Hardest Geezer announces brutal new challenge after running the length of Africa
Hardest Geezer announces brutal new challenge after running the length of Africa
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Russ Cook expects the 300,000ft elevation – the equivalent of 10 Mount Everests – to be the most challenging part of his journey. The endurance athlete known as Hardest Geezer has announced his next big challenge less than a month after he became the first man to run the length of Africa. Russ Cook, 27, from Worthing in East Sussex, ran the entire 10,190 mile stretch in 352 days, completing his challenge last April and raising over £1 million.
Now, the endurance athlete is going to run the full 1,864 mile length of New Zealand via the Te Araroa Trail in March. It will see him take on 60 ultramarathons while navigating a mix of terrains, from mountains, forests and sea crossings to coastlines and cities. He is set to start at Stirling Point in Bluff, the southern tip of the South Island, running northbound to the finish line in Cape Rēinga in Northland.
He said: “Overcoming challenging adventures has had a massive impact on my life and I’m so excited to see what New Zealand has in store for me.”. While the physical length may not be as long as his feat across Africa, the 27-year-old said he expects the 300,000-foot elevation to be the most challenging part of his journey - the equivalent of 10 Mount Everests. Mr Cook continued: “I know there’s going to be a fair share of challenges that I’ve not yet faced before, as the terrain is so diverse on Te Araroa but I’m excited at the prospect of witnessing some incredible landscapes and meeting inspiring people from a rich and diverse culture.”.
The athlete is set to complete a number of big challenges along the way, including a canyon swing in Queenstown, bungee jumping off Auckland Harbour Bridge and sky diving in Abel Tasman. He expects to complete the challenge in 10 weeks. While Mr Cook originally expected to complete his Africa challenge in 240 days, a number of complications with visas, injury, kidnapping and armed robbery meant it took three months longer than he expected.
