 to celebrate the remarkable feat of endurance achieved by British extreme marathon runner Russ Cook.
For 352 days, Cook embarked on a 16,000-kilometre odyssey spanning 16 countries, encountering both triumph and peril along the way.
Starting his journey in the South African village of Cape Agulhas, the endurance athlete from Worthing in southern England set forth on a mission to traverse the entire length of Africa, battling through the continent’s varied terrain, from dense jungles to barren deserts.
The 27-year-old passed through Namibia, Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of Congo, Cameroon, Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Guinea, Senegal, Mauritania and Algeria, before arriving at Ras Angela.
Sharing his journey with the world via the social media platform X, Cook declared, “The first person ever to run the entire length of Africa. Mission complete.” Yet, his path to victory was fraught with obstacles.
Despite his initial hope of completing the journey in 240 days, setbacks such as theft, injury, and visa complications delayed his progress.
Reflecting on the most harrowing moments of his odyssey, Cook recounted a brush with death in the Congo, where he found himself at the mercy of a gang armed with machetes made him contemplate quitting his expedition.
“The scariest moment was in the Congo, when I was on the back of a motorbike, thinking I was about to die, getting driven into the jungle. That was pretty nuts,” he shared with reporters.
“Probably for about one minute I thought about quitting, and then I realised I couldn’t, so that was about as close as it got,” he added.
Cook’s achievement transcends personal glory, as it has also raised funds for noble causes. His run generated over $870,000 for charities such as the Running Charity, which supports homeless young people, and Sandblast, aiding displaced individuals from Western Sahara.
However, amid the jubilation surrounding Cook’s feat, his claim of being the first person to run the length of Africa has been contested by the World Runners Association (WRA).
WRA, a group made up of seven athletes who claim to have successfully circumnavigated the world on foot cited Jesper Kenn Olsen, a Danish ultrarunner who completed a similar journey in 2010.
Olsen’s 12,791km trek began on December 28 2008, spanning from Taba, Egypt, to the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa lasting 434 days.
