Runners go extreme by racing in ultramarathons, a distance of 62 kilometers. One held in the southwest of England last month dubbed the Arc of Attrition was even tougher because the race route was uphill, up to a height of 4,000 meters.

Local contestant Mark Darbyshire topped the men’s race clocking a phenomenal 18:51:54, 20 minutes more than his time in the same race two years ago, according to run247.com. The first woman runner to cross the finish line was Sabrina Verjee, who placed 15th overall.

For Russ Cook, his own run is longer and far more grueling than an ultramarathon. The 26-year-old from Worthing in West Sussex, England is trying to establish a world record by running to Tunis, the capital city of Tunisia in North Africa. He is coming from Senegal, where he was momentarily stranded due to a delayed visa from Algeria.

At the same time, his run is a personal fundraiser for the benefit of The Running Charity which supports homeless young people. So far, Cook has raised more than £150,000 from donors.

While already an endurance runner, Cook is trying to cover a lung-busting distance of 4,000 kilometers to achieve his goal. From Senegal, he will cross into Mauritania, Western Sahara, Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia.

More astonishing is the fact that the man known as “The Hardest Geezer” on his social media platforms has already run 12,200 kilometers from South Africa’s most southern point to Senegal along the continent’s western side in the last 280-plus days.

If Cook makes it safely and unharmed to Tunis, he will become the first man to run the length of Africa, south to north.