Russ Cook

Russ Cook, otherwise known as the Hardest Geezer, is an outstanding endurance athlete who recently made headlines after he became the first person to run the entire length of Africa. A truly empowering individual, Russ is committed to “making a difference”, and has channelled his personal struggles into pushing himself to the extreme. Having raised over £700,000 for charity, Russ is now highly sought after as a motivational speaker for events, sharing the story of his inspirational feats of endurance and just how far the human mind and body can be pushed.

Back in 2019, Russ completed his first daring feat – running from Istanbul in Turkey to Worthing in England with no support team. This incredible feat saw Russ tackle 1800 miles, igniting his passion for adventure. In 2020, Russ set a World Record, completing the fastest marathon whilst pulling a car – completing this task in a staggering 9 hours and 56 minutes. Russ followed this in 2021 by spending seven days buried alive, a feat that he completed with just 20 litres of water and a ventilation tube for support – live streamed to the army of fans that he has accumulated with his impressive displays of endurance.

Most recently, Russ became the first person to run the entire length of Africa, beginning this project on the 22^nd of April 2023 and completing the run on the 7^th of April 2024. Travelling from Cape Agulhas in South Africa to Ras Angela in Tunisia, Russ endured an astonishing 9900 miles and crossed 16 different countries. His journey was to support the Running Charity, which supports mental health programmes -  with Russ motivated to take on the challenge due to his struggles with alcoholism, gambling addiction and mental health issues. On June 11^th 2024, Russ began a new challenge, vowing to run to every England game in the UEFA Euro 2024, sponsored by Sports Direct and Score Draw– having already completed his first journey running from Wembley Stadium in England to Gelsenkirchen in Germany. His impressive feats of adventure have been documented in his debut book titled Hardest Geezer: Becoming the First Person to Run the Entire Length of Africa, set to be released in late 2024.

With a truly inspirational story to his name, it is with no surprise that Russ has become highly sought after to share his adventures as a motivational speaker at events across the globe. Having amassed a social media following of over 1.2M, Russ is an instantly recognisable figure, renowned for his displays of just how far the human mind and body can be pushed. Focussing on topics of perseverance, determination, peak performance, endurance, mindset and mental health, Russ has already been sought to star on esteemed media outlets, including in interviews for Sky News and on Steven Bartlett’s Diary of a CEO podcast. If you are looking for a truly inspirational endurance athlete to speak at your next event, don’t hesitate to secure Russ “The Hardest Geezer” Cook today!