He ran 16,000km across a continent, but chasing a marathon time might be the harder challenge to understand. Russ Cook (The Hardest Geezer) ran the entire length of Africa. So you’d assume a marathon would feel simple, but ahead of race day in London, Russ shares something unexpected: chasing a 2:35 marathon feels uncertain in a way running across Africa didn’t.
This episode taps into a question a lot of runners don’t say out loud: Why does running faster sometimes feel harder than running further?
Running Across Africa: More Than Just Physical
Covering 60km a day for nearly a year sounds like an insane physical challenge.
But Russ describes it differently. For him, it became about managing everything around the running – uncertainty, setbacks, fear, and the constant need to reset mentally. At times, the only way forward was to shrink the challenge: just focus on the next distance, the next step, the next hour.
Listen to hear how he handled the toughest moments along the way.
“I had very strong belief I could do it… I could probably count on one hand everyone else that thought I could do it as well.”
Why Marathon Training Feels Like a Different Sport
Where ultra-endurance is largely mental, chasing a time becomes more precise – more controlled, and in many ways, more uncertain. There’s no guarantee.
Even with perfect training, the outcome is still in the balance. That shift – from belief to uncertainty – is where things get interesting.
What Changes When You Have Something to Lose
One of the biggest shifts Russ talks about isn’t physical, it’s personal.
During Project Africa, he approached the challenge with what he describes as “nothing to lose.” Now, life looks different. With more responsibility, more connection, and more at stake, that same mindset doesn’t come as easily.
And that raises a bigger question: Does having something to lose make you stronger – or does it change how far you’re willing to push?
Why Doing Hard Things Isn’t About the Finish Line
At the end of it all, this episode isn’t really about running across Africa, or even about marathon training. It’s about what happens when you push yourself into something uncertain. Russ’s story highlights something simple but often overlooked: The real value of doing hard things isn’t the result. It’s the self-belief you build along the way.
“You might fail… just get up and go again. We get unlimited redos.”