Project Africa

Cape Agulhas

Cape Angela

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Start and finish points of Project Africa

Project Africa was a successful attempt by British endurance athlete Russ Cook to be the first person to run the entire length of continental Africa from southernmost to northernmost point.

Starting from Cape Agulhas, South Africa in February 2023, it took Cook 352 days and over 9,940 miles (16,000 km) to reach the most northerly point of Africa in Bizerte, Tunisia on 7 April 2024. Although initially planning to complete the feat in 240 days, complications with visas, injury, armed robbery, and kidnapping led to the attempt taking over three months longer. As of April 2024, Cook is the only known person to have ever run the entire length of Africa from the continent's southernmost to northernmost point.

The project was fundraising for two charities, The Running Charity and Sandblast, and had raised 90% of its £1,000,000 goal on 11 April 2024.

Challenges

Armed robbery

On 24 June 2023, 64 days into the attempt, Cook and his support crew were robbed at gunpoint in Angola of cameras, money, and passports containing visas for many of the remaining countries.

Health issues

Cook suffered food poisoning less than 30 days into the attempt which he ran through. Two weeks later, he began to urinate blood. Around 200 days into the attempt, Cook experienced severe back pain and received treatment in a hospital in Nigeria.

Visa complications

By day 278 of the attempt, Cook was forced to wait at the Algeria–Mauritania border whilst he awaited for permission to cross. However following a post to his online following on social media which garnered large amounts of traction, he was granted a courtesy visa by the Algerian embassy in London.