‘Hardest Geezer’ lives up to nickname with 100km PB run amid gruelling endurance challenge

As if he needed any extra motivation, ultra runner Russ Cook set himself a new challenge on his epic attempt to run the full length of New Zealand.

Cook, who describes himself as “just an unhinged ginger bloke with a personal vendetta against the global tarmac network”, is running the 3,000km Te Araroa Trail, navigating mountains, forests, coastlines and cities.

But on Day 30, after being forced into a detour by a huge storm in which a month’s rainfall fell in one day, making the trail impassable, he decided to see how fast he could run 100km.

“Team effort”

Cook and his support team detailed the attempt on his official YouTube channel, which is embedded below, – but at least initially it didn’t all go according to plan when he was forced to abort after an emergency toilet break 13km in.

The 27-year-old from Worthing, West Sussex, blamed a dodgy pie, and tried again the next day.

This time around he managed to complete 100.3km in a time of 10:59, running at an elevation of 1329m. With breaks, his full elapsed time was 11:19 – enough to win a bet with his team.

But instead of keeping the winning prize of a hotel room for the night to himself, he decided to share it, saying: “We’ll all get a hotel. Team effort.”

Project New Zealand

Cook completed his last endurance challenge, running the length of Africa, in April last year, managing the feat in 352 days and raising over £700,000 for charity.

But New Zealand’s rugged and mountainous landscape and challenging weather has presented different problems, and he admitted the start of this challenge was a “shock to the system”.

On one particularly treacherous a 40km section of trail that snaked through rivers, mountains and forests, he was only one misstep away from calamity.

Cook described it as “much more chaotic than the smooth efficiency of the tarmac. Roots trying to trip me up, rocks attacking my ankles, rivers plotting ambushes… but I’ve got admit I was appreciating the sheer adventure of it all.

“I’m getting much more experience on the trails. My body’s feeling so much better now.”

Running New Zealand, from Stirling Point in Bluff on the country’s southern tip, north to Cape Rēinga, in Northland, means taking on the equivalent of 60 ultramarathons, and Cook says he hopes his adventure can inspire others.

During the challenge, he is also planning to bungee jump off Auckland Harbour Bridge, canyon swing in Queenstown and sky dive in Abel Tasman.

Cook said: “I’ve previously run the entire length of Africa. Now I’m back on the road, with a fresh challenge, a new team, and a mission to inspire more people to chase down something mad of their own.

“3,000km on foot, from Bluff at the bottom of the South Island to Cape Reinga at the tip of the North. This is Project New Zealand.”