How 'Hardest Geezer' Russ Cook, 27, turned his life around after a friend ... trends now
For most people, being mugged at gunpoint and kidnapped by machete-wielding thugs in the jungle would be enough to accept defeat and give up.
But for Russ Cook - the extreme marathon runner who transformed himself from a 'fat lad' to the 'Hardest Geezer' - giving up is not in his DNA.
On Sunday afternoon, an emotional Cook was embraced by loved ones and serenaded by fans chanting 'Geezer, Geezer, Geezer!' as he accomplished his dream of running the entire length of Africa.
Cook, from Worthing, West Sussex, covered around 10,000 miles and crossed 16 countries from South Africa to Tunisia across 352 days, completing the equivalent of 386 marathons.
It was a mate 'twisting his arm' to run a half marathon six years ago that spurred the 27-year-old on to try and complete the African odyssey.
It marks a sensational turnaround for Cook, who describes his former self as a 'fat lad' plagued by alcohol and gambling problems who 'didn't have any zest for life left' until he found his calling.
In an interview with The Times - just 11 days after he had set off from the coastal South African village of L'Agulhas - Cook revealed: 'I am actually not anything special. If you put me in a lab, I'm not genetically anything unusual. I used to be a fat lad.
'I was drinking a lot. I was quite overweight, struggling with gambling and working lonely, miserable jobs that I really hated. I didn't have any zest of life left,' he added. 'I just accepted the reality that was handed to me.'
Extreme marathon Russ Cook is pictured eating a slice of pizza after completing a previous challenge
Cook celebrates his mammoth African run by drinking a strawberry daiquiri with his girlfriend
Cook has previously shared this picture of him running as a child
Cook is no stranger to taking on challenges. He completed 71 marathons in 66 days when he ran from Asia to London in 2019 and broke the world record for the fastest car-pulling marathon when he dragged a 730kg Suzuki Alto 26 miles along the Worthing seafront.
In 2021, he was also buried alive for a week with nothing but water and a camera which was streaming his challenge on YouTube.
Alex Eagle, a friend and co-founder of the Running Charity - where Cook worked as an adventure coach for young people before the Africa run - previously told The Guardian: 'He is a determined man, and he's a man that has overcome things like a lot of the young people that we work with have overcome difficult challenges in their lives.'
It was Cook's mantra of 'you've only got one life' that spurred him on to run the entire length of the African continent. He claims to be the first person to ever run the full length of Africa - but the World Runners Association (WRA), which is made up of just seven members, has claimed that one of its founders actually deserved the title over Cook.
Cook had initially planned to end his challenge by Christmas - but the red-headed extreme marathon runner was forced to take on Bear Grylls' own mantra of 'improvise, adapt, overcome' as he faced numerous dramatic twists.
The 'Hardest Geezer' survived being robbed at gunpoint and kidnapped in the jungle - but his sensational effort was also nearly thwarted by frustrating border delays and visa issues.
He also battled with multiple illnesses, endured crippling back pain and found urine in his blood while navigating from one end of Africa to the other on foot.
Cook knew of the risks when he set out on his challenge, but it didn't appear to phase him one bit. He told his followers: 'The risks are obvious to see. Worst case I snuff it or end up in some prison eating dust till the end of time. Best case I do some irreversible damage to my body. Sometimes you gotta risk it for a chocolate biscuit.'
Russ Cook beams as he crosses the finish line after becoming the first person to run the entire length of Africa
Cook embraces his supporters at the finish line after he completed 385 marathons over a year
Fans joined Russ as he crossed the finish line in Tunisia this afternoon, with one seen carrying a Tunisian flag
When Cook set off for the final leg of his odyssey on Sunday morning, he was joined by loyal fans who were even wearing long ginger beards to emulate their role model.
As he closed in on the finish line, he appeared to reflect on the magnitude of what he had achieved - and how he had overcome drinking, gambling and mental health issues to get to where he is today.
'You get one chance at life,' he told Sky Sports. 'Go and have a stab at it.'
Cook celebrated his mammoth run by taking a dip in the Mediterranean Sea where he candidly told reporters: 'I'm really tired.'
As one man joked 'let's get you a strawberry daiquiri, Cook replied: 'Yeah, let's f*** off'.
The runner has often joked about having the cocktail as a reward for his epic effort.
The extreme athlete was pictured slurping down on a pink-coloured cocktail while sat on a white and golden throne with his girlfriend.
It was a moment he had been savouring for many months - having battled through setback after setback.
Russ Cook is pictured after enduring the ordeal of being robbed at gunpoint by thugs during his extraordinary run
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
Among Cook's most terrifying ordeals was when he was 'kidnapped' by a gang of men armed with machetes in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in August.
He described the nightmare few days as 'the toughest of my life'.
'In an attempt to find the boys at a village on the plan B
