Briton running length of Africa forced to stop after his passport, cameras & phones were snatched

After being robbed at gunpoint, a man running the length of Africa was forced to halt his quest.

Russell Cook, a West Sussex resident from Worthing, was attempting to run 360 marathons in 240 days.

The 26-year-old’s team and he were the victims of a theft that included cameras, phones, money, and passports in Angola last month.

Until the team can obtain fresh visas, Cook said the challenge faced a “frustrating” delay of up to two weeks.

“Most importantly, they took my passport, which had a visa for the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of Congo in it,” he said.

“Logistics in Africa is especially difficult. We were in Luanda for six days trying to get the new visa, sweet-talking every man and his dog. But ultimately, we left with our pants pulled firmly down.”

He added: “We can’t go anywhere until we have the visas.”

The challenge started on April 22 in the southernmost point of South Africa and will end at the northernmost point of Tunisia.

The “Hardest Geezer” Cook hopes to travel 9,320 miles (14,500 km) during the challenge, passing through 16 different countries, towns, jungles, and a three-month period in the Sahara Desert.

When the challenge was suspended, he was on day 77.

To obtain the visas more quickly, Cook said he and his colleagues had travelled 2,062 kilometres (1,281 miles) back to Windhoek, Namibia.

“We have problems, many of them, but we overcome the lot of them out here. The party rolls on,” he added.

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