The Hardest Geezer has set off on his latest bonkers challenge – to run the entire length of New Zealand.
Russ Cook, nicknamed the Hardest Geezer, is no stranger to an extreme test of endurance.
The 27-year-old, from Worthing, West Sussex, ran from Asia to London in 2019. He then stomped the full length of Africa in 352 days, finishing in April last year.
Now, the Hardest Geezer will attempt to run the 1,864-mile (3,000km) Te Araroa Trail – the equivalent of 60 ultra-marathons.
Hardest Geezer Takes New Zealand
Speaking on his YouTube channel, he said: “A couple of years ago, I was running across Africa, scraping pennies together to try and make it happen. It’s mad to think how far things have come.
“But underneath it all, nothing has changed. I’m still just a lad chasing the next big adventure; still buzzing off the unknown; still hungry to see what I’m made of.”
Russ spent the entire African expedition spluttering around in his beloved motorhome, Nelly. Unfortunately, Nelly won’t be a feature of his latest challenge, as he’s swapped her for a seriously upgraded pad.
Though, it’s not the sleeping arrangements he’s most worried about. New Zealand’s mountainous terrain will see the Hardest Geezer navigate forests, coastlines, and cities, as well as a projected 300,000ft elevation.
“Looking at the map route really gave me a better perspective on the challenge coming up,” he added. “There’s going to be a lot of navigating, mountains, muddy trails. Dicey to get through.
“A lot of my running before has been straight roads. There were roads in Africa where I was running 1,000km on the same road. It’s going to be a lot more diverse.”
Three kilometres in, his suspicions were confirmed.
“I’m already seeing how different this is to any other expedition I’ve done. One of the things I’m sensing is that pace is going to go out of the window.
“The trail is going to get pretty technical at times, so I’m going to have to manage my body to get it used to the vast change-up in terrain.”
Has the Hardest Geezer Still Got It?
Just two days into his journey, the Hardest Geezer was hit with the full reality of the challenge ahead. After battling strong winds, rain, and a fair amount of scrambling on day one, Russ began to feel the strain.
“I’m going to be real, I’ve got a really bad cramp in my right glute,” he admitted. “It’s just affecting everything. I can’t really run on this right now.
“It’s pretty humbling, to be fair – I should be flying right now. It just goes to show you can’t rest on your laurels. I came into this thinking I’ve banked up a lot of mileage, but I haven’t really put the proper training in. It’s costing me now.”
The Hardest Geezer raised more than £1m during his journey through Africa and faced all manner of problems, including visa issues, health scares, no-go zones, and even an armed robbery.
His quest took him from South Africa’s most southerly point to Tunisia in the north, covering more than 10,190 miles (16,400km) in the process.
The challenge saw him become a global sensation, but now, faced with another mammoth test, he’s starting to question whether complacency has crept in.
He said: “I found it so difficult coming back from Africa because I was craving that comfort, and then that comfort just lingered around.
“Part of me feels guilty about that. Like my mentality should be stronger than letting that happen. But to be fair, Africa was my biggest life achievement to date, and if you can’t enjoy that afterwards, what’s the point of doing these things?”
“Project New Zealand – we’ve now got to answer the question: Have I still got it?”
READ MORE: Hardest Geezer Runs Africa!
