Endurance athlete Russ Cook has completed his latest mammoth adventure after running the complete length of New Zealand.
Nicknamed the Hardest Geezer, the 28-year-old from Worthing took 73 days to run more than 2,500 kilometres from Bluff on the south island right up to Cape Rēinga in the north.
It’s the 28th country that he has run through and Russ completed his trek on Friday, admitting this latest run had been far from plain sailing with injuries having hampered him for much of the last month.
Russ, who came to global attention in April of last year after becoming the first man to ever to run the full length of Africa, struggled with a right lower leg problem which hampered his progress.
‘Completed it mate’
Having battled through the pain to cross the finishing line in Northland, he is now fully focused on recovery and a return to training before his next big challenge.
Posting on his Instagram account, he said: “Today I finished running the length of New Zealand.
“73 days. 2,500+ kilometres. 7 pairs of shoes. 100’s of pies. And a bucket load of mountains!
“We took a few dings on the way through, but made it out the other side. Running the length of New Zealand… completed it mate.
“Massive thank you to the people of this country, your kindness, hospitality, and mad scenery made this one unforgettable. We did it, boys. What a ride. Back to training.”
Battling through the pain
It was clearly an experience that he will never forget, having fallen in love with the country and the New Zealand people.
“New Zealand gave me a proper hiding at times, brutal trails, wild weather, and more than a few wobbly moments, but it’s also one of the most welcoming, stunning places I’ve ever run through,” he added. “From the mountains to the coast, it’s got some serious variety, and the people made it even better. I hope everyone that’s after a bit of adventure can come and experience it here.”
Just three days earlier, Russ had posted a video of him running on a New Zealand road, explaining the agony that he was experiencing, while in another post he explained ‘it’s not always pretty, but it’s happening.’
“I have been injured for the best part of a month,” he said. “Right lower leg is quite painful. Every day I wake up in a decent amount of pain. I can’t put any pressure on my leg. But I get my head out of the door, get a little hobble on and that hobble turns into a bit of a walk and that walk becomes an intermittent light jog and by the end of the day I am back cruising, smashing it up.”
In another post he added: “Legs are battered. Hips moving stiff. Chugging about like I’m a vintage motor. I guess I kind of am at this point. This is about to be the 28th country I’ve ran through.
“Up north’s been a different kind of beauty. Auckland was unreal. Managed to catch some dolphins just off the coast and had the chance to get in a good old yarn with the All Blacks legend Ian Jones. Also got hosted by a few locals along the way who were mega and made it feel like home, even when the legs were mashed.”
