Moment ‘Hardest Geezer’ reveals the VERY surprising first thing he’ll do after Africa run…and admits ‘I’m a bit tired

7 months ago 20

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THIS is the moment ‘Hardest Geezer’ revealed the very surprising first thing he’ll do as he completed his epic run across Africa.

Russ Cook, who finished his 10,130-mile trek from Cape Town to Tunisia on Sunday after 352 days, admitted he’s “a bit tired”.

The Hardest Geezer revealed the hilarious first thing he’ll do after his record-breaking Africa run[/caption]

The runner also admitted to be ‘a bit tired’ as he took a dip into the Mediterranean[/caption]

The moment Cook crossed the finishing line in Tunisia on Sunday after 352 days[/caption]

Following his record-breaking run, the 27-year-old took a quick dip into the Mediterranean to refresh himself from the scorching Tunisia heat.

As he walked out of the water, Cook was approached by reporters, who laughed as he admitted: “I’m a little bit tired.”

But he was quick to grab his things and leave the moment a pal offers him a cocktail.

In the hilarious clip, someone off-camera says: “Let’s get you a [strawberry] daiquiri, man,” to which the runner replies: “Yeah, let’s f*** off.”

Cook, from Worthing in West Sussex, started his trek from Cape Agulhas, on April 22, 2023 – vowing not to cut his hair or beard until he was finished – and completed it yesterday.

His journey was far from easy, as he crossed 16 countries running the equivalent of 377 marathons.

Not short of dangerous obstacles, the runner faced injuries, food poisoning, extreme temperatures, and was even kidnapped and robbed at gunpoint.

Running from danger

Last year, Cook was robbed by two men during his leg in Angola, where he was held at gunpoint.

He said: “First things first, we’re grateful to make it out alive.

“We lost a few thousand quids worth of stuff which is a big problem for us, but we will endeavour to soldier on and get things sorted.”

The Brit became the first person to run the length of Africa[/caption]

The Hardest Geezer was visibly exhausted as he completed his 10,100-mile journey[/caption]

Cook had vowed not to cut his hair or beard until he was finished[/caption]

The 27-year-old crossed 16 countries during his epic journey[/caption]

Just weeks later, he was kidnapped in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

He wrote on X: “On day 102 I was separated from the boys & the support van after some impassable roads in the planned route.”

“In an attempt to find the boys at a village on the plan B route, I stumbled into a rural settlement where the chief told me I must give him money. I had none. So that went down well.

“Pretty soon I found myself surrounded by lots of game blokes with machetes. Was escorted out the village into the bush.

He continued: “Emptied my bag to show I had nothing but a half eaten biscuit. Gave it to them, and ran.

“Spent the next few hours bushwhacking through overgrown jungle paths. Trying to stay off any tracks until I was far away.

“What happened next was a seven-hour motorbike ride deeper into the jungle. In my head I thought this was it. Me. The self-proclaimed hardest geezer. About to get held in a Congo gulag before being ripped apart limb by limb and eaten.”

Despite running thousands of miles under the scorching sun, killjoys have cast doubt over Hardest Geezer’s claim to be the first person in history to run the length of Africa.

Second place

Cook’s claim has now been thrown into doubt after a group of ultra-long distance runners claimed one of its members holds the record.

The World Runners Association (WRA) claimed that Jesper Olsen from Denmark deserved the title after running 7,949 miles from Taba in Egypt to the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa in 434 days in 2010.

Cook however argued that his journey, from Africa’s most southern to most northern point, was 2,113 miles longer than Olsen’s but the group insists Olsen was the first person to achieve the feat.

Olsen was 37 years old when he started his trek in the North Cape of Norway on December 28, 2008, and finished in Cape Spear, Canada on March 15, 2010.

Speaking to the Telegraph, the WRA argued that the length of Africa “is calculated at 8,000km [4,971 miles] as the crow flies” and it doesn’t matter that Cook’s distance was longer.