'Hardest Geezer' Russ Cook who ran entire length of Africa faces his toughest challenge yet - taking on the yummy mummies at Clapham Common Park Run

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British runner Russ Cook who ran full magnitude of Africa contiguous took connected his toughest situation yet - moving 5km astir Clapham Common. 

The self-styled 'Hardest Geezer' led retired thousands of runners taking portion successful a 'Run and Raise' lawsuit conscionable days aft completing his 10,000-mile odyssey from South Africa to Tunisia.

The 27-year-old, from Worthing successful West Sussex, was pictured embracing chap racegoers and taking selfies aft completing the tally - which astir apt came arsenic a locomotion successful the parkland for the marathoner - earlier this morning. 

The lawsuit organised by Made In Chelsea's Joshua Patterson, helped rise wealth towards Russ's £1 cardinal fundraising people which helium acceptable earlier taking connected the mammoth feat past April. 

The jock has truthful acold raised conscionable over £922,000, with hopes the £5 donations fixed by runners successful bid to instrumentality portion contiguous volition assistance him conscionable his goal. 

British runner Russ Cook was pictured contiguous taking portion successful the Clapham Common 5km run

The 27-year-old, from Worthing successful West Sussex, was pictured embracing chap racegoers and taking selfies aft completing the run

It came days aft Russ completed his 10,000-mile odyssey from South Africa to Tunisia. Russ is pictured successful Mateur arsenic helium made his mode to the decorativeness enactment successful Tunisia connected Sunday

Russ was pictured smiling with adoring fans successful Clapham Common earlier contiguous aft completing the 5km tally astir the park. 

Announcing the lawsuit earlier this week, Joshua wrote connected Instagram: 'Yesterday arsenic astir of you cognize Russ aka Hardest Geezer became the archetypal idiosyncratic successful past to tally the magnitude of Africa. 

'A subordinate of his squad reached retired to maine to spot if I could assistance successful anyhow to assistance him deed that good deserved people of 1M for charity.

'So this Saturday 13th April I’m hosting a 5k tally & rise for Russ. I’m baffled however helium has not deed the afloat 1M people for what he’s accomplished. 

'So delight dispersed the word, and hopefully successful our numbers let’s amusement the antheral our enactment backmost home, and assistance him rise conscionable that small spot more.'

People were told to conscionable astatine the Pear Tree Cafe successful the centre of Clapham Common astatine 10am connected Saturday. 

Runners of 'all abilities' were encouraged to instrumentality part, with a petition for anyone attending to marque a £5 donation towards Russ's £1m target, which is raising wealth for The Running Charity and Sandblast. 

Any hard halfway fans of the Brit were besides encouraged to don 'ginger beards and swimming goggles to honour the fable himself'.

Russ is pictured successful a lukewarm clasp with runner aft completing the 5km tally connected Saturday

Russ pictured smiling with adoring fans successful Clapham Common earlier contiguous aft completing the 5km tally astir the park

Russ Cook, nicknamed Hardest Geezer, crossing the decorativeness enactment astatine Ras Angela, Tunisia's astir northerly point

British runner Russ Cook salutes to camera aft reaching the northern-most constituent of Africa astatine Cape Angela, northeast of Tunisia, connected April 7

A representation showing Russ Cook's 352 time travel crossed Africa

Russ completed the tally that saw him commencement successful the continent's astir confederate point, Cape Agulhas successful South Africa connected April 22 past twelvemonth earlier crossing the decorativeness enactment successful Ras Angela, Tunisia, the astir bluish constituent connected Sunday April 7.

Incredible scenes saw him being embraced by loved ones and serenaded by fans chanting 'Geezer, Geezer, Geezer' earlier helium declared that helium wasn't finished with moving challenges and whitethorn tally crossed northbound America next. 

The epic trek took him 352 days to decorativeness and was the equivalent of moving 385 marathons.

Cook's fundraising leafage connected Givestar claims helium was the archetypal ever idiosyncratic to tally crossed the full magnitude of Africa and the Guiness World Records confirmed they were readying to contiguous him with the grant - providing helium tin springiness evidence. 

'As per our guidelines, the commencement and decorativeness constituent of the grounds title, Fastest crossing of Africa connected ft (male) is Ras Ben Sakka, Tunisia to Cape L'Agulhas, South Africa, which are the Northernmost and Southernmost points of mainland Africa.

'Russ would beryllium the archetypal grounds holder of this rubric and we are looking guardant to receiving the grounds for our records absorption squad to review.'

However, Cook's claim sparked a furious enactment successful the satellite of endurance moving aft it emerged that akin feats had been accomplished doubly earlier - including 14 years agone by a Danish ultrarunner who has accused the 'Hardest Geezer' of overlooking them.  

Last week it emerged that chap Brit Nicholas Bourne ran an astonishing 7,499 miles from South Africa to Egypt successful 1998, astir 30 years earlier Cook broke completed his ain route, which was conscionable little than 3,000 miles longer.  

Cook drinking a strawberry daiquiri arsenic helium sits connected a throne aft completing his last race

Nicholas Bourne, 54, pictured portion moving the magnitude of Africa backmost successful 1998.  He completed the endurance feat in 318 days from 21 January to 5 December 1998, covering implicit 12,069 km

Mr Bourne was speedy to connection his congratulations to Cook, who is the 3rd antheral to tally the magnitude of Africa 

Speaking exclusively to MailOnline, Bourne said: 'I would similar to congratulate Russ connected completing an unthinkable situation and I anticipation helium receives the designation helium deserves and inspires others to undertake their ain situation and conscionable immoderate unthinkable radical on the way.'

Addressing the controversy, helium added: 'It was a agelong clip agone truthful there's nary crushed Russ would person needfully been aware.

'I person attempted a fewer ultra records, some moving and cycling, and the scenery has changed successful that 30 years agone determination was nary governing assemblage truthful the takeaway from this is that anyone readying a grounds should interaction the sport's governing body.

'And governing bodies should marque interaction with the Guinness publication of records arsenic they are inactive often the archetypal constituent of contact.

'I anticipation that much radical tin beryllium inspired to undertake question successful this way… it is an unthinkable acquisition that affords immoderate penetration into the time to time challenges of individuals and communities successful antithetic parts of our incredibly beauteous satellite that we request to look aft amended than we do.'

However, Jesper Olsen from Copenhagen, who ran the way successful 2010, was little than impressed. Last nighttime helium told MailOnline: 'Mr Cook is not the archetypal and neither was I [...] Our satellite with our benignant of runners is precise small. It is not done that you effort to disregard different radical who person done that run.

'The archetypal idiosyncratic to tally the magnitude of Africa was Nicholas Bourne from the UK and it was ratified by the Guinness Book of Records.

'I indispensable beryllium definite to accidental that I decidedly person respect for the tally (by Mr Cook) and determination should beryllium nary uncertainty that it is simply a precise awesome run. There is nary uncertainty that it is not that.

'It is simply a immense effort that helium has done. But it is simply a small similar idiosyncratic saying they person breached the 10,000m grounds erstwhile they haven't.

The World Runners Association (WRA) claimed 1 of their authorities member's Jesper Kenn Olsen, from Denmark, besides ran the magnitude of Africa successful 2010 (pictured)

Olsen (pictured during his ultramarathon) said helium lone learned of Cook's situation 2 weeks ago

Olsen began his situation connected December 28 2008 successful Taba, Egypt , earlier a 7,948-mile travel to the Cape of Good Hope successful South Africa, completing 434 moving days earlier finishing successful March 2010

Olsen said helium lone learned of Cook's situation 2 weeks ago.

Fellow World Runners Association subordinate Marie Leautey said the radical were made alert of it lone 1 period agone and attempted to interaction him earlier releasing their statement.

Ms Leautey, 46, praised Cook's effort but added that she she does not privation her person Olsen's accomplishment to beryllium 'written disconnected from history'.

Ms Leautey, a concern advisor based successful London, added: 'It's not truly astir claiming a rubric oregon a assertion for glory oregon recognition, it's conscionable a fact-checking happening and it has to bash with sportsmanship.

'We are a tiny community, lone 7 of us, we each admit the radical who person done it earlier america due to the fact that they are the ones that person made it imaginable for america to do.

'Cook has done a fantastic tally and we truly privation to applaud him for it and accidental congratulations, but we besides don't privation Jesper's tally to beryllium written disconnected from past due to the fact that it doesn't consciousness right.'

She said the moving radical received an online backlash for claiming Olsen's tally predates Cook's challenge.

In 1998, the BBC reported connected Mr Bourne's tally which began successful South Africa and ended astatine the Pyramids successful Cairo.

Bourne 'braved deserts, floods, warfare zones and chaotic animals to complete' the endurance test, the BBC said.

He was raising wealth for the charities Born Free and Save the Children.

The 6ft.4in erstwhile exemplary said astatine the time: 'I wanted thing other successful my life. I besides wanted to item immoderate of the things that I felt were indispensable to highlight, astir conservation and astir acquisition for children.'

Article From: www.dailymail.co.uk
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