Challenge succeeded. Briton Russ Cook completed a crossing from south to north Africa on Sunday April 7 in Tunisia, becoming the first person to have crossed the African continent by running.
Russ Cook, 27, arrived at the end of the afternoon at Cape Angela, in the far north of Tunisia, in front of a stele in the form of a sculpture of Africa whose base bears the inscription "Northernmost point of the African continent", noted AFP journalists.
He left the southern tip of South Africa on April 22, 2023 for his “Project Africa”.
The first person ever to run the entire length of Africa. Mission complete🫡 pic.twitter.com/PZk5aDCDgH
— Russ Cook (@hardestgeezer) April 7, 2024
The equivalent of 385 marathons
Between the two, he crossed sixteen African countries, covering more than 16,250 kilometers, the equivalent of 385 marathons in 351 days. The young man, nicknamed "Hardest geezer", ran in mountains, rainforests and deserts, including of course the Sahara.
"I can't believe it's almost over," he wrote on the social network X on Sunday morning. Several people accompanied him for his last kilometers. “We have come a long way,” he also wrote on Saturday.
British runner Russ Cook on April 7, 2024 in Cape Angela, northern Tunisia. © Fethi Belaid, AFP
He arrived at Cape Angela with a long red beard, which he hadn't cut for months.
His crossing of Africa was not a long, quiet river.
After traveling across South Africa and Namibia in 50 days, he and his team were robbed. Cameras, phones, cash and passports were stolen in Angola.
In the Sahara, he had to run at night to avoid the extreme heat.
“A completely normal man”
Russ Cook managed to raise more than 574,000 pounds sterling (668,730 euros) which he will donate to the British charity Running Charity, which helps homeless young people.
Before his departure, in February 2023, he explained to the British agency PA that his goal was to make the most of life.
"I'm a completely normal guy, so if I can do this, I hope people can apply that to their own lives, in whatever way they choose," he said.
British runner Russ Cook during the final stage of a journey of more than 16,000 kilometers on April 7, 2024 in Cape Angela, northern Tunisia. © Fethi Belaid, AFP
“For 99% of people, it won’t be about running across Africa, but maybe chasing their dreams a little more.”
He did not plan to rest when he arrived at Cape Angela. A party is announced and he has already planned to enjoy a Daiquiri.
With AFP
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