Running 16,000KM over 352 days, The Hardest Geezer has completed his run of the length of Africa.
HOKAs in hand, this is how he did it.
WHO’S THE HARDEST GEEZER? RUSS COOK IS…
From Cape Agulhas to Tunisia, over 352 days, Russ Cook has become the first person to run the length of Africa. No rest for the wicked, it’s the equivalent of running 385 marathons back to back. What an achievement.
Russ has spent almost the last year running, all for charity, and all for a wild but admirable test of endurance. So far he has raised almost a million pounds for The Running Charity – a charity which harnesses the power of running to help people experiencing homelessness or managing complex needs, and Sandblast – a charity providing educational events about Saharawi people and culture through the arts in the UK and creative and skills development projects in the Saharawi refugee camps to promote talent, knowledge, self-reliance and support links.
What is incredible about this story is the sheer will and determination that it will have taken to do this. With the world watching, 16,000 KM over less than a year is tough stuff, averaging just over 45 KM per day if you spread it all out.
So, when you’re running 45 KM a day, what do you wear on your feet? HOKAs.
Russ is a HOKA-head through and through, and wore the trainers for every step of the journey. If ever there was a time to talk about running shoe rotations and gait analysis, it would be now, but we’ll just let you think on that one for a moment instead.
Russell Cook, known as the “Hardest Geezer”, has revealed he went through about 30 pairs of Hoka trainers, one of the brands which sponsors him, in his more than 10,000 miles of “stomping”. – The Times
Russ is sponsored by the brand but don’t let that put you off. You need a serious level of love for a brand to wear them on your feet for this kind of challenge, and the fact that he chose HOKA to be his trainer of choice says a lot, but we can understand why.
He wore a mix of trainers for his run, including the Speedgoat, Bondi, and Arahi models that we all know and love. HOKA has a whole load of benefits as a brand but now isn’t the time to tell you about them. Have a look for yourself and we have put a cheeky discount on them if you’re feeling inspired to get up and run. Not sure what type of shoes are right for you? Check out our Shoe Guide and get yourself booked in for a free Gait Analysis at one of our three stores.
If they’re good enough for Russ, they’re good enough for us.
Let’s run.
FIND YOUR LOCAL PAU STORE
At PAU, we have a range of running shoes and clothing for all abilities. So whether it’s couch to 5K, or your next marathon – we’ve got you covered.
Shop online or visit one of our three stores across Staffordshire & Cheshire to speak to our team of experts and get a free gait analysis while you’re there!