Today, Russ Cook finished his south-north run along the entire length of Africa after 350 days. All along, he has said that he was aiming to become the first to finish this mega-journey.<\/p>\n
But a press release by the World Runners Association, amplified on Facebook by fellow runner Tony Mangan, takes issue with that claim. It states that Jesper Kenn Olsen<\/a> of Denmark first ran the length of Africa between 2008-2012.<\/p>\n “It’s disheartening to see that when Jesper, myself, and even the governing body for this kind of running, the World Runners Association,<\/span> and others have tried to bring this error to Russ Cook’s attention, they have been met with resistance and denial from his crew and supporters,” wrote Mangan. “As runners, we should hold each other accountable and strive for honesty and integrity within our community.”<\/span><\/p>\n Olsen began his run on Dec. 28, 2008 and concluded it 12,792km later at the Cape of Good Hope. His north-south route went through Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, Swaziland, and South Africa.<\/p>\n But even if Cook is simply the first to do it within a year, it remains an impressive feat of endurance. Late Friday night, the 27-year-old British athlete checked in from Tunisia, the \u201c16th and final\u201d country of his tour.<\/p>\n \u201cHere we go. 2 days to go. Final push,\u201d he announced.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n A post shared by Russ Cook (@hardestgeezer)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n