Russ Cook

The first person ever to run the full length of Africa🌍 @huel

[BWT Alpine Formula One Team @AlpineF1Team]

What a geezer 😎😉

Welcoming @hardestgeezer with us this weekend 💪

[Russ Cook @hardestgeezer]

Somehow made it to the royal box at Wimbledon last week. Bit of a mad one that. Got to bring my mum aswell. Buzzing.

We get sat down for lunch with Steven fry and Cherie Blair for what has gotta be front runner for maddest lunchtime link up l've ever been part of🤣 no sausage
rolls on this occasion but the posh scran went hard nonetheless. Big thank you for an amazing experience @Wimbledon

As I was sat watching elite athletes batter this yellow ball across the grass I was thinking yeah sound this, but the little voice in my head was making a racket about fine dining and suits making me soft. Valid.

So I took the only logical next step and rounded up the hardest adventures team and dived face first into love trails fest. Hope you enjoy the photo of me waking up after a night sleeping on camp chairs using bin liner for a sleeping bag #royalgeezer

Also managing to squeeze some 5km training in. Mission get rapid is on.

The beautiful game of life ladies & gents. No refunds. Cheers for playing.

[Russ Cook @hardestgeezer]

Today I finished running the length of New Zealand.

73 days.
2,500+ kilometres.
7 pairs of shoes.
100’s of pies
And a bucket load of mountains!

We took a few dings on the way through, but made it out the other side. Running the length of New Zealand… completed it mate. 🇳🇿

Massive thank you to the people of this country, your kindness, hospitality, and mad scenery made this one unforgettable.

And big love to the crew who made it possible:
@huel for fuelling the engine,
purenewzealand for backing the mission
and ofcourse the support team keeping it all together behind the scenes, Luca, Barbs, Toby & Jamie.

We did it, boys. What a ride.

Back to training🫡

[Russ Cook @hardestgeezer]

Day 70 of running the length of New Zealand. 3 days to go🇳🇿

[Russ Cook @hardestgeezer]

Day 67 running the length of New Zealand. Final week.

Legs are battered. Hips moving stiff. Chugging about like I’m a vintage motor. I guess I kind of am at this point🤣 This is about to be the 28th country I’ve ran through.

Up north’s been a different kind of beauty. Auckland was unreal. Managed to catch some dolphins just off the coast and had the chance to get in a good old yarn in with the all blacks legend Ian Jones.

Also got hosted by a few locals along the way who were mega and made it feel like home, even when the legs were mashed.

Now it’s time to bring this thing home. 1 step at a time. It’s not always pretty, but it’s happening.

🇹🇷🇧🇬🇷🇸🇭🇺🇦🇹🇨🇿🇩🇪🇳🇱🇧🇪🇫🇷🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇿🇦🇳🇦🇦🇴🇨🇩🇨🇬🇨🇲🇳🇬🇧🇯🇹🇬🇬🇭🇨🇮��🇳🇸🇳🇲🇷🇩🇿🇹🇳

🇳🇿soon come

[Russ Cook @hardestgeezer]

Day 58 running the length of New Zealand. Made it to Hamilton. Right leg has been giving all sorts of grief over the last week but I’ve been forcing the issue and she’s finally coming back around. Lovely stuff.

Auckland this weekend. Then final push to the northern tip of NZ.

Mad to think we’re closing in on the finish now. It’s absolutely flown by. What a country to run through.

You really get to feel a place out when you travel on foot. Every bit of earth under each footstep, every gust of wind, every beam of sunlight.

Makes you think about how much bigger it all is than just yourself. The scale, the beauty, the detail of it all. Special gaff this planet earth thing we got going on.

Onwards🇳🇿

[Russ Cook @hardestgeezer]

50 days running the length of New Zealand. Picked up a few niggles lately so moving a bit steadier while I fix up.
Very quiet out here. Peaceful. Good place to think.

Keen to push a 24 hour blast soon, aiming for my longest run in one go. Target: 200km.

We’ll see what the body says in the next few days.

Hamilton soon come and then onto Auckland. Any locals got anything to recommend I check out whilst there?

[Russ Cook @hardestgeezer]

@Thehullboy1 You’ve come so far mate. Truly incredible. Proud of you. Keep going🫡

[Russ Cook @hardestgeezer]

The days I feel best about myself are the ones that start off with me waking up and every single part of me really and truly cannot be arsed.

The urge to lie flat and inhale a family bag of salt & vinegar crisps is immense. I mentally wrestle with the idea of swerving what I said I’d do.
Then reluctantly grumble my way out the door and continue to mentally wrestle all day long, but eventually get it done.

Getting a hot shower, then finally lying in bed at the end of those days is one of life’s greatest pleasures.

Day 43 of running the length of New Zealand✅
Back for more tomorrow🫡

[Russ Cook @hardestgeezer]

Day 37 of running the length of New Zealand. South Island complete🫡🇳🇿

[Russ Cook @hardestgeezer]

4 weeks in to running New Zealand. When I first started my body was nowhere near what I was used to it being able to do. Think I needed the first 1000km to warm up🤣

Feeling stronger day by day now though. Gonna give 100km a whack tomorrow to see what’s up. Time to step it up🫡

[Russ Cook @hardestgeezer]

@rxlyaT Don’t think the geezer meant any harm but all that effort for second place was a bit peak tbf🤣

[Russ Cook @hardestgeezer]

1 year ago today I finished running the length Africa.

352 days
16,000+km
19,000,000 steps
16 countries
£1,000,000 raised for the running charity & sandblast

Some ride that.

[Russ Cook @hardestgeezer]

Project New Zealand ep3 out now https://t.co/BJQtP9i5hD

[Russ Cook @hardestgeezer]

Day 24 of running the length of New Zealand.

40,000km of running deep. Here's my top 3 bits of advice

[Russ Cook @hardestgeezer]

New YouTube video is live! https://t.co/H1MMASgFqB

[Russ Cook @hardestgeezer]

https://t.co/PNLapwukEK

[Russ Cook @hardestgeezer]

YouTube video live tonight 8pm UK time.

I think this is one of the best videos to ever go out on the channel. Documents my first experience running through the mountains in New Zealand.

Was a mad 24 hours that definitely didn’t go to plan, but lots of lessons learnt.

Link to the first episode of the NZ series ⬇️

[Russ Cook @hardestgeezer]

#ProjectNewZealand
Day 14: 53km
Day 15: Mount Cook
Day 16: 54km
Day 17: 52km

17 days in. Here’s where my head’s at.

New Zealand is a joke. I’ve been running through a screensaver for two weeks straight. Got 84 new profile pics ready to go.

Scran’s elite, locals are even better, and team morale is higher than your nan’s gas bill mid Feb.

Body’s getting stronger every day. Thought Africa might’ve emptied the tank, but 17 days deep, I’m more convinced than ever, peak ferociousness is still incoming.

[Russ Cook @hardestgeezer]

Day 16 of running the length of New Zealand. Made it to the countries biggest mountain, Aoraki/Mount Cook🇳🇿