A 27-year-old British man, said to be the first person to run the length of Africa, is facing a backlash from the World Runners Association (WRA), which says three of its members pulled off the feat years ago.
Russ Cook completed his 16,000-kilometre endurance run on 7 April, according to multiple reports, taking 352 days to run from South Africa to Tunisia. In the process, he raised more than £600,000 (about US$760,000) for charity.
However, the WRA says its member, Danish runner Jesper Olsen, ran from Egypt to South Africa in 2010, taking 434 days to complete the journey. The association adds that its members Serge Girard from France, and Tony Mangan from Ireland, have done the same thing.
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“When we read [Cook] is the first man to run the entire length of Africa it is just not true, from a facts perspective,” the WRA said.
According to the Independent newspaper, another Briton, Nicholas Bourne, has also come forward, saying he ran the length of the African continent in 1998. His run, from Cape Town to Cairo, was certified by Guinness World Records in the year 2000.
Bourne was magnanimous, however. He explained that the lack of a governing body meant there were often disputes around ultra-running records and said “My hat goes off to Russ, it’s an outstanding effort.”
