'Hardest Geezer' Russ Cook set to run London Marathon on Sunday - two weeks after finishing Africa challenge

16 April 2024, 19:40 | Updated: 16 April 2024, 21:29

Russ Cook, the British man nicknamed the Hardest Geezer who ran the length of Africa, has said he plans to run the London Marathon this Sunday. 

Mr Cook, from Worthing, West Sussex, finished his 352-day challenge on 7 April, in which he covered more than 16,000km.

The 27-year-old passed through 16 countries before crossing the finish line in Ras Angela, Tunisia's most northerly point.

He has raised almost £950,000 to date for two charities, the Running Charity and Sandblast, since starting the venture last year.

Speaking about possible long-term injuries on YouTuber JaackMaate's Happy Hour podcast, which was released on Thursday, Mr Cook said: "It's hard to know until I'm back really.

"I'll have probably a few days of not running, then we'll see.

"I've got the London Marathon in two weeks, so I need to shape up for that."

Mr Cook said he was entering the marathon with the Running Charity and would be happy to finish the run in under four hours.

He added he would "probably do some little bits and pieces in between" to "keep ticking over a bit".

Mr Cook also confirmed he would be returning to Africa next year to run the Marathon des Sables - a six-day, 156-mile ultra-marathon in the Sahara desert.

Asked if he had another continent-sized running challenge planned, Mr Cook said: "I'm not sure in terms of [the] next challenge, it's going to be a hard one to kind of top.

"I don't really want to be away for another year any time soon."

Around 48,000 athletes took part in last year's London Marathon, with the winner crossing the finish line in just over two hours.

(c) Sky News 2024: 'Hardest Geezer' Russ Cook set to run London Marathon on Sunday - two weeks after finishing Africa challenge