A 27-year-old Briton from Worthing, West Sussex, UK, Russell Cook, who embarked on an audacious task of running the “full length of Africa,” successfully completed the race after crossing the finish line in Tunisia after 352 days.

Cook, nicknamed the “Hardest Geezer”, crossed the finish line on Sunday at about 16:40 BST in Ras Angela, Tunisia, to a tumultuous welcome by the excited crowd chanting his alias of “Geezer”.

Before setting off on the mammoth challenge to run the entire length of Africa, Cook had said he hoped to look back at his life and have no regrets but while speaking at the completion of the race, he said he had struggled with his mental health, gambling and drinking, and wanted to “make a difference”.

After running through 16 African countries, Cook also has raised more than £700,000 for charity.

Posting on his official X account, Cook said had initially planned to run 360 marathons in 240 days, with no rest days but a lot changed since he set off from the UK in February 2023.

According to him, his initial plan to run from Tunisia to South Africa, completing 360 marathons in 240 days with no rest days, but the plan was halted by a lack of an Algerian visa, an hindrance which he said was to resurface later.

He stated that that after a last-minute switch, he had to set off on foot from South Africa on 22 April, a journey that would take him through cities, rainforests, mountains and the Sahara Desert.

Cook”s management said he and his team had cameras, phones, cash and passports stolen in Angola in June last year.

“After ticking off South Africa and Namibia in 50 days, Mr Cook encountered his first major setback – an armed robbery,” the management said in a statement.

“But, as with many stumbling blocks he would face throughout the challenge, the ultrarunner vowed to soldier on.

“Mr Cook underwent medical tests in Nigeria for a recurring back pain. Consistently running more than a marathon a day began to take its toll.

“After some minor tummy troubles in the early weeks, he was forced to take his first rest day after doctors found blood and protein in his urine on day 45, but it was recurring back pain that caused the most concern.

“On day 200, Mr Cook was forced to reduce his mileage and intensity at the request of a doctor in Nigeria – even missing consecutive days on day 205 and 206.”

In his words, the “Hardest Geezer” said there was no stopping him.

“I took a couple of days to get some scans. No bone damage, so figured the only option left was to stop mincing about like a little weasel, get the strongest painkillers available and zombie stomp road again,” he said.

He said after some setbacks, all that separated him and the finish line was the small task of the Sahara Desert.

“The tarmac roads ran out, as did the signal and any signs of civilisation. But an end date was set: 7 April, 2024,” the management team continued.

“Ramping up his mileage to make up for lost time, Mr Cook made the decision to run through the night due to the intense daytime heat and sandstorms.

“Mr Cook finished running the length of Africa on 7 April
Months turned into weeks, and weeks turned into days.

“Finally, on Sunday afternoon, Mr Cook laced his trainers one last time – at least for now – as he set off for Tunisia’s most northerly point.”