Armed robbery, back pain, visa issues: Inside 'Hardest Geezer' Russ Cook's historic charity run

Russ Cook ran more than 16,000km across 16 African countries in 352 days, raising more than $1.3 million for charity.

Russ Cook is the first person in history to run the length of Africa. Source: AAP / STR/AP

Key Points

• Runner Russ Cook has made history by running the length of Africa.
• The 27-year-old started his journey from Cape Agulhas in South Africa last year.
• His run has raised more than $1.3 million for charity.

Sore and sandblasted but triumphant, Russ Cook has reached the northernmost point of Africa, almost a year after he set off from its southern tip on a quest to run the length of the continent.

Dozens of supporters gathered on a rocky outcrop beside the Mediterranean in northern Tunisia, cheering on the British charity fundraiser, who has run more than 16,000km across 16 countries in 352 days.

"I'm a little bit tired," Cook said — likely an understatement.

In the course of his journey the 27-year-old endurance athlete from Worthing in southern England crossed jungle and desert, swerved conflict zones and was delayed by theft, injury and visa problems.

Cook — known on social media by his nickname, Hardest Geezer — set off on 22 April last year from Cape Agulhas in South Africa, the continent's southernmost point. He hoped to complete the journey in 240 days, running the equivalent of more than a marathon every day.

He and his team had money, passports and equipment stolen in a gunpoint robbery in Angola. He was temporarily halted by back pain in Nigeria. And he was almost stopped in his tracks by the lack of a visa to enter Algeria, before diplomatic intervention from the Algerian embassy in Britain managed to secure the required documents.

Cook, who has spoken about how running helped him deal with his mental health struggles, previously ran about 3,000km from Istanbul to Worthing in 68 days.

His African run has raised more than £690,000 ($1.3 million) for the Running Charity, which works with homeless young people, and Sandblast, a charity that helps displaced people from Western Sahara.

"It's quite hard to put into words, 352 days on the road, long time without seeing family, my girlfriend," Cook told Sky News as he started running Sunday, accompanied by supporters who'd come from far and wide to run the final stretch with him.

"My body is in a lot of pain. But one more day, I'm not about to complain."

Russ Cook celebrated with supporters after arriving at the finish line in Tunisia. Source: AAP / STR

Cook said he planned to celebrate with a party, where British band Soft Play was due to perform.

"We're going to have strawberry daiquiris on the beach tonight," he said.

"It's going to be unreal."