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Home / News / Hardest Geezer plans new ultra-running challenge

Hardest Geezer plans new ultra-running challenge

Ultra-athlete Russ Cook has announced his next endurance challenge: running the length of New Zealand.

Known as the ‘Hardest Geezer’, ultra-athlete Russ Cook has announced his next endurance challenge: running the length of New Zealand.

Now while this might not be strictly a triathlon story, we applaud anyone with the fortitude to take an a truly epic challenge – and there’s always plenty to learn from these challenges, whether it’s how to push through mentally or physically.

Back from Africa

Cook’s last challenge was to run the length of Africa, a feat he completed in April last year. This saw him travel 16,300km (more than 10,000miles) over 352 days.

Russ Cook running up a hill with the sun rising behind him
Russ Cook training for his epic challenge in New Zealand

Capturing headlines were the dramatic challenges along the way though. Cook was robbed at gunpoint and struggled with both injury and food poisoning, as well as brutal conditions during the run – which aimed to raise £1 million for his chosen charities.

The new challenge will see Cook attempt to run the length of the 3000km Te Araroa, a mountainous trail which spans the length of New Zealand.  Te Araroa is famed as having some of the world’s most diverse terrains, with mountains, native forests, coastlines, seas and cities to navigate.

This March, during New Zealand’s autumn, Russ will take off from Stirling Point in Bluff at the southern tip of the South Island, and run northbound, equivalent to 60 ultramarathons, before crossing the finish line in Cape Rēinga in Northland.

Lake Wanaka with mountains in the background
Lake Wanaka is just one of the areas Cook will pass on his challenge.

Diverse terrain to cover

Speaking about the upcoming trip, Russ comments “Overcoming challenging adventures has had a massive impact on my life and I’m so excited to see what New Zealand has in store for me.”

“I know there’s going to be a fair share of challenges that I’ve not yet faced before, as the terrain is so diverse on Te Araroa but I’m excited at the prospect of witnessing some incredible landscapes and meeting inspiring people from a rich and diverse culture.

Fans will be able to follow Cook via his social media – @hardestgeezer and to find out more about the trail he will be covering, visit newzealand.com/uk.

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About

Helen has been 220's Editor since July 2013, when she made the switch from marathons to multisport. She's usually found open-water swimming and has competed in several swimruns as well as the ÖtillÖ World Series. Helen is a qualified Level 2 Open-Water Swim Coach focusing on open-water confidence and runs regular workshops at the South West Maritime Academy near Bristol. She is also an RLSS UK Open Water Lifeguard trainer/assessor.