A British man who is attempting to run the length of Africa was held up and robbed at gunpoint - something which he somewhat underplayed by branding it simply ‘a spot of bother’.
Russell Cook - aka @hardestgeezer - from Worthing, West Sussex, is hoping to complete 360 marathons in 240 days and is currently on day 65 of his ambitious goal to run a staggering 14,500km (9,320 miles).
The challenge will see him running through rainforests, the Sahara desert and numerous cities across the length of Africa - and if that wasn’t quite enough to make you feel for the poor fella, yesterday he revealed he was robbed at gunpoint.
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Russ, 25, has been keeping his 180,000 Twitter followers up to date with his progress and yesterday shared a shocking update explaining that he’d been held up by a gang of men with guns.
In a post on Twitter, he wrote: “Nothing like a gun being pointed at your face to let you know you’re alive. Lively one today.
“Ferocious 1’s & 2’s all morning. Met the boys for a lunch break. Chatting our usual dribble in the van like any other day when a couple [of] lads popped open the side door and demanded everything we have.
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“Desperate blokes with guns pointed. Infamously bad situation to find yourself on the end of. Proper spot of bother. Damage limitation.”
Thankfully, Russ went on to reassure his fans that no one was hurt in the incident, but they did lose a bit of kit as well as cash and their passports - not ideal.
“None of us got killed or injured,” he continued.
“We didn’t let them march us out [of] the van. But we did lose a lot of our gear. Couple cameras, 2 iPhones, all of our cash, passports and a few other bits. Rough gig. But we live to tell the tale. Could’ve been a lot worse. Local police [are] doing as much as they can to help.
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“The relentless nature of this mission is quite something. Problems from every angle. No respite. Till the bitter end.”
Incredibly, despite all of that going on, Russ confirmed that he had still managed to clock up an impressive 32km (19.8 miles).
Russ’s challenge, which kicked off in Tunisia and will finish in South Africa - he’s doing it to raise funds for The Running Charity and Water Aid.
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Talking to the BBC about the challenges he’ll face during the incredible journey, he said: "Not many people live there, so in terms food, petrol and water, it's slim pickings.
"Then you've got the sheer fact it's boiling hot during the day, freezing cold at night and I'll be running on sand, which is an absolute killer."
Good luck, pal!
Topics: Crime, UK News, World News, Charity
Claire Reid