Hardest Geezer gives inspiring talk to Worthing College Students

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Russell Cook, otherwise known as the ‘Hardest Geezer’, paid an inspirational visit to his former college earlier this week.

The ‘Hardest Geezer’ is a famous endurance athlete, who recently became the first person to run the whole length of Africa from the southernmost to the northmost point, as part of a project called ‘Project Africa’.

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He is also a former student of Worthing College, having studied business, psychology and finance. He also played at the college’s sports academy.

He gave current students a talk on a wide range of topics, including self-belief, the importance of team work, resilience, challenging yourself and kindness.

The Hardest Geezer stood in with a crowd of students.The Hardest Geezer stood in with a crowd of students.
The Hardest Geezer stood in with a crowd of students.

Russ said: “I had a great time at Worthing College, especially with the sport. They ran football, and that was a bit of a haven for me.

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“I think it was probably the first time I've really been in a training setup that was properly organised. So that kind of made me see that if I trained properly and really started applying myself, that I was actually more capable than I realised. “I've done a couple of talks here over the years actually, and it's just really nice to visit somewhere that I used to come. It's quite nice to speak to the students and maybe one or two things that I might say to one or two of them may help a little bit.”

When asked if he had any advice for students interested in sports like ultrarunning, he revealed: “Find out if it’s something you're really passionate about. Then if it is, go and apply everything you’ve got to it, train hard, and then anything can happen”

At the end of his talk, Russ took questions from of students, which included ones about his nickname and his run through Africa.

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Helena Thomas, Principal at Worthing College, added: "We are incredibly proud to welcome Russ back to Worthing College. His journey from being a student here to achieving such remarkable feats is truly inspiring for our students.

“Russ exemplifies the values of perseverance, resilience, and ambition that we encourage in all our learners. His story shows that with hard work and determination, you really can achieve extraordinary things."

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