Russ Cook has achieved some incredible feats throughout his running career and is best known for being the first person known to run the entire length of Africa.
The runner, who also goes by the name of Hardest Geezer, continues to promote running to mass audiences via his YouTube channel and social media, and has inspired many people to take up the activity. Now, he’s setting his sights on becoming one of Great Britain’s leading ultrarunners.
Cook Is Looking to Take His Ultrarunning to the Next Level
Cook is a prime example of someone who achieves greatness by setting goals and then sticking to them. After completing his Africa run, he then went on to run across New Zealand, building up his online following while doing so. He has also founded Hardest Adventures, a travel company that takes people on some of the toughest challenges around the world.
The 28-year-old always needs to be working towards something, which is why he has now set himself the target of joining the GB ultrarunning team. Even though he has already completed some of the greatest feats in ultrarunning, he hasn’t yet done it at a professional level. The endurance expert wants to improve his speed and compete for trophies in some of the world’s toughest events.
Building Up His Following in the Process
It’s great that Cook is so public about his aims, as this helps inspire others to set hard goals for themselves as well. The British runner also does this to hold himself accountable, and ensure that he goes through with what he’s planned. He makes sure to document it all across his social media channels, ensuring that his following continues to grow as he trains to get to the next level.
Cook’s use of social media has been impressive. After a lack of experience or a plan when setting out for Project Africa, he has formed a team of experts who now produce some of the best running content on YouTube.
He has also used trending technology such as live streaming at times, to take people with him on his runs and in his training sessions. Live streaming has mainly been used in entertainment, with platforms like Twitch featuring gamers streaming their content in real time. There’s also the live casino UK market, which features everything from table games to game shows. Cook occasionally uses live streaming for interaction with his audience, allowing him to answer questions and give advice to other runners.
What is Cook’s Training Plan to Achieve His Goal?
Fans of Cook and those who want to follow in his footsteps can easily keep up with his progress across his social media channels and his Strava. He’s set out on a two-year plan to reach professional ultrarunning status, and it will first involve attempting some of his fastest finishes in marathons. From there, he’ll build up to faster speeds across longer distances.
Cook is currently training for the London Marathon, which is set to take place in April. This will be a good barometer for the runner to assess where he’s at, and see what areas of his running he needs to work on to achieve his ultimate goal.