By Lettice Bromovsky
00:12 07 Apr 2024, updated 07:31 08 Apr 2024
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Russ Cook, 26 from Worthing, West Sussex dubbed ‘Worthing’s Hardest Geezer’ He is expected to cross the finish line in Ras Angela, Tunisia on Sunday So far his efforts have raised £568k for charity, with £217k raised this week alone
A British man is set to finish his run across the entire length of Africa tomorrow in what has been a grueling 9,500 mile journey.
Russ Cook, 26 from Worthing, West Sussex dubbed ‘Worthing’s Hardest Geezer’ started the challenge 350 days ago, and is expected to cross the finish line at the most northern point in Tunisia, Ras Angela on Sunday.
So far his efforts have raised £568,000 for charity, with a massive £217,000 of that having been donated over the last seven days as his loyal following spur him on to the finish line.
But not only has the journey been a testament of mental and physical strength, Mr Cook has also been robbed at gunpoint, held hostage and almost forced to stop the challenge after he was left visaless at the Mauritanian border.
Russell Cook’s journey through Africa, he has covered 9,500 miles and is expected to finish in Tunisia tomorrow Russ Cook, 26 from Worthing, West Sussex dubbed ‘Worthing’s Hardest Geezer’ started the challenge 350 days ago
His route has taken him from Cape Agulhas in South Africa, up through Central Africa, West Africa to skirt around the Sahara Desert and finally into North Africa to end in Tunisia.
READ MORE: Mugged at gunpoint, kidnapped by machete-wielding men and getting lost in the jungle: How ‘Hardest Geezer’ Brit has battled through series of near-death experiences to run the entire length of Africa
Originally he had hoped to achieve the mega distance in 240 days, but different obstacles have delayed his finish by around 100 days.
When he was travelling through Angola at around 1800miles into his run, he was set upon by armed thugs.
Cook claimed his support van was raided by ‘desperate blokes with guns’ and that the armed men stole his team’s cameras, mobile phones and some passports, as well as wads of cash.
He added that nobody on his crew was hurt in the armed hold-up.
Then in August he was ‘kidnapped’ by a gang of men armed with machetes in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
He documented the ordeal on social media: ‘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,’ the runner wrote on day 107.
He added: ‘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.
‘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.
Cook claimed his support van was raided by ‘desperate blokes with guns’ and that the armed men stole his team’s cameras, mobile phones and some passports Then in August he was ‘kidnapped’ by a gang of men armed with machetes in the Democratic Republic of the Congo Russ Cook is pictured after enduring the ordeal of being robbed at gunpoint by thugs during his extraordinary run
‘Made it to the village on the plan B route to find the road was also impassable for the support van again. Exhausted and dehydrated, I started heading back to the last known place with passable roads when two blokes pulled up on a bike.
READ MORE: Brit dubbed ‘Worthing’s Hardest Geezer’ may have to abandon bid to run the length of Africa after 278 days – because he does not have a visa to enter Algeria
‘They spoke no English but tried to communicate I must come with them to get back to my friends.
‘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.’
Fortunately, Mr Cook was driven into a village and moved into a hut where he recalled a group of men clashing over what to do with him and discussing how much money he owed them.
After some back and forth negotiations, he was able to contact his team who spent the next few days formulating a rescue plan.
Mr Cook ultimately managed to escape, and despite most people’s expectation that he would catch the first flight home, he instead returned back to his start point that day and ran another 60km on a new route.
Alongside this he has faced multiple illnesses, including blood in his urine and crippling back pain.
Then in January his whole mission was nearly scuppered after he failed to get a visa to allow him to enter Algeria.
He is fundraising for The Running Charity, which supports the mental health of young people with complex needs or who are homeless, and Sandblast which educates people about Sahrawi culture
In a video posted to social media, Mr Cook said the success of his challenge was now dependent on Algerian authorities granting him permission to enter.
‘Right girls and boys, we have a bit of a problem. We haven’t been able to get visas for Algeria, and if we don’t get them, then it’s game over for project Africa,’ he said.
‘I’ve been running now for 278 days, covered nearly 12,000km (7,456 miles) through 13 countries and raised over £140k for charity in my attempt to become the first person ever to run the entire length of Africa
‘But right now all of that is totally hanging on whether we can get permission from Algeria to let us cross in through this border with Mauritania,’ he said.
‘This is the only option we have left so, Algeria, if you’re listening, please reach out to me. Anything you need from us please let me know,’ he added, addressing Algerian authorities. ‘It would be an absolute privilege to visit your beautiful country.
‘To everyone following the journey online please help us out by sharing this and helping us get this seen by the appropriate people in Algeria.’
Tim Loughton, Conservative MP for East Worthing, said he had been sent Mr Cook’s video, and offered to help by contacting the Foreign Office.
‘Russ-have been sent this and I gather that you are from East Worthing,’ he said.
‘Can you email me some details and we will do what we can to help through the Foreign Office and Algerian Embassy.’
His social campaign worked and the Algerian Embassy said it would grant him a courtesy visa ‘on the spot’, meaning he could cross the border.
The athlete, who is a self-described former ‘fat lad’ with alcohol and gambling issues, was introduced to long distance running when he entered a half marathon aged 21.
Since then he has gained a reputation for attempting trials of strength and endurance – he ran 71 marathons in 66 days from Asia to London in 2019, pulled a Suzuki Alto 26 miles along the south coast and was buried alive for a week in 2021.
He is fundraising for The Running Charity, which supports the mental health of young people with complex needs or who are homeless, and Sandblast which educates people about Sahrawi culture.
You can donated to his cause here.
Source link : https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13279721/amp/Brit-run-entire-length-Africa-survived-robbed-gunpoint-hostage-machete.html
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Publish date : 2024-04-06 07:00:00
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