The Hardest Geezer Russ Cook Reveals Why He Got into Running!

One more story for you before we go, two weeks after becoming the first Brit to run the length of Africa in an extraordinary challenge, geizer artist Russ Cook ran again to complete the London Marathon yesterday, but we have a rival to Russ, this morning, good morning, Britain's toughest Geer, Rob Rinder, you took on your own challenge, an African challenge, the marathon, now for those who don't know, it's the toughest foot race on the planet, a six-day ultramarathon in the Sahara desert. Competitors run or walk 150 miles through demanding terrain with midday temperatures up to 50° carrying their own food and equipment Rob, how are they feeling?

Hello dear friends, Hello, Good morning Great Britain. Thanks for inviting me. I'm definitely not the toughest geizer. And in fact. I want to thank Russ for your brilliant advice, how you did it is completely beyond me, it was a challenge. Joy, like most of the best things in life, it's a challenge because it's quite difficult to keep walking, but I think, like you told me, yes. It makes you go inward and you find such Delight in breathing and being present and um, I have to thank you for that along with that delicious thirst at the end of the day because it was what you wanted.

I think a sausage Greg, oh. Dair, yeah, it was amazing what the conditions were like Rob because it's a nice cool

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climate here in the UK, what it was like there, I mean, completely hot during the day, cool at night, carrying all your stuff, um and it's like one foot in front of the other, the real thing, it's a mental challenge, the good news for me, because I have very few transferable skills, is that I was alongside an incredible Army community, Heather Stanning, who won two medals of gold, Natalia Platonova, Mark, who is earned the military cross and the senior soldier uh of the army, that's actually his title of sergeant major um Paul Carney um so you know complaining was not an option and that always helped too well, listen, let's go back a lot further in time now with with Russia Russ Cook how old were you when you first ran?

So I ran a little bit and stuff when I was a kid, I loved cross country A B in football and stuff, but I first started

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marathons when I was about 20 and you were telling me at half-time this is fascinating it ends it happened one night you were in a nightclub you were overweight you're a little beat up and you basically looked in the bathroom mirror and you thought this had to end almost exactly and you ran home from the club, yeah 11 miles, yeah you ran home at 3 in the morning 3 3:00 a.m. um lack of taxis at night or something um, but yeah, I know I ran home, had a pretty tough time, took some breaks and slept on the sidewalk, but then, you know, my partner was like, let's go. , do this half marathon, get into it, and I had nothing else to go to, so I told him it was one of those.

Moments, a moment of light, you thought I was going to run away, this is how I'm going to get my life back because you also had a gambling addiction problem, yes I had gambling problems and that was some pretty heavy nights. for me, um, but yeah, I found running to be something that you knew I could invest my energy into and give me some positive results for the first time in a long time and yeah, yeah, I never looked back, you really would be forgiven for having a long time. Go to bed after running from the north of the African continent, but yesterday you decided to go running for fun, right?

Yes, I thought I'd go for a little jog around London, so you took the trip around London. Marathon as a pacesetter, yeah, what was your time? I'm not 100% sure, I think it was around 4 20 something, yeah, and what surprises me, Russ, is that you're wearing shoes and socks this morning. I imagine your feet. They are in pieces, yes, actually my girlfriend told me that the day I started I took off my shoes and the whole room stunk. She was going to ask you to do that this morning. Stick with what and how they look. You're actually not as bad as you think, you know, I mean, I'm happy to take them out, but I don't know if the nation wants to see that, yeah, take them out for a reason why not, because usually, the morning after a marathon There are some, some toenails are missing, oh that's not bad, these are pretty well conditioned feet, you know they're really not bad, your manicurist would be proud of you, delicate foot, I can't tell.

The same goes for the smell, but luckily, yes, I'm not breathing through my back. What is the next challenge? Russ. I have some ideas, go ahead and give us one. I can't, I can't, yes, nothing is blocked. in and Rob, what about you, good luck to you. I have no skin left on my feet. I don't know how you did it. I will be traveling through Europe, looking at some of our cultural treasures or those of Italy. Cultural Treasures with Ryland um and I have a new novel and it's about well who made it based on the murder of a daytime TV presenter so it comes out in June oh my gosh I've read it it's so good. very good a real page Turner thanks for inviting me Jim thanks for all your support thanks for everything congratulations to both of you, you both did it for great causes and we really appreciate your time congratulations Rob bless you.