Man trying to become first person to run entire length of Africa shares heartbreaking reason he may have to stop

A 26-year-old man who's trying to become the first person to run the length of Africa has revealed he might have to stop after months of work.

Russell Cook set off on his epic mission on 22 April 2023, with high hopes to complete 360 marathons in 240 days and successfully run across the length of Africa.

The Brit has kept followers updated with regular videos and posts to document his journey, but he's run into obstacles along the way, which have caused delays to his lengthy mission.

As of 23 January, Cook has been running for 278 days and has covered nearly 12,000km by running through 13 countries. It's an incredible feat, but Cook could now be looking at the end of the road.

In a post on X today, the runner told viewers he had a 'bit of a problem', explaining that him and his team haven't been able to get visas for Algeria.

"If we don’t get them, then it’s game over for project Africa," Cook wrote.

X/@hardestgeezer

"[I've] raised over £140k for charity in my attempt to become the first person ever to run the entire length of Africa. But right now all of that is totally hanging on whether we can get permission from Algeria to let us cross in through this border with Mauritania," Cook continued.

Describing the route as the 'only option', Cook appealed to residents of Algeria and asked people to reach out.

"Anything you need from us please let me know. It would be an absolute privilege to visit your beautiful country," he wrote.

"To everyone following the journey online please help us out by sharing this and helping us get this seen by the appropriate people in Algeria. Thank you for the support guys we need it now more than ever."

X/@hardestgeezer

X users have rallied around Cook after coming across his post, with many tagging people who may be able to help him complete his run to Tunisia's most northerly point.

If Cook succeeds in getting access to Algeria, he will be faced with running through the Sahara Desert - an area which is 'really big, famously has no water and is very hot'.

Cook described the desert as a 'difficult stretch to manoeuvre', explaining: "We have to cross from Mauritania to Algeria on foot, which as far as we can see from research, hasn't been done by foreigners in a very long time."

With the future of Cook's challenge hanging in the balance, it's now down to authorities in Algeria to allow him to continue.

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