The Hardest Geezer: Meeting the ‘hardest gals and geezers’ who run across continents
Rus Cook, aka The Hardest Geezer, recently completed an epic run across the length of Africa - but he’s not the first runner to complete a crazy cross-continent challenge
Almost a year ago, a previously unheralded runner set off on a trip that would take in 9,941 miles (16,000km) and catapult him into the public consciousness.
Russ Cook, better known as The Hardest Geezer, started his journey at Africa’s most southern point, Cape Agulhas in South Africa, on April 22, 2023.
On April 7 this year, he crossed his finish line in Ras Angela, Tunisia becoming - he claims at least - the first man to run the length of Africa.
In doing so, Cook has raised thousands of pounds for charity and become a social media sensation.
But he’s far from the first person to complete such a formidable endurance challenge.
Indeed, his own declaration that he is the first to run the length of Africa has been challenged. A group called The World Runners Association has claimed one of their members, Jesper Olsen, was the first to complete the feat by running from Taba in Egypt to the Cape of Good Hope, South Africa in 434 days back in 2010.
All of that isn’t to take away from The Hardest Geezer’s incredible achievement, but to say there have been others as well.
Today, we thought we’d take a look at four runners who have previously spoken to The Running Tales Podcast about their own cross-continent runs.
Rob Pope: The real life Forrest Gump
If 'life is like a box of chocolates' it's fair to say Rob Pope's chocolate of choice is running.
Seeking a challenge no-one had completed before, he decided to follow the route Tom Hanks' celebrated Forrest Gump character took in the film of the same name.
In all, he covered 15,000 miles (24,140kms) and travelled six times across America, even growing a Gump style beard in the process.
Speaking to the Running Tales Podcast back in October 2020, Rob, whose other running achievements include winning the Nottingham Marathon and taking part in the gruelling Marathon des Sables, said: “I felt I was the person to do the Gump run.
“Somebody may have done it, but not really embraced it. There was no way I wasn’t going to shave all my hair off at the start and then not get it done, including the beard, until the end.”
He added: “When we got to the finish, it was similar to the final scene in the film. We probably had more people there than Forrest did!”
Emma Timmis: Running 94 marathons in 84 days
The Hardest Geezer’s toe to top run may have taken in more of Africa than most, but as we’ve already seen he’s not the first person to complete a crazy challenge on that continent.
In 2014, Emma Timmis became the first person in the world to run across Africa, completing the equivalent of 94 marathons in 89 days.
It's just one of a series of incredible challenges and experiences Emma has embarked upon, from roller skating across Holland to riding an Elliptigo bike across Australia.
When she spoke to our podcast in 2020, she told us: “I started in the ocean, with my feet in the water and began running on the beach.
“That was pretty cool, to be at the edge of the continent and think, ‘I’m going to run all the way across’.”
Menna Evans: Conquering New Zealand in memory of her dad
Menna Evans had only been running seriously for two-and-a-half years when she decided to run from the tip of New Zealand's north island to the depths of the south in an incredible 35 days and 27 minutes.
In doing so, she smashed the then fastest time for a woman to run the length of the country, becoming a Guinness World Record holder in the process.
Incredibly, her record has since been broken by none other than Emma Timmis.
Menna had started running in memory of her dad, completing the John O'Groats to Land's End run (JOGLE), a distance they had hoped to walk together.
She loved the experience so much, she moved on from the relevantly shorter distance of the UK to New Zealand.
Menna told Running Tales: “My dad passed away in 2017, so I decided to run the full length of Britain in his memory.
“I was having the time of my life and I thought, ‘I need something else to go for now’.
“It became more about the challenges each day. Some of the roads were really dangerous, bridges weren’t pedestrian friendly, the weather, all sorts.
“The running was the easy part.”
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Brendan Rendall: The teacher running for vulnerable children
We’re heading back to Africa for our final story.
Brendan Rendall’s epic coast-to-coast challenge in 2018 saw him complete the equivalent of 92 marathons in 92 days, passing through four different countries and clocking up over 2,474 miles (3,981kms).
Brendan - who teaches special needs children - ran through Namibia, Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique before returning to Malawi - where the money he raised helped build school accommodation for 88 vulnerable orphans.
Brendan’s running journey had previously seen him ditch a hedonistic lifestyle in favour of the sport.
He told Running Tales: “My life was a cycle of self-destructive behaviour. I was heavily into drugs and drink.
“With running, I started to see structure and discipline. It was a domino effect.”
Talking about the start of his Africa challenge, he added: “I ran out of the Atlantic Ocean. It was desert, 35 degrees, no shade.
“I finished the marathon distance and there were no showers or luxuries, but that didn’t matter because the sunrise and sunsets, and the wildlife, were just incredible.”
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Thanks for sharing these inspirational stories. The real Forest Gump run - love that! I enjoyed reading this and just subscribed for more.