What does it take to become the Hardest Geezer and run 9,940-miles in 352 days? Russ Cook, also known as the ‘Hardest Geezer’, is an ultra-endurance athlete and the first person to run the entire length of Africa, raising over £1 million for charity. He is also the first person to run from Asia to London.In this conversation Russ and Steven discuss topics such as, his childhood and difficult teenage years, hitting rock bottom, wanting more from life, being robbed at gun point, and the struggles of being the first man to run across the length Africa.00:00 Intro02:00 Russ' Childhood & Being Rebellious05:50 Relationship With My Parents12:00 Trying To Get People’s Attention16:42 Distancing Himself from Family16:22 The Impact of Russ' Girlfriend19:11 Moving Out as a Teenager21:02 Going Down the Wrong Path25:10 Russ' Mental Health26:18 What Would Russ Say to His Younger Self30:52 Russ' Epiphany32:09 The Feeling of Progressing in Life35:07 Travelling the World Running35:53 First Challenges36:51 Doing Things That Aren’t Considered Normal39:03 Returning from the First Trip42:26 Relationship with His Dad44:09 Burying Himself Alive44:33 Russ DM’d Steven Before Going To Africa46:40 Why Africa?48:40 Meeting His Girlfriend Before Leaving to Africa52:41 How Have You Changed54:52 Preparations to Run the Entire Length of Africa01:03:25 Getting Robbed01:03:26 Being Kidnapped01:10:05 Facing Death01:24:14 Team Struggles01:31:52 Was Quitting an Option?01:36:18 Visa Issues01:37:59 Nearing the End01:45:12 Crossing the Line01:45:44 What’s Next?01:50:41 What Was the Goal?01:55:36 Russ Inspiring Others01:59:20 The Last Guest QuestionYou can donate to Russ’s charity fundraiser here: https://bit.ly/3Wr2WJRFollow Russ:Instagram - https://bit.ly/4djAL5ITwitter - https://bit.ly/3UFqZmVYouTube - https://bit.ly/3Up8YYHWatch the episodes on Youtube - https://g2ul0.app.link/3kxINCANKsbMy new book! 'The 33 Laws Of Business & Life' is out now - https://smarturl.it/DOACbookFollow me:https://beacons.ai/diaryofaceoSponsors: PerfectTed: bit.ly/PerfectTed-DOAC with an exclusive code DIARY10 for 10% offPerfectTed x Hardest Geezer - Strawberry Daiquiri Flavour: bit.ly/PerfectTed-HardestGeezer-Daiquiri-DOAC (all profits to charity)Uber: https://p.uber.com/creditsterms Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices