Briton, 'Hardest Geezer', Becomes First person to run Across Africa

British national Russ Cook, also known as the "Hardest Geezer", has successfully completed a challenge that took him more than 352 days to finish. 

• He covered over 10,000 miles during his trek, passed through 16 countries, and took more than 19 million steps, all while raising money for charity. Mr Cook departed from South Africa's southernmost point on April 22, 2023, and encountered visa issues, health scares, and an armed robbery, but persevered nonetheless. He now believes that he is the first person to have run the entire length of Africa. 
• He arrived at Ras Angela, Tunisia's most northerly point, and was greeted with cheers and applause from the people who had come to meet him. 
• At a press conference in Bizerte, Tunisia,he expressed his hope that his achievement would inspire others to take up sports.

Challenged by WRA

• The claim made by British national Mr. Russ Cook, who was the first person to run the length of Africa, has been challenged by the World Runners Association (WRA). 
• The WRA is a group of seven athletes who have successfully circumnavigated the world on foot, and they have stated that one of their members, Jesper Kenn Olsen from Denmark, was the first person to run across Africa during his "world run" challenge. 
• Olsen began his challenge on December 28, 2008, in Taba, Egypt, and ran 7,948 miles (12,787 kilometers) to the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa, completing his journey in 2010. 
• He ran through Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, Swaziland, and South Africa, fulfilling the criteria for a full-length run across Africa, according to WRA president Phil Essam. 
• As a result, the WRA recognizes Mr. Jesper Kenn Olsen of Denmark as the first person to have run the full length of Africa, and therefore contests the claim made by Mr. Russ Cook.