Briton completes epic run across the length of Africa

Extreme marathon runner Russ Cook has completed his run across the entire length of Africa in Tunisia, concluding his 352-day odyssey through 16 countries, which included being robbed at gunpoint and suffering food poisoning. He is reportedly the first person to accomplish the feat.

Cook started his adventure last April at the South African village of L'Agulhas, Africa's most southerly point, and proceeded up the continent's west coast. He ended up running over 16,000 kilometers before arriving in Ras Angela on the Tunisian coast Sunday evening. 

The 27-year-old endurance athlete ran through Namibia, Angola, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of Congo, Cameroon, Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Guinea, Senegal, Mauritania and Algeria. He also raised around $700,000 for charity along the way.

Cook who calls himself the "Hardest Geezer", said he only considered quitting once during his near year-long marathon, after he got kidnapped in the Congo by a gang armed with machetes. 

Last week he described the past year as "the toughest in my life but an immense honour".

"We have met incredible people in every single country we've been to that have welcomed us with love and kindness. The human spirit is a beautiful thing," Cook said.