One of the greatest sporting stories of the last decade finally came to an end this weekend as Russ Cook, now known around the globe as the ‘Hardest Geezer’, officially completed his almost year-long run across the entire length of Africa. Yeah, all of it.
The 27-year-old athlete from Worthing in West Sussex has completed multiple endurance challenges in the past but none quite like this, completing a total of 385 marathons in 352 days and over 16,250 kilometres to run the length of the second-largest continent in the planet.
Having first embarked on his epic voyage back on April 22, 2023, and sharing the news of his challenge on social media, people haven’t been able to look away ever since and understandably so.
While his claim to be the first man to have carried out the feat in history has recently been contested by the World Runners Association (WRA), there can be no question as to how much of an inspiration his story has become for millions everywhere. And just look at what it meant – to everyone:
What an incredible bloke Russ Cook is. 👏👏@hardestgeezer has done it: he’s finally finished running the ENTIRE length of Africa. 🤯
But he still did – be it heavy downpours in the rainfoest, sandstorms out in the desert, the shock of snow in Algeria or just the gruelling heat of the equator regions, none of it mattered: he just kept going.
Bringing endless positivity to people’s timelines with his regular video updates whilst plugging away at the ridiculous daily mileage “on the ones and twos”, the simple conceit of a pretty pale ginger man running across one of the hottest stretches on Earth was plenty enough to keep tuning in every day.
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There was a period where we’d wager the majority of Twitter (sorry, X), or at least 90% of British users anyway, were either checking in to see his latest progress or discovering the world of Hardest Geezer and his incredible challenge for the first time. Even 349 days in he was still pumping out the energy.
He might have been forced into a few days off through serious hospital-worthy injuries but he was never out for long.
Socials have been filled with countless people revealing how they’ve been inspired by his story Russ Cook’s mindset of never giving up.
One person wrote: “Keep telling myself when I’m out doing half marathons each weekend in preparation for a marathon and the legs are screaming, ‘Hardest Geezer wouldn’t give up. I’m not either’. An absolute genuine inspiration.” As someone training for his first Manchester Marathon, I can attest to that.
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Another added: “In a world that can often feel overwhelming and full of challenges, finding inspiration in the hardest geezer has been a game-changer for me. Russ’ unwavering determination, resilience, and commitment to personal growth has reshaped my mindset and personal development.
A lot of those hopping on the bandwagon can’t even resist the familiar format of his vlogs either.
My first 5km in weeks here in the south of Sri Lanka; it really hits home what kind of monumental feat @hardestgeezer is doing DAILY by conquering 70+ kilometres per day running the length of Africa for the past year nonstop.
Civilians, influencers and people from all walks of life and starting to put the yards in.
It’s also worth reiterating that he’s taken on challenges like these for the right reason. In addition to reiterating that running has been a salvation for him following struggles with mental health, drinking and gambling, the entire ‘Project Africa’ undertaking was all done in aid of The Running Charity.
As well as raising awareness of the living conditions as he travelled through 15 different developing countries, from the moment he set off from Cape Agulhas in South Africa until now, he’s managed to raise around $870,000 (roughly £700k) for the extremely worthy cause.
The non-profit, which works with homeless young people and Sandblast, a cultural arts charity that helps those displaced from around the Western Sahara region, was set up back in 2012 and Russ’ has now helped the raise record amounts through nothing other than running.
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Nothing short of remarkable.
Final day vibes, 352 days, 16,000+km, 385 marathons and counting. Russ Cook, you are an inspiration. You have raised so much, have inspired so many, and we cant wait to see you! pic.twitter.com/02wUygxEob
— The Running Charity (@Running_Charity) April 7, 2024
Hardest Geezer has become an inspiration to millions now taking up running and has been for nearly a whole year.
A lot of this could be in our heads but it also just feels like we’re seeing more and more runners all over the city and Greater Manchester as a whole as well; we can only guess that a similar uptake in running as a reinvigorated fitness trend is happening in other parts of the world too.
We even feel like we’ve seen more people wearing Hoka, the running-based sports apparel that officially sponsored and supplied Hardest Geezer with his essential kit, in the year since he began pounding the pavements and plains of Africa.
No, we’re by no means saying this was entirely down to this one insane ginger bloke and utter running machine but it’s certainly helped put them even more firmly in the public consciousness — again, the lion’s share of the money went straight to charity.
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@hoka have very kindly given us a brand new pair of Bondi 8's to give away along with this signed pair that I started the mission with.
His mind-blowing multi-marathon challenge and insane feat of physical endurance might be over, but the journeys he has spawned as a result are only just starting.
Not to overegg the pudding, but having someone quite literally pushing the boundaries of what most would consider humanly possible has been so motivating not only for people like us but god knows how many others.
It’s been one of the inspirational things we’ve ever witnessed and we genuienly can’t wait for him to take a beyond well-deserved break and give that England shirt a wash and come home a hero in time to enjoy the Euros with the rest of the country.
Now get those feet up, lad, you’ve more than earned a year off filled with nothing but long baths, cold beers and lots of kip. You’ve got millions of us to takeover the running lark for a while.
Featured Images — Hardest Geezer (via X)/jordancore4 (via Instagram)
Sport
A Salford community centre is hosting a specialChristmas-themed pro wrestling show
Danny Jones
A local community centre in Salford is hosting a Christmas-themed pro wrestling show this festive period and it might just be one of the coolest-sounding fundraisers we’ve heard in a while.
Do sleigh bells and body slams go together? Well, we’re going to find out.
Hosting the special seasonal edition of PinFall Wrestling, the local sports entertainment group based out of Salford Gymnastic Centre, beloved local organisation The Rec will be helping put on a whole evening of fighting action from their 20ft wrestling ring.
Scheduled to get underway on Saturday, 14 December, a whole slew of UK wrestling talent will be competing in PinFall’s Christmas Chaos 2024.
Managed by the Salford Involved Cooperative, a non-profit enterprise that helps fund places like The Rec, nearby gyms and other important community outlets,
Promising “turkey, tinsel and takedowns”, the star-studded roster includes ITV’s World of Wrestling stars Sheikh El Sham and Martin Kirby, plus fan favourites like Commander Sterling.
Better yet, as well as many other familiar faces to those immersed in the British wrestling scene, the event will also feature talent from the Top Rope Wrestling Academy (TRWA), all of which will be making their PinFall debut.
Christmas Chaos takes place at The Rec on Camp Street in Salford (M7 1ZT), just five minutes or so outside of Manchester city centre, with doors opening from 2:30pm.
Adult admission is only a tenner and children aged 15 and under go even cheaper at just £6. Tickets are available HERE and you can even spring for early access through VIP passes if you’re feeling fancy.
Once again, all the funds raised through ticket sales go straight back into the centre and towards organising other community events throughout the year.
The Rec is based in East Salford, which has eight out of its 13 neighbourhoods listed as the lowest 10% on the country’s index of multiple deprivation.
They offer a wide range of support services throughout the week that help tackle the effects of poverty in the area including recovery support for those struggling with addiction, refugee and asylum seeker classes, sports, youth activities, food banks and more.
As well as ticketed events like these, they regularly hold free community fun days such as their annual Easter event and Christmas present drive, which saw over 250 presents handed out to locals in 2023.
Working with multiple regional and national organisations such as Greater Manchester Police, the NHS, National Lottery, Sports England, Children in Need, The Mustard Tree and more, the importance of the work done at The Rec cannot be overstated.
More importantly, places like this need constant support directly from the communities that they serve, especially during difficult times like the one we are facing right now. So, if you fancy helping the much-loved Salford community centre and watching some festive wrestling shenanigans, see you there.
Rúben Amorim outlines the three key things Manchester United need to work on
Danny Jones
Rúben Amorim has conducted his first full press conference as Manchester United manager and has outlined the three key things he wants to address when it comes to his new team.
Amorim officially joined Man United on Monday, 11 November after being given a ‘now or never’ which meant he had to leave his former club Sporting CP in the middle of the season.
Replacing Erik ten Hag, who was sacked less than 24 hours after a 2-1 defeat to West Ham and had overseen a run of bad results, the contract extension he was given in the summer ultimately proved obsolete and now the Portuguese head coach must lift his new side from a measly 13th in the table.
That being said, speaking to the media in his first full pre-match presser ahead of his maiden Premier League outing against Ipswich Town this weekend, Amorim has already highlighted three key areas in which he wants United to improve as a matter of priority.
"I truly believe that I'm the right guy in the right moment" 👊
Ruben Amorim says he does not think managing Manchester United is the impossible job.#MUFC#bbcfootball 🇵🇹
What did Amorim say in his first full Man United press conference?
Although the 39-year-old coach – who is only three years older than resurgent centre-back Johnny Evans – started off by assuring that his main focus at its core is to win the next match (and the one after that, as the football cliché goes), he boiled the current squad issues down to a troublesome trio.
In his eyes, a lot of it just comes down to pure physical effort.
Improve possession
First and foremost, Amorim was quick to point out that United “lose the ball too often” and simply have to retain it more throughout the 90 minutes.
Although they have enjoyed spells of greater control in games, their average possessions stats in the Premier League not only under ten Hag but Ole Gunnar Solskjær and even short-lived interim boss Ralf Rangnick never flirted too far above 50-53%.
While that might sound like the signs of nothing more than a well-contested game, the club need to be looking at much higher numbers if they want to start being a dominant force again.
Track back more
The second area he said that the team desperately needs to improve in is the distances covered per match, especially when it comes to running back towards their own goal and tracking back during defensive phases.
Addressing it in a rather matter-of-fact manner, he told reporters: “We have to be better at running back, I think that is clear for everybody [to see].” He told Gary Neville something very similar in his other recent interview with Sky Sports.
"This is my place" ❤️
The smile on both Gary Neville and Ruben Amorim's face when the Manchester United head coach said this ☺ pic.twitter.com/dpKnnE69Nm
He said it with a smile on his face but it’s clear that he knows there is a narrative surrounding United in recent years that they just don’t work hard enough, both on and off the ball. Having played mainly in the middle of the park for Belenenses, Benfica and SC Braga, running is a non-negotiable.
Focus on the ‘details’ first
Lastly, Amorim said he believes one of the big things he can do for these players is to help them fine-tune the small things. He added that although there is a feeling that fans want there to be “a lot of change” and pressure to make “big” decisions, he reiterated that “it’s the small things.”
The former utility player knows a thing or two about playing in lots of positions and going back to the opening point of his press conference in which he discussed getting the team to believe in “one thing”, he believes that the minute differences can contribute to changing how they approach the game.
There is understandably lots of talk surrounding his trademark 3-4-3 formation and whether these details refer to tactical tweaks, we will see, but he insists that so long as they put in the effort and pay attention to the little stuff, those on the pitch will start to play in the same way that he wants them to.
You can watch his press conference ahead of the Ipswich away this Sunday in full down below:
Amorim was also happy to casually call out those who ‘don’t believe in’ his new players in his first press conference as Man United coach.
Danny Jones -
8th April 2024 
