THE HARDEST GEEZER

25-year-old Russ Cook is compelled to outrun the life that’s been handed to him – and to do it he’s willing to be the first person to run across Africa, tip-to-tip. 

In Worthing, the town where Russ grew up, the measure of success is simple: small house, garden, stable job. Warehouse work, driving a lorry, maybe a prison guard. Forget a degree, forget football – that’s life. Get a job and get on with it – at least that’s what Russ’s father would tell his son. In 2019, Russ decided to run away from all that – by running toward it. 

He booked himself a one-way ticket to Istanbul, the gate to Asia, with the intent to run home. Virtually non-stop. 66 days after landing inIstanbul, averaging well over a marathon a day with no rest days, he arrived in London, becoming the first person to run from Asia to London. Over the course of the trip, he built a small social media following. 10k Instagram followers. 6k YouTube subscriptions. In the world of adventure sport mega-influencers – virtually nothing. 

If you followed Russ during his run or soon thereafter, one thing would be clear: he is not your standard endurance athlete. There is very little about mindfulness or meditation – although he is incredibly introspective and does meditate. There’s nothing about eating clean – in fact, he’s done a ‘beer’ marathon, and even one-upped that with a ‘McDonald’s Marathon’ – ordering the entire menu, and consuming it over 105 laps on the track. ‘Glory Road’ is the story of his next challenge. To run Africa, from true North to true South. It has – to the furthest extent of our knowledge, never been done before. 

It’s not just the great expanse of it – 8,000km as the bird flies. It’s practically everything else. Some of the most exposed terrain on the planet. Desert. Jungle. Countries bound for decades with external and internal conflict – meaning some of the dangerous borders in the world. 

Like many endurance athletes, Russ's journey began as a mission of self-betterment. Though his ultra-running career is just a few years underway, he's had plenty of kilometers to think – and plenty of things to consider. Ultimately, he's come to this conclusion: he's a better person when he does hard things. The journey to this conclusion has not been easy – and along the way, Russ has become a champion of mental health awareness and self-development. But the real questions are pretty simple: will he make it – and how will he change along the way?