1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:03,360 Speaker 1: We'd like to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land 2 00:00:03,480 --> 00:00:06,840 Speaker 1: on which this podcast was produced, the Galligle people of 3 00:00:06,880 --> 00:00:12,960 Speaker 1: the Urination. We pay our respects to elder's past and presents. 4 00:00:13,000 --> 00:00:16,720 Speaker 2: Twenty twenty three and we're in the Democratic Republic of Congo. 5 00:00:17,560 --> 00:00:20,320 Speaker 2: Twenty seven year old Russ Cook is one hundred and 6 00:00:20,360 --> 00:00:23,240 Speaker 2: two days into his quest to be the first person 7 00:00:23,280 --> 00:00:27,560 Speaker 2: to run the entire length of Africa. This is a 8 00:00:27,600 --> 00:00:31,440 Speaker 2: brutal feat on the body and mind, but the distance 9 00:00:31,640 --> 00:00:35,440 Speaker 2: isn't the only danger. On day one hundred and two, 10 00:00:35,920 --> 00:00:41,040 Speaker 2: he's certain this day will be his last. He's been 11 00:00:41,080 --> 00:00:44,680 Speaker 2: warned about the violence and corruption in the DRC and 12 00:00:44,720 --> 00:00:49,680 Speaker 2: felt hostility the moment he arrived. Russ's approach is just 13 00:00:49,720 --> 00:00:53,240 Speaker 2: to put one foot in front of the other, head down, 14 00:00:53,600 --> 00:00:57,800 Speaker 2: keep running, get through it. He's running through the jungle 15 00:00:57,880 --> 00:01:02,800 Speaker 2: and stumbles upon a village. Instantly, people are shouting and 16 00:01:02,880 --> 00:01:07,840 Speaker 2: screaming at him, confuse as to why he's here. With 17 00:01:07,959 --> 00:01:11,720 Speaker 2: a language barrier and no phone signal, Russ knows he's 18 00:01:11,760 --> 00:01:12,320 Speaker 2: in trouble. 19 00:01:13,240 --> 00:01:15,479 Speaker 3: The chief of the village demands money. 20 00:01:16,080 --> 00:01:19,840 Speaker 2: Russ doesn't even have water on him, let alone any cash. 21 00:01:20,520 --> 00:01:23,280 Speaker 2: He's taken further out into the bush with two men 22 00:01:23,520 --> 00:01:29,520 Speaker 2: wielding machetes. This is his only chance to escape. He 23 00:01:29,600 --> 00:01:32,640 Speaker 2: makes a run for it, sprinting as fast as he can, 24 00:01:33,400 --> 00:01:35,920 Speaker 2: but it doesn't take long for the two captors to 25 00:01:36,080 --> 00:01:43,039 Speaker 2: catch and grab him. I'm at Middleton and this is 26 00:01:43,120 --> 00:01:47,680 Speaker 2: headgame today, Russ Cook on his life lessons. 27 00:01:47,280 --> 00:01:50,960 Speaker 3: From running the length of Africa. 28 00:01:53,360 --> 00:01:56,000 Speaker 2: I think that I'm the hardest gyser right, so, I 29 00:01:56,080 --> 00:02:00,400 Speaker 2: don't know how you got that title. Listen after you're 30 00:02:00,440 --> 00:02:02,880 Speaker 2: still in and following you to be fair, mates, do 31 00:02:02,880 --> 00:02:04,440 Speaker 2: you know what I'd have to give you that title? 32 00:02:04,480 --> 00:02:04,680 Speaker 3: Mate? 33 00:02:04,720 --> 00:02:09,600 Speaker 2: Because what you went through was nothing short of pure survival, 34 00:02:10,120 --> 00:02:13,200 Speaker 2: endurance and talk about head game, you know, getting your 35 00:02:13,240 --> 00:02:15,240 Speaker 2: head in the game to be able to get out 36 00:02:15,280 --> 00:02:18,400 Speaker 2: of some of those sticky situations you're in. I'll let 37 00:02:18,400 --> 00:02:21,160 Speaker 2: you have the hardest Geezer mate for now, first and 38 00:02:21,240 --> 00:02:24,320 Speaker 2: foremost mate, before we get into the nitty gritty of Africa. 39 00:02:26,000 --> 00:02:27,239 Speaker 3: What made you want to run? 40 00:02:27,320 --> 00:02:30,120 Speaker 2: Because it just in my head when I when I've 41 00:02:30,240 --> 00:02:33,440 Speaker 2: been following you know, you're almost like the modern day 42 00:02:33,520 --> 00:02:36,200 Speaker 2: version of Forrest Gumpany did you just decide you wanted 43 00:02:36,240 --> 00:02:36,520 Speaker 2: to run? 44 00:02:36,600 --> 00:02:39,480 Speaker 3: Run one day and well, honestly, it can't. It does 45 00:02:39,520 --> 00:02:42,160 Speaker 3: go a little bit like that, you know, because I 46 00:02:42,200 --> 00:02:43,800 Speaker 3: think I don't know if you can relate to this. 47 00:02:43,840 --> 00:02:46,880 Speaker 3: But as a young man, I was really I was 48 00:02:46,880 --> 00:02:49,079 Speaker 3: one of these guys. I was searching for meaning kind 49 00:02:49,080 --> 00:02:52,800 Speaker 3: of everywhere I could, I couldn't really find it. So, 50 00:02:53,000 --> 00:02:56,000 Speaker 3: you know, I did all the easy things first, like 51 00:02:56,680 --> 00:03:01,080 Speaker 3: drinking and going out and gambling all this stuff. And 52 00:03:02,040 --> 00:03:04,400 Speaker 3: it was actually I was in a nightclub in Brighton 53 00:03:04,400 --> 00:03:08,600 Speaker 3: one day when I kind of just took a moment, 54 00:03:08,680 --> 00:03:11,840 Speaker 3: had this realization that, you know, what am I doing 55 00:03:11,880 --> 00:03:14,400 Speaker 3: with my life? My life's going nowhere. I'm you know, 56 00:03:14,440 --> 00:03:17,440 Speaker 3: I'm out of partying. I'm hating it, like I've never 57 00:03:17,480 --> 00:03:19,920 Speaker 3: really enjoyed it. I don't know what I'm you know, 58 00:03:20,000 --> 00:03:22,120 Speaker 3: what I'm going to do. It felt less like an 59 00:03:22,120 --> 00:03:24,160 Speaker 3: epiphany at the time and more just like I needed 60 00:03:24,200 --> 00:03:27,839 Speaker 3: to run away. So I literally did just ran ran home. 61 00:03:27,880 --> 00:03:31,440 Speaker 3: It was eleven miles home and just napping on pavements 62 00:03:31,480 --> 00:03:35,240 Speaker 3: and all kinds of stuff, you know, took me hours 63 00:03:35,840 --> 00:03:39,400 Speaker 3: from there. My mate got me, got me signed up 64 00:03:39,440 --> 00:03:42,280 Speaker 3: to a half marathon that he was doing. He took 65 00:03:42,320 --> 00:03:44,840 Speaker 3: me out training loads and I kind of started putting 66 00:03:44,840 --> 00:03:48,920 Speaker 3: my energy and focus into this, into this training, and 67 00:03:48,960 --> 00:03:52,000 Speaker 3: then quickly started to see the you know, the benefits 68 00:03:52,080 --> 00:03:56,480 Speaker 3: of what that brought me, like the discipline, the motivation, 69 00:03:58,560 --> 00:04:00,960 Speaker 3: and then you know, ran a marr and shortly after 70 00:04:01,000 --> 00:04:03,760 Speaker 3: we did the half marathon. And then that was about seven, 71 00:04:04,160 --> 00:04:06,720 Speaker 3: seven or eight years ago, and I've just been on 72 00:04:06,720 --> 00:04:07,720 Speaker 3: a mad one ever since. 73 00:04:07,760 --> 00:04:10,880 Speaker 2: Mate, do you know what I love? So basically it 74 00:04:10,880 --> 00:04:13,760 Speaker 2: all stemmed from that nightclub. You just thought, right, do 75 00:04:13,800 --> 00:04:17,000 Speaker 2: you know what? He ran home at eleven miles? What 76 00:04:17,200 --> 00:04:21,320 Speaker 2: change in you from being out in a nightclub running 77 00:04:21,400 --> 00:04:23,440 Speaker 2: home and then all of a sudden going right, do 78 00:04:23,480 --> 00:04:23,920 Speaker 2: you know what? 79 00:04:24,040 --> 00:04:27,320 Speaker 3: Half marathon? Marathon and then tackling what we're going to 80 00:04:27,600 --> 00:04:28,400 Speaker 3: talk about in a bit. 81 00:04:28,839 --> 00:04:29,039 Speaker 2: Yes. 82 00:04:29,279 --> 00:04:31,320 Speaker 3: Really, I think it was the purpose more than anything. 83 00:04:32,360 --> 00:04:36,760 Speaker 3: I think that given having that sense of purpose was 84 00:04:36,800 --> 00:04:39,720 Speaker 3: really massive for me, and I think as a younger man, 85 00:04:40,000 --> 00:04:43,039 Speaker 3: I was really looking for it and I couldn't find 86 00:04:43,040 --> 00:04:45,560 Speaker 3: it anywhere. And with running, you know, I didn't. I 87 00:04:45,600 --> 00:04:48,880 Speaker 3: didn't go from running home from that nightclub to like 88 00:04:49,160 --> 00:04:52,719 Speaker 3: running is my career. That took like five years in itself. 89 00:04:52,760 --> 00:04:56,240 Speaker 3: But I realized that this was something positive that I 90 00:04:56,240 --> 00:04:58,960 Speaker 3: could put my energy into that was going to deliver 91 00:04:59,040 --> 00:05:01,919 Speaker 3: me positive outcomes for my life and return. And it 92 00:05:02,080 --> 00:05:06,039 Speaker 3: was so quick to see, you know, that transformation because 93 00:05:06,040 --> 00:05:08,400 Speaker 3: I was in I was in such like a dark 94 00:05:08,400 --> 00:05:12,760 Speaker 3: place at the time that when I started running and 95 00:05:12,800 --> 00:05:15,600 Speaker 3: those like positive feedback loops cape coming and I felt 96 00:05:15,760 --> 00:05:19,240 Speaker 3: more self confident, you know, I started saving money in 97 00:05:19,279 --> 00:05:20,960 Speaker 3: my job for the first time ever. All of these 98 00:05:21,000 --> 00:05:26,200 Speaker 3: things started happening, got in better shape that you know, 99 00:05:26,800 --> 00:05:28,520 Speaker 3: I just I knew that this was a good thing 100 00:05:28,560 --> 00:05:29,520 Speaker 3: to be pursuing for me. 101 00:05:29,720 --> 00:05:31,920 Speaker 2: Let's jump straight into it, mate. So you've done your 102 00:05:32,120 --> 00:05:35,240 Speaker 2: half marathons, your marathons, your ultra runnings. 103 00:05:35,240 --> 00:05:40,120 Speaker 3: You run for me Istanbul to London, which you know 104 00:05:41,720 --> 00:05:43,880 Speaker 3: was a tricky one for you, right, What did you 105 00:05:43,960 --> 00:05:47,800 Speaker 3: learn from earlier? Well, I mean that was tricky and 106 00:05:47,880 --> 00:05:50,040 Speaker 3: multiple way and multiple sense. You know. I was by 107 00:05:50,040 --> 00:05:53,360 Speaker 3: myself on that one, so that that brought something you. 108 00:05:53,560 --> 00:05:55,640 Speaker 3: I was twenty two, I think when I did that. 109 00:05:57,480 --> 00:06:01,680 Speaker 3: So that was seventy one marathons in sixty six days, 110 00:06:02,000 --> 00:06:05,039 Speaker 3: eleven different countries and I was just camping out mate, 111 00:06:05,040 --> 00:06:09,479 Speaker 3: wherever I was right. So, and you had no support team, nothing, nothing. 112 00:06:09,560 --> 00:06:12,360 Speaker 2: Let's get this right, because people are smashing records around 113 00:06:12,360 --> 00:06:16,800 Speaker 2: the world, world records. Everyone's everyone's fascinating and obsessed with 114 00:06:16,880 --> 00:06:19,719 Speaker 2: world records nowadays. But you know, behind the scenes, and 115 00:06:19,800 --> 00:06:21,840 Speaker 2: fair play to them, but behind the scenes, they got 116 00:06:21,880 --> 00:06:26,919 Speaker 2: their nutrition team, they had their physiotic and you've just 117 00:06:26,960 --> 00:06:30,440 Speaker 2: got your beard, mate, and the hammock and the where 118 00:06:30,480 --> 00:06:30,800 Speaker 2: you go. 119 00:06:30,920 --> 00:06:33,520 Speaker 3: Right, Yeah, that was literally it for that one, mate. 120 00:06:33,560 --> 00:06:36,480 Speaker 3: So yeah, I would just find I'd run a math 121 00:06:36,520 --> 00:06:38,200 Speaker 3: and then I'd just find somewhere to camp in the 122 00:06:38,200 --> 00:06:44,159 Speaker 3: woods every night. Mate. Yeah, yeah, well, you know what, 123 00:06:44,200 --> 00:06:47,760 Speaker 3: it was European summer, so the conditions were not bad 124 00:06:47,839 --> 00:06:50,680 Speaker 3: like it was raining. It was raining fairly often. I 125 00:06:50,720 --> 00:06:52,240 Speaker 3: even you know, I went into it thinking I'm not 126 00:06:52,279 --> 00:06:54,200 Speaker 3: even going to take sun cream. I'm ginger, mate. I 127 00:06:54,200 --> 00:06:56,800 Speaker 3: went in thinking that I don't even need that. I 128 00:06:56,880 --> 00:07:01,080 Speaker 3: found out pretty quick that was that was daft. And 129 00:07:01,120 --> 00:07:02,880 Speaker 3: then I also went into thinking I don't even need 130 00:07:02,920 --> 00:07:05,240 Speaker 3: a sleeping bag. It's summer light, it's well warm outside 131 00:07:05,279 --> 00:07:08,200 Speaker 3: during the night, I'll be fine, you know, quickly bout 132 00:07:08,240 --> 00:07:12,640 Speaker 3: that it's actually freezing shivering for about two weeks before 133 00:07:12,640 --> 00:07:14,880 Speaker 3: I finally gave in and like went to a city 134 00:07:14,960 --> 00:07:16,800 Speaker 3: and thought, right, we're gonna go and get a sleeping bag. 135 00:07:18,480 --> 00:07:21,200 Speaker 3: So I think, you know, Baptism of Fire. A lot 136 00:07:21,240 --> 00:07:24,000 Speaker 3: of it was was just, you know, it's the class 137 00:07:24,080 --> 00:07:25,720 Speaker 3: you've got to fuck around to find out. And I 138 00:07:25,760 --> 00:07:27,360 Speaker 3: was doing plenty of the fucking a round and I 139 00:07:27,360 --> 00:07:32,520 Speaker 3: was also finding out a lot. So yeah, I mean 140 00:07:32,840 --> 00:07:36,360 Speaker 3: great experience, and I think that's you know, a lot 141 00:07:36,400 --> 00:07:38,560 Speaker 3: of what I changed in my mindset there is I 142 00:07:38,640 --> 00:07:40,520 Speaker 3: was I was getting less scared to fail. I was like, 143 00:07:40,880 --> 00:07:42,760 Speaker 3: do you know what, I backed myself to figure out 144 00:07:42,800 --> 00:07:44,720 Speaker 3: one way or the other, Like, let's take this ages 145 00:07:44,800 --> 00:07:47,640 Speaker 3: learning and thing on. Yeah, I don't know what I'm doing. Yeah, 146 00:07:47,640 --> 00:07:51,800 Speaker 3: I've got like four items in my backpack. Everyone's telling 147 00:07:51,840 --> 00:07:54,080 Speaker 3: me that this is stupid. I'm going to die, but 148 00:07:54,600 --> 00:07:57,800 Speaker 3: I think it'll probably We'll probably be able to figure 149 00:07:57,800 --> 00:07:59,840 Speaker 3: it out out along the way. And all those lessons 150 00:08:00,040 --> 00:08:04,120 Speaker 3: I did learn, you know, they're ingrained into me because 151 00:08:04,120 --> 00:08:07,640 Speaker 3: I learned them. I learn them a hard way, you know, 152 00:08:08,600 --> 00:08:11,400 Speaker 3: whether it was waking up after thirty back to back 153 00:08:11,480 --> 00:08:13,520 Speaker 3: marathons for the first time ever, and like my feet 154 00:08:13,520 --> 00:08:15,280 Speaker 3: feel like they're about to fall off, and it's just 155 00:08:15,320 --> 00:08:17,920 Speaker 3: like taping everything up and going like we're going to 156 00:08:18,000 --> 00:08:20,680 Speaker 3: get away, find a way through this. So all of 157 00:08:20,680 --> 00:08:25,600 Speaker 3: that stuff was it was brutal, but it was you know, 158 00:08:25,680 --> 00:08:27,600 Speaker 3: an amazing learn Yeah. 159 00:08:27,640 --> 00:08:29,920 Speaker 2: Yeah, I love that, man, I'm very much like that. 160 00:08:30,320 --> 00:08:32,839 Speaker 2: So you come off with that when if that wasn't 161 00:08:32,840 --> 00:08:36,320 Speaker 2: a lesson enough, mate, what then made you think, do 162 00:08:36,360 --> 00:08:39,599 Speaker 2: you know what, I'm going to run the length of Africa? 163 00:08:39,640 --> 00:08:42,320 Speaker 2: Because mate, if you hadn't already you know, got a 164 00:08:42,360 --> 00:08:43,840 Speaker 2: coup under your belt by doing that. 165 00:08:44,480 --> 00:08:47,200 Speaker 3: What was what was Zafrica all about? You? 166 00:08:47,559 --> 00:08:48,960 Speaker 2: Man? Yeah? 167 00:08:49,720 --> 00:08:52,120 Speaker 3: The Africa one was a whole new level, to be fair. 168 00:08:53,679 --> 00:08:55,240 Speaker 3: But for me, you know, I finished the age of 169 00:08:55,240 --> 00:09:00,280 Speaker 3: Signer Rhyme and I was I was totally infused, used 170 00:09:00,360 --> 00:09:02,640 Speaker 3: by the mission and I knew that. I was like, right, 171 00:09:02,679 --> 00:09:04,080 Speaker 3: I want this is what I want to do for 172 00:09:04,160 --> 00:09:08,360 Speaker 3: a career. But again, there was a lot of pieces 173 00:09:08,400 --> 00:09:11,320 Speaker 3: of the puzzle to put together there. So I'd looked. 174 00:09:11,400 --> 00:09:14,000 Speaker 3: I'd looked at Africa, you know, pretty quickly after getting 175 00:09:14,040 --> 00:09:16,880 Speaker 3: back from Edge to London, and I looked at Australia 176 00:09:16,920 --> 00:09:18,599 Speaker 3: as well. But I thought, right, you know, eventually I 177 00:09:18,640 --> 00:09:21,079 Speaker 3: got to Africa. Let's do Africa. No one's ran the 178 00:09:21,120 --> 00:09:23,800 Speaker 3: full length of it. I've had a great time when 179 00:09:23,800 --> 00:09:27,199 Speaker 3: I've gone there before. It's been an amazing inspirational place. 180 00:09:27,240 --> 00:09:30,959 Speaker 3: It will be like the sharpest culture change I can 181 00:09:31,000 --> 00:09:33,760 Speaker 3: experience from what I know, and I just think it 182 00:09:33,760 --> 00:09:37,920 Speaker 3: will be the best adventure ever. So that's when I 183 00:09:38,040 --> 00:09:41,480 Speaker 3: first think of it, But it took then took like 184 00:09:41,520 --> 00:09:45,240 Speaker 3: a three year period basically figuring out okay, because you know, 185 00:09:45,240 --> 00:09:47,400 Speaker 3: you get the map up, you know, yeah, we're going 186 00:09:47,440 --> 00:09:48,920 Speaker 3: to go through the jungle, We're going to go through 187 00:09:48,960 --> 00:09:51,520 Speaker 3: the desert. So I don't think I can do this 188 00:09:51,559 --> 00:09:53,800 Speaker 3: one with a camelback and a hammock in my bag. 189 00:09:53,840 --> 00:09:58,760 Speaker 3: I think I'm going to think I'm going to need 190 00:09:58,840 --> 00:10:01,120 Speaker 3: some people to along with me and give me some 191 00:10:01,160 --> 00:10:04,599 Speaker 3: water every now and again. So then you know, I 192 00:10:04,720 --> 00:10:06,640 Speaker 3: go down that line of thinking's like, right, I'm going 193 00:10:06,679 --> 00:10:09,400 Speaker 3: to bring people. I need money. If I need money, 194 00:10:09,440 --> 00:10:11,360 Speaker 3: then I'm going to have to get a sponsor of 195 00:10:11,360 --> 00:10:15,240 Speaker 3: some kind. And then I was like, well, you know, 196 00:10:15,720 --> 00:10:18,040 Speaker 3: the obvious way these expeditions were kind of done previously 197 00:10:18,080 --> 00:10:19,839 Speaker 3: is that you get the funding from a big TV 198 00:10:20,120 --> 00:10:23,280 Speaker 3: channel or maybe already if you're already a celebrity, you 199 00:10:23,320 --> 00:10:25,440 Speaker 3: come from money. All these type of things you can 200 00:10:25,440 --> 00:10:27,040 Speaker 3: get a kind of bankrolled to start with, I didn't 201 00:10:27,080 --> 00:10:30,600 Speaker 3: have any of that. I was skinned, didn't no one 202 00:10:30,679 --> 00:10:33,200 Speaker 3: knew I was, and I just had to figure it out. 203 00:10:33,240 --> 00:10:35,600 Speaker 3: But luckily I was born in the social media age, 204 00:10:35,640 --> 00:10:38,720 Speaker 3: where after speaking to a few mates, they kind of 205 00:10:38,720 --> 00:10:41,840 Speaker 3: gave me like, well, look, if you make content online 206 00:10:42,400 --> 00:10:44,839 Speaker 3: and you get a lot of people to see it, 207 00:10:45,240 --> 00:10:47,440 Speaker 3: then brands will just give you money to be part 208 00:10:47,440 --> 00:10:49,200 Speaker 3: of that content, and then you can use that money 209 00:10:49,240 --> 00:10:51,480 Speaker 3: to funda mission like okay, sweet, we're on something here. 210 00:10:51,920 --> 00:10:53,240 Speaker 3: And then I had to go and figure out how 211 00:10:53,320 --> 00:10:57,920 Speaker 3: content works all that side of things. So did a 212 00:10:57,960 --> 00:11:01,360 Speaker 3: lot of that, and then eventually I've met a mate 213 00:11:01,360 --> 00:11:03,439 Speaker 3: of a mate and managed to persuade him to give 214 00:11:03,480 --> 00:11:06,400 Speaker 3: us a bit of a kickstarter to get the thing going. 215 00:11:07,840 --> 00:11:09,800 Speaker 3: But you know, quickly burnt through a lot of that 216 00:11:09,880 --> 00:11:13,959 Speaker 3: funds in in in getting a team together and all 217 00:11:13,960 --> 00:11:17,120 Speaker 3: of these other bits. Then ended up on the start 218 00:11:17,160 --> 00:11:20,640 Speaker 3: line of Project Africa with ten km my pocket, which 219 00:11:20,679 --> 00:11:23,040 Speaker 3: was about four weeks runway before we run out of money, 220 00:11:23,760 --> 00:11:31,440 Speaker 3: three hundred grand expedition. So definitely definitely commit. Commit, Yeah, 221 00:11:31,559 --> 00:11:34,280 Speaker 3: just all in every in every sense of the word, 222 00:11:34,400 --> 00:11:37,720 Speaker 3: was like I've debted myself up to my eyeballs. I've 223 00:11:37,720 --> 00:11:41,760 Speaker 3: got ten g's left, but we just have to start. 224 00:11:42,040 --> 00:11:44,079 Speaker 3: I was trying to sell everyone this vision like I'd 225 00:11:44,120 --> 00:11:46,719 Speaker 3: sold my team. I got them to come on and 226 00:11:47,360 --> 00:11:51,000 Speaker 3: take delayed pay. I've got all of these different people 227 00:11:51,040 --> 00:11:52,559 Speaker 3: to help here and there. I was just trying to 228 00:11:52,600 --> 00:11:54,920 Speaker 3: chat to sponsors selling this vision, like, look, we're going 229 00:11:54,960 --> 00:11:56,480 Speaker 3: to run the length of Africa. I'm going to raise 230 00:11:56,480 --> 00:11:58,880 Speaker 3: a million quid for charity. I'm going to be the 231 00:11:58,880 --> 00:12:00,280 Speaker 3: first one to everyd I'm going to run back to 232 00:12:00,360 --> 00:12:02,440 Speaker 3: back marathons every day. It's going to be incredible, like 233 00:12:02,800 --> 00:12:05,920 Speaker 3: com and support be an amazing, amazing investment. And they 234 00:12:05,920 --> 00:12:09,000 Speaker 3: were like yeah, like are you actually going to do 235 00:12:09,040 --> 00:12:10,960 Speaker 3: it though, or are we're going to give you a 236 00:12:10,960 --> 00:12:12,520 Speaker 3: bunch of money and you're going to get two weeks 237 00:12:12,520 --> 00:12:16,040 Speaker 3: in and go ah, I'm injured, this is it? 238 00:12:16,520 --> 00:12:18,560 Speaker 2: Or they look at it and they go you run 239 00:12:18,600 --> 00:12:21,880 Speaker 2: across Africa, You're not going to be going to die, 240 00:12:21,480 --> 00:12:28,199 Speaker 2: Like you know, just card the terrain, the environment, the atmosphere. 241 00:12:28,400 --> 00:12:31,040 Speaker 2: You know you're running through especially you know through some 242 00:12:31,200 --> 00:12:33,880 Speaker 2: jungles as well. You know you're coming across all sorts 243 00:12:33,920 --> 00:12:37,400 Speaker 2: of tribes and yeah, you know what, from an outsider, 244 00:12:38,720 --> 00:12:41,000 Speaker 2: I can honestly say I would be I would be 245 00:12:41,000 --> 00:12:41,280 Speaker 2: the same. 246 00:12:41,320 --> 00:12:45,520 Speaker 3: I'd be like, why are you going on this suicide mission? Yeah? 247 00:12:45,679 --> 00:12:48,760 Speaker 3: But I was so like set on that vision, like 248 00:12:49,440 --> 00:12:52,360 Speaker 3: I was clamped down on that like nothing, you just 249 00:12:52,600 --> 00:12:55,480 Speaker 3: like there's no way, there's no way moment. I mean, 250 00:12:56,440 --> 00:12:58,040 Speaker 3: that's when people were saying to me, do you think 251 00:12:58,040 --> 00:13:00,600 Speaker 3: you're going to make it? I was like, obviously, you know, 252 00:13:00,800 --> 00:13:02,440 Speaker 3: it wasn't even a question. I was like, yeah, well, 253 00:13:02,440 --> 00:13:04,120 Speaker 3: I will obviously make it. There's going to be a 254 00:13:04,120 --> 00:13:07,280 Speaker 3: bunch of stuff that goes wrong, but I think I 255 00:13:07,320 --> 00:13:08,840 Speaker 3: can overcome all of it. Where do you think that 256 00:13:08,880 --> 00:13:10,880 Speaker 3: mindset came from? You know, there's a couple of things 257 00:13:10,920 --> 00:13:14,240 Speaker 3: going on, Like I'd worked hard for a long time 258 00:13:14,320 --> 00:13:18,040 Speaker 3: in building that evidence in my own head that I 259 00:13:18,080 --> 00:13:21,360 Speaker 3: am who I say I am. And then there's also 260 00:13:22,120 --> 00:13:25,800 Speaker 3: I broke the Africa thing down to it's most simplest bones, 261 00:13:25,800 --> 00:13:28,800 Speaker 3: and it's like, look, my job here is pretty simple. 262 00:13:28,800 --> 00:13:30,160 Speaker 3: I've just got to put one foot in front of 263 00:13:30,200 --> 00:13:33,200 Speaker 3: the other relentlessly. And then I thought about all the 264 00:13:33,240 --> 00:13:35,240 Speaker 3: things that could stop me putting one foot in front 265 00:13:35,240 --> 00:13:38,440 Speaker 3: of the other. So you think, you know, broken leg 266 00:13:38,840 --> 00:13:43,200 Speaker 3: or you know, you get held up here all this 267 00:13:43,280 --> 00:13:46,240 Speaker 3: kind of stuff, right, And I'm like, if I break 268 00:13:46,240 --> 00:13:49,640 Speaker 3: my leg, I'll sit tight in a in a hospital 269 00:13:49,679 --> 00:13:52,360 Speaker 3: in the middle of kinshasa d r C for six 270 00:13:52,440 --> 00:13:55,280 Speaker 3: weeks and then they'll be back on road and I'll 271 00:13:55,320 --> 00:13:57,320 Speaker 3: be able to make forward progress again. And then I 272 00:13:57,360 --> 00:13:59,560 Speaker 3: was like, the only thing that could stop me is 273 00:13:59,600 --> 00:14:03,200 Speaker 3: if I if I die, that's the only thing. So 274 00:14:03,280 --> 00:14:06,160 Speaker 3: for me it was it was run Africa or die 275 00:14:06,200 --> 00:14:09,160 Speaker 3: trine And that was the mentality behind it. 276 00:14:17,559 --> 00:14:20,440 Speaker 2: That deal with di mentality is that is a hard 277 00:14:20,480 --> 00:14:23,840 Speaker 2: one to not only unconvinced, but it's a hard one 278 00:14:23,960 --> 00:14:26,800 Speaker 2: to for anything to come in your way, you must 279 00:14:26,880 --> 00:14:29,760 Speaker 2: have gone through some ship to have to build up 280 00:14:29,800 --> 00:14:33,200 Speaker 2: that resilience psychologically, which is ultimately all got you through 281 00:14:33,760 --> 00:14:37,000 Speaker 2: through Africa. They taught me through when you when you 282 00:14:37,160 --> 00:14:41,080 Speaker 2: were at the start line, you got ten grand. You go, 283 00:14:41,480 --> 00:14:43,720 Speaker 2: what's the first couple of days, like mate, and where 284 00:14:43,720 --> 00:14:44,360 Speaker 2: you're running from? 285 00:14:44,400 --> 00:14:45,160 Speaker 3: Where you're running from? 286 00:14:45,160 --> 00:14:47,760 Speaker 2: You running from south, from from south to north east 287 00:14:47,840 --> 00:14:48,240 Speaker 2: to west? 288 00:14:48,240 --> 00:14:51,120 Speaker 3: Where you running? Yes, I'm running from the most southern 289 00:14:51,120 --> 00:14:54,400 Speaker 3: tip of Africa, which is in South Africa called Capel Gullis, 290 00:14:54,800 --> 00:14:56,920 Speaker 3: and then I'm running to the most northern ship of Africa, 291 00:14:56,920 --> 00:15:00,920 Speaker 3: which is in Tunisia called Los Angele. You know, I'm 292 00:15:00,960 --> 00:15:04,520 Speaker 3: on that start line, thinking, right, we've got about ten 293 00:15:04,600 --> 00:15:08,000 Speaker 3: thousand miles to cover here. It's going to take eight 294 00:15:08,040 --> 00:15:12,200 Speaker 3: months to a year at best. I've got sixteen different 295 00:15:12,240 --> 00:15:15,160 Speaker 3: countries to run through, many of which we don't even 296 00:15:15,200 --> 00:15:19,800 Speaker 3: know how we're going to get into yet. I'm thinking, right, 297 00:15:19,960 --> 00:15:22,080 Speaker 3: let's just not get injured on the first couple of days. 298 00:15:22,800 --> 00:15:25,400 Speaker 3: I'm really just trying to focus on that first kind 299 00:15:25,440 --> 00:15:27,760 Speaker 3: of two week period where it's right, my job for 300 00:15:27,760 --> 00:15:30,360 Speaker 3: this two weeks is to get my body settled into 301 00:15:30,400 --> 00:15:35,880 Speaker 3: that daily ultramarth and rhythm. And that's probably like one 302 00:15:35,920 --> 00:15:39,400 Speaker 3: of the hardest stages because you're going from you know, 303 00:15:39,480 --> 00:15:42,040 Speaker 3: potting around doing your normal training to like, right is 304 00:15:42,080 --> 00:15:46,760 Speaker 3: fifty k or sixty k a day and inflammation everywhere. 305 00:15:47,160 --> 00:15:49,800 Speaker 3: Your body's kind of screaming at you from probably day 306 00:15:49,880 --> 00:15:52,360 Speaker 3: two or three onwards to be like, look, you're taking 307 00:15:52,360 --> 00:15:55,720 Speaker 3: the piss here, mate, like settle down, and it's just 308 00:15:56,160 --> 00:15:59,680 Speaker 3: knocking that back day after day after day after day 309 00:16:00,160 --> 00:16:02,000 Speaker 3: to eventually you get to a point where it kind 310 00:16:02,000 --> 00:16:05,120 Speaker 3: of just it still hurts, don't get me wrong, and 311 00:16:05,240 --> 00:16:08,360 Speaker 3: it doesn't really ever get better, but it stops getting. 312 00:16:08,080 --> 00:16:12,120 Speaker 2: Worse numbs out until yeah, you get a pain threshold, 313 00:16:12,160 --> 00:16:12,480 Speaker 2: don't you. 314 00:16:12,600 --> 00:16:15,280 Speaker 3: Yeah, barrier. So I was like, right, once we settle 315 00:16:15,320 --> 00:16:17,720 Speaker 3: into that nice little glide of where like we're in, 316 00:16:17,880 --> 00:16:20,080 Speaker 3: we're sitting in that pain, but we kind of know 317 00:16:20,160 --> 00:16:23,240 Speaker 3: it's not getting too much worse from here, I was like, 318 00:16:23,400 --> 00:16:26,560 Speaker 3: just focus on getting there. So there was a lot 319 00:16:26,560 --> 00:16:29,080 Speaker 3: of just you know, metaphorically head button against the wall 320 00:16:29,200 --> 00:16:32,000 Speaker 3: until until that was done for the for the start period, 321 00:16:32,000 --> 00:16:34,440 Speaker 3: and then I think what was different about this Africa 322 00:16:34,560 --> 00:16:36,560 Speaker 3: challenge to anything that I've done before is as soon 323 00:16:36,600 --> 00:16:39,040 Speaker 3: as I got to that point, then all of the 324 00:16:39,120 --> 00:16:43,240 Speaker 3: external factors of you know, getting robbed here or attempted 325 00:16:43,320 --> 00:16:46,880 Speaker 3: robbery there, or food poisoning and all of that other 326 00:16:47,000 --> 00:16:50,880 Speaker 3: stuff started happening as well. So it was just new 327 00:16:51,320 --> 00:16:54,680 Speaker 3: type of challenges. You got bobbed at gunpoint, right, Yeah. 328 00:16:54,840 --> 00:16:57,480 Speaker 2: Well you just running along and someone was like, this 329 00:16:57,520 --> 00:16:59,280 Speaker 2: is a. 330 00:17:00,880 --> 00:17:04,119 Speaker 3: Through there, Well, what happened there is I was in 331 00:17:04,280 --> 00:17:07,800 Speaker 3: and go to about sixty days in that was there've 332 00:17:07,800 --> 00:17:11,880 Speaker 3: been a couple of attempted robberies already in South Africa, 333 00:17:13,280 --> 00:17:15,560 Speaker 3: which we I've managed to get out of both of them, 334 00:17:15,960 --> 00:17:18,560 Speaker 3: the first one. I've assumed you spent some time in 335 00:17:18,560 --> 00:17:21,240 Speaker 3: Cape Town before. Yeah. Yeah, So like we were going 336 00:17:21,400 --> 00:17:26,840 Speaker 3: we were driving through one of the townships in Cape Town, 337 00:17:27,280 --> 00:17:29,919 Speaker 3: pulled up to a traffic light and I had my 338 00:17:30,000 --> 00:17:34,160 Speaker 3: window down, which is just such a schoolball era for 339 00:17:34,160 --> 00:17:36,400 Speaker 3: for most people have vincated what you call it, why 340 00:17:36,400 --> 00:17:38,359 Speaker 3: are you doing that? Don't tell me you're on the 341 00:17:38,359 --> 00:17:42,359 Speaker 3: phone as well. But I have my phone up on 342 00:17:42,400 --> 00:17:45,080 Speaker 3: the doing the maps right on the thing. So two 343 00:17:45,160 --> 00:17:48,040 Speaker 3: blokes roll in and they tried to grab my phone. 344 00:17:48,080 --> 00:17:50,040 Speaker 3: I was like, ship, just grab my phone, launched it 345 00:17:50,080 --> 00:17:51,159 Speaker 3: across the other side of the car. And then the 346 00:17:51,200 --> 00:17:53,439 Speaker 3: other one tries to grab the keys out of the 347 00:17:53,920 --> 00:17:56,840 Speaker 3: out of the you know the keyhole. Yeah, and I've 348 00:17:56,880 --> 00:17:58,960 Speaker 3: just grabbed grabbed his hand and I was like, look, 349 00:17:58,960 --> 00:18:01,040 Speaker 3: I'm not letting go, and there just start punching me up. 350 00:18:01,400 --> 00:18:03,480 Speaker 3: And I'm like, ah fuck, this is the cost of 351 00:18:03,520 --> 00:18:05,760 Speaker 3: being stupid here, I'm paying for it. So I'm just 352 00:18:05,760 --> 00:18:08,280 Speaker 3: getting banged up by these blokes. I'm like, I don't care. 353 00:18:08,320 --> 00:18:10,360 Speaker 3: How what is happening. I can't let go of these kids. 354 00:18:10,560 --> 00:18:13,840 Speaker 3: I lose this van, then this mission over already because 355 00:18:13,840 --> 00:18:16,440 Speaker 3: I ain't got money to replace it. So that was 356 00:18:16,520 --> 00:18:18,680 Speaker 3: kind of my first you know, eventually they just stopped 357 00:18:18,800 --> 00:18:22,919 Speaker 3: and then and ran off. But this was, you know, 358 00:18:23,000 --> 00:18:25,760 Speaker 3: my first kind of baptism into you ain't in uh, 359 00:18:25,880 --> 00:18:29,320 Speaker 3: you ain't Insanny South Coast of England anymore? Lad like yeah, 360 00:18:29,359 --> 00:18:31,880 Speaker 3: and then shortly after I think praying me. Two weeks 361 00:18:31,880 --> 00:18:34,120 Speaker 3: into the mission, I had a situation where I ran 362 00:18:34,280 --> 00:18:39,040 Speaker 3: past a township late at night, it was dark, and 363 00:18:39,200 --> 00:18:41,840 Speaker 3: two blokes came running up beside me, one behind me, 364 00:18:41,920 --> 00:18:44,679 Speaker 3: one in front of me, and I immediately clocked. I 365 00:18:44,720 --> 00:18:47,840 Speaker 3: was like, okay, this is you know, this is get Yeah, 366 00:18:47,880 --> 00:18:52,440 Speaker 3: this is getting it. But I noticed that they waited 367 00:18:52,520 --> 00:18:55,880 Speaker 3: maybe thirty seconds or a minute to do anything, and 368 00:18:56,320 --> 00:18:58,600 Speaker 3: because of my life experience, I kind of knew at 369 00:18:58,600 --> 00:19:01,480 Speaker 3: that point. Then I was like, right, they're actually a 370 00:19:01,520 --> 00:19:04,960 Speaker 3: little bit apprehensive about robbing me. And then I thought, well, 371 00:19:05,040 --> 00:19:08,080 Speaker 3: best give them a reason to be even more apprehensive then, 372 00:19:08,440 --> 00:19:11,119 Speaker 3: so I just started going mental and got a Russian 373 00:19:11,160 --> 00:19:16,840 Speaker 3: accent on started shouting, beating my chest, just getting you know, 374 00:19:16,880 --> 00:19:21,200 Speaker 3: getting big getting really active, acting super scatty, and that 375 00:19:21,520 --> 00:19:24,480 Speaker 3: was just about enough for the guy behind me to 376 00:19:24,560 --> 00:19:27,000 Speaker 3: drop off, and then the guy in front of me, 377 00:19:27,200 --> 00:19:28,720 Speaker 3: you know, we ended up having a bit of a chat. 378 00:19:28,760 --> 00:19:31,040 Speaker 3: He's like, oh yeah, my mate was going to rob you, 379 00:19:32,000 --> 00:19:33,720 Speaker 3: but all this kind of stuff, and we ended up 380 00:19:33,720 --> 00:19:36,600 Speaker 3: actually having a really nice chat about you know, about God, 381 00:19:36,640 --> 00:19:39,480 Speaker 3: about life, about his kids, how he's trying to support them, 382 00:19:39,520 --> 00:19:41,919 Speaker 3: and you know, my mates came and picked me up 383 00:19:41,920 --> 00:19:43,440 Speaker 3: and we ended up just giving him a lift back 384 00:19:43,480 --> 00:19:47,480 Speaker 3: home to his really. Yeah, so like that was those 385 00:19:47,480 --> 00:19:49,440 Speaker 3: were the first kind of couple of situations where it 386 00:19:49,480 --> 00:19:51,520 Speaker 3: could have gone south, but we managed to you know, 387 00:19:51,640 --> 00:19:55,719 Speaker 3: just about swerve it. And then in Angola, I'd ran 388 00:19:55,880 --> 00:19:57,800 Speaker 3: thirty k in the morning. I was taking a lunch break, 389 00:19:57,840 --> 00:19:59,919 Speaker 3: so the boys had stopped in the van, got in. 390 00:20:00,080 --> 00:20:03,560 Speaker 3: They're just eating some food, chatting, chatting some usual rubbish 391 00:20:03,600 --> 00:20:06,320 Speaker 3: with the boys, and then three guys pulled up on 392 00:20:06,320 --> 00:20:08,760 Speaker 3: a motorbike behind us. They walk up the side of 393 00:20:08,760 --> 00:20:12,399 Speaker 3: the van, ping the door open, gunning faces and it's 394 00:20:12,480 --> 00:20:16,400 Speaker 3: you know, now, now it's it's slightly different situation where 395 00:20:16,440 --> 00:20:18,640 Speaker 3: it's like, well, give us everything you've got our it's 396 00:20:18,800 --> 00:20:20,879 Speaker 3: you know, light's out, and you know, we lost a 397 00:20:20,920 --> 00:20:23,120 Speaker 3: lot of stuff that day, about five six grands worth 398 00:20:23,119 --> 00:20:27,160 Speaker 3: of which for us at the time was massive cameras, phones, drones, cash, passport. 399 00:20:28,240 --> 00:20:30,560 Speaker 3: Yeah yeah, they took all that, did they Yeah, they 400 00:20:30,600 --> 00:20:31,800 Speaker 3: took your passports. 401 00:20:32,000 --> 00:20:34,520 Speaker 2: Yeah yeah, But that's enough about your cameras and all that. 402 00:20:34,560 --> 00:20:36,240 Speaker 2: How did you crackle without a passport? 403 00:20:36,520 --> 00:20:39,679 Speaker 3: Well, we we had we did think of this before, 404 00:20:39,720 --> 00:20:42,640 Speaker 3: so we had back up passports. We've got two, we've 405 00:20:42,640 --> 00:20:45,240 Speaker 3: got to each. But we lost a lot of visas, 406 00:20:45,400 --> 00:20:47,919 Speaker 3: so all of the visas for our upcoming countries are 407 00:20:47,920 --> 00:20:51,280 Speaker 3: in those passports. So it caused a huge delay going 408 00:20:51,320 --> 00:20:55,520 Speaker 3: to different embassies trying to get new new visas and 409 00:20:56,040 --> 00:20:58,119 Speaker 3: all this kind of stuff. So it wasn't nightmare, I 410 00:20:58,119 --> 00:21:02,280 Speaker 3: can't lie. But you know those lessons, oh way, don't you. 411 00:21:02,400 --> 00:21:05,399 Speaker 3: We certainly started restructuring how we keep things in the 412 00:21:05,480 --> 00:21:09,399 Speaker 3: van and all that kind of stuff after that, So, 413 00:21:10,600 --> 00:21:13,320 Speaker 3: you know, brutal lesson, but Saylor v. 414 00:21:13,680 --> 00:21:17,240 Speaker 2: And then fast forward to day one hundred and two. 415 00:21:17,880 --> 00:21:20,960 Speaker 2: So you go from days sixty being robbed at gunpoint, 416 00:21:21,320 --> 00:21:23,320 Speaker 2: you get back into a little routine, you learn from 417 00:21:23,359 --> 00:21:28,479 Speaker 2: your mistakes. You're getting back settling again, and then one 418 00:21:28,560 --> 00:21:32,119 Speaker 2: hundred and two days in you get snatched. 419 00:21:32,520 --> 00:21:35,720 Speaker 3: Yeah, mate, that was a spicy on that, you know, 420 00:21:35,800 --> 00:21:37,879 Speaker 3: probably the scariest time in my life, to be honest 421 00:21:37,880 --> 00:21:40,800 Speaker 3: with you. One hundred and two days in we're in 422 00:21:40,840 --> 00:21:44,240 Speaker 3: the middle of DRC, which, for people that don't know, 423 00:21:44,359 --> 00:21:48,439 Speaker 3: has an extremely complex history in itself. I've noticed as 424 00:21:48,480 --> 00:21:51,679 Speaker 3: soon as we got their hostility from pretty much everyone 425 00:21:51,720 --> 00:21:55,399 Speaker 3: we met went went right up. And there's there's a 426 00:21:55,400 --> 00:21:57,800 Speaker 3: bunch of contexts that can kind of explain that I 427 00:21:57,800 --> 00:22:01,080 Speaker 3: don't want to give to the RC too much of 428 00:22:01,720 --> 00:22:04,600 Speaker 3: a bad name. I spent maybe two weeks there myself. 429 00:22:04,640 --> 00:22:06,840 Speaker 3: I'm in no real position to comment on the whole country, 430 00:22:06,840 --> 00:22:10,520 Speaker 3: but if you know from my experienced, hostility went up 431 00:22:10,560 --> 00:22:14,520 Speaker 3: a lot. And on day one hundred and two I 432 00:22:14,560 --> 00:22:17,960 Speaker 3: got separated from the boys. We started running on roads 433 00:22:17,960 --> 00:22:19,959 Speaker 3: that were just like there's no time out there, all 434 00:22:20,040 --> 00:22:24,080 Speaker 3: mud roads, and the van got stuck, wasn't able to continue, 435 00:22:24,280 --> 00:22:26,359 Speaker 3: and the boys were trying to send messages to me 436 00:22:26,480 --> 00:22:29,040 Speaker 3: saying like, right, come and come to this village, meet 437 00:22:29,080 --> 00:22:32,480 Speaker 3: here and meet there, blah blah blah. And you know, 438 00:22:32,600 --> 00:22:36,320 Speaker 3: on my way to the to the to the meeting point. 439 00:22:36,359 --> 00:22:40,120 Speaker 3: The boys are positioned. I well, I ran through two villages. 440 00:22:40,160 --> 00:22:42,639 Speaker 3: The first one went swimming well, head down, get through, 441 00:22:42,640 --> 00:22:46,080 Speaker 3: no problem. Second one, same tactic, right head down, let's 442 00:22:46,119 --> 00:22:50,719 Speaker 3: not cause too much of a ruckus here, focus on it. 443 00:22:50,840 --> 00:22:53,400 Speaker 3: Just get it, get through, get it done. And kind 444 00:22:53,440 --> 00:22:55,840 Speaker 3: of ended up upsetting a lot of the villages. And 445 00:22:55,880 --> 00:22:58,680 Speaker 3: then eventually the chief of the village they thought it 446 00:22:58,720 --> 00:23:00,800 Speaker 3: was very I think they just it's very rude of 447 00:23:00,840 --> 00:23:04,440 Speaker 3: me to not come and greet anyone or or offer 448 00:23:04,600 --> 00:23:07,679 Speaker 3: up anything for walking through their village. So I've you know, 449 00:23:07,680 --> 00:23:10,880 Speaker 3: I've just head down, got through, and they've they've eventually 450 00:23:10,920 --> 00:23:15,000 Speaker 3: kind of brought me to a stop. And you know, 451 00:23:15,040 --> 00:23:19,240 Speaker 3: the guys how how on foot on foot on foot? Yeah, 452 00:23:19,320 --> 00:23:22,080 Speaker 3: so they've like I'm running directly through the village and 453 00:23:22,119 --> 00:23:25,160 Speaker 3: they've all they've you know, at first it's just one 454 00:23:25,160 --> 00:23:27,760 Speaker 3: person shouting at me, and then it's they could run 455 00:23:27,840 --> 00:23:30,399 Speaker 3: up to me, and then and then they like stop 456 00:23:30,520 --> 00:23:33,280 Speaker 3: me physically, and then they all circle around. But you know, 457 00:23:33,359 --> 00:23:35,440 Speaker 3: by the time this finish, there's quite a lot of 458 00:23:35,440 --> 00:23:40,560 Speaker 3: people around me. They're they're talking, I think Lingala local language. 459 00:23:41,040 --> 00:23:44,840 Speaker 3: So I'm really trying to really struggling to piece anything together. 460 00:23:44,880 --> 00:23:46,840 Speaker 3: I'm reading, trying to read body language and kind of 461 00:23:46,840 --> 00:23:50,280 Speaker 3: work out what's going on obviously the but I can 462 00:23:50,320 --> 00:23:52,399 Speaker 3: see that there's a lot of these these big strong 463 00:23:52,440 --> 00:23:57,359 Speaker 3: men with with machetes, which is kind of really making 464 00:23:57,359 --> 00:24:00,560 Speaker 3: me think, oh, that's you know, that's bad news. And 465 00:24:00,640 --> 00:24:03,360 Speaker 3: I know where I'm not right, we're going this way. 466 00:24:03,400 --> 00:24:06,160 Speaker 3: And then eventually the guy kind of sends everyone off 467 00:24:06,520 --> 00:24:08,320 Speaker 3: and then gets two blokes to walk me out to 468 00:24:08,400 --> 00:24:12,080 Speaker 3: this totally off off where I'm going into the bush 469 00:24:12,080 --> 00:24:15,960 Speaker 3: and they've got these machetes, and I'm like, oh, fuck, 470 00:24:16,160 --> 00:24:19,760 Speaker 3: this is bad. You know, I don't know what's happening here, 471 00:24:19,800 --> 00:24:21,280 Speaker 3: but I can't imagine it's good. 472 00:24:22,119 --> 00:24:25,320 Speaker 2: Are you thinking, do I just conform or what you're 473 00:24:25,320 --> 00:24:27,080 Speaker 2: thinking in your head just do do what they say 474 00:24:27,119 --> 00:24:30,120 Speaker 2: because they've got machetes and or are you thinking, well, 475 00:24:30,160 --> 00:24:31,280 Speaker 2: I need to get the hell out of here. 476 00:24:31,359 --> 00:24:33,320 Speaker 3: Well at that point, I've kind of I'm working out 477 00:24:33,359 --> 00:24:35,160 Speaker 3: that they want they want money from me, they want 478 00:24:35,160 --> 00:24:37,280 Speaker 3: stuff from me, and I haven't actually got an anything 479 00:24:37,320 --> 00:24:38,840 Speaker 3: on me. I've got a phone, I've got to watch. 480 00:24:39,320 --> 00:24:41,119 Speaker 3: I really don't want to lose them, because if you know, 481 00:24:41,160 --> 00:24:43,480 Speaker 3: if I lose that. I'm just rolling about in the 482 00:24:43,480 --> 00:24:46,520 Speaker 3: middle of the jungle, no idea where I'm going. So 483 00:24:46,760 --> 00:24:50,240 Speaker 3: I've kind of hid them away, and they're they're walking 484 00:24:50,240 --> 00:24:52,280 Speaker 3: me out into this jungle and I'm thinking, right, conform, 485 00:24:52,400 --> 00:24:55,000 Speaker 3: conform at the moment. Definitely conform at a moment, because 486 00:24:55,160 --> 00:24:57,080 Speaker 3: there's a bunch of people here, and if I start 487 00:24:57,160 --> 00:25:00,240 Speaker 3: kicking off, you know, I just get grabbed taken into 488 00:25:00,280 --> 00:25:03,360 Speaker 3: some you know somewhere and it's bad news. But there's 489 00:25:03,400 --> 00:25:05,360 Speaker 3: only two of these guys and they're going to walk 490 00:25:05,400 --> 00:25:07,439 Speaker 3: me out into this bush. No one's else going to 491 00:25:07,440 --> 00:25:10,120 Speaker 3: be there. That's like my olds are best there, right, 492 00:25:10,359 --> 00:25:13,040 Speaker 3: So they kind of walked me out into the bush. 493 00:25:13,600 --> 00:25:15,800 Speaker 3: I empty my bag. I just give them. I had 494 00:25:16,040 --> 00:25:17,920 Speaker 3: some biscuits. I slap it in the Geezer's hand and 495 00:25:18,119 --> 00:25:22,400 Speaker 3: just bouncing. I'm like, right, off we go, running, You're gone, yeah, 496 00:25:22,560 --> 00:25:25,840 Speaker 3: boom off, and I'm kind of I'm scattery here. The 497 00:25:25,840 --> 00:25:30,240 Speaker 3: guys are shouting, but they didn't seem to chase me immediately. 498 00:25:30,280 --> 00:25:33,160 Speaker 3: Something right, Let's just get out of here, like off 499 00:25:33,200 --> 00:25:36,160 Speaker 3: we go. And then over the course of the next 500 00:25:36,240 --> 00:25:39,719 Speaker 3: half hour hour, I'm hearing like motor bikes I'm hearing 501 00:25:40,080 --> 00:25:42,960 Speaker 3: people shouting in the bushes, I'm hearing people running through it, 502 00:25:42,960 --> 00:25:49,000 Speaker 3: and I'm just like, I'm an anxious to put it 503 00:25:49,040 --> 00:25:52,439 Speaker 3: in concepts. We've heard a million stories of of of 504 00:25:52,560 --> 00:25:55,520 Speaker 3: d r C, of people getting you know, wrists snapped 505 00:25:55,560 --> 00:25:59,399 Speaker 3: off for less than a quid, watch is stolen, like 506 00:25:59,440 --> 00:26:04,080 Speaker 3: all of it, so much horrific stuff. And on both sides, 507 00:26:04,080 --> 00:26:06,560 Speaker 3: by the way, like I think Europeans have gone in 508 00:26:06,560 --> 00:26:09,199 Speaker 3: there previously in a Belgium, you know, from all accounts, 509 00:26:09,240 --> 00:26:11,800 Speaker 3: did a pretty horrendous job out there as well. So 510 00:26:11,800 --> 00:26:14,200 Speaker 3: i think they're quite scared of me, and I'm also 511 00:26:14,640 --> 00:26:17,000 Speaker 3: quite scared of them. It just creates a really like 512 00:26:17,000 --> 00:26:21,199 Speaker 3: everyone's acting out of fear. But I eventually get away 513 00:26:21,560 --> 00:26:23,840 Speaker 3: onto this road that's taking me to this meeting point 514 00:26:23,880 --> 00:26:26,080 Speaker 3: where the boys are proposed, and I eventually get there. 515 00:26:26,119 --> 00:26:27,959 Speaker 3: But by this point, I've done fifty k, I've run 516 00:26:28,000 --> 00:26:30,520 Speaker 3: out of water ages, I've got no food, you know, 517 00:26:30,760 --> 00:26:34,479 Speaker 3: I've got no I done no signal for hours, and 518 00:26:34,520 --> 00:26:38,040 Speaker 3: I'm on my last legs here. I'm I'm getting up 519 00:26:38,040 --> 00:26:40,760 Speaker 3: to this village and I'm like, I'm really cooked. I'm like, 520 00:26:41,280 --> 00:26:43,000 Speaker 3: I need the boys to be here. Because I'm just 521 00:26:43,080 --> 00:26:46,520 Speaker 3: done in now they're not there, and I kind of 522 00:26:46,880 --> 00:26:49,480 Speaker 3: poke my head around see if this big blue van 523 00:26:49,600 --> 00:26:51,199 Speaker 3: is there. It's not there. And I'm thinking, right, well, 524 00:26:51,240 --> 00:26:53,520 Speaker 3: we need to get out of here asap too. And 525 00:26:54,000 --> 00:26:56,040 Speaker 3: I've kind of worked out if I had about ten 526 00:26:56,119 --> 00:26:58,600 Speaker 3: twenty kilometers down this road, then there's and I'll make 527 00:26:58,640 --> 00:27:00,959 Speaker 3: it back to the last tarmac road that we were on. 528 00:27:01,040 --> 00:27:03,040 Speaker 3: And I was like, they must be there. That's the 529 00:27:03,040 --> 00:27:06,359 Speaker 3: only logical, you know, they would wait that at that 530 00:27:06,400 --> 00:27:09,280 Speaker 3: point if they can't get there. So I start making 531 00:27:09,320 --> 00:27:12,679 Speaker 3: my way down this road pretty out of it, and 532 00:27:12,720 --> 00:27:16,280 Speaker 3: then two more guys pull up on a motorbike and 533 00:27:16,440 --> 00:27:18,200 Speaker 3: they try and stop me and they say like, look 534 00:27:18,600 --> 00:27:20,840 Speaker 3: you well they can't speak any English, but I'm trying 535 00:27:20,880 --> 00:27:22,680 Speaker 3: to work out what they say. And they said and me, 536 00:27:23,040 --> 00:27:26,040 Speaker 3: which is friends in French. And I thought, okay, they've 537 00:27:26,040 --> 00:27:28,480 Speaker 3: said friends. Maybe they you know, maybe they're talking about 538 00:27:28,480 --> 00:27:31,880 Speaker 3: they're going to take me to my friends. So it's 539 00:27:31,920 --> 00:27:34,080 Speaker 3: getting dark at it's starting to get dark. At this point, 540 00:27:34,160 --> 00:27:36,639 Speaker 3: I'm obviously extremely dej and I'm like, well, I ain't 541 00:27:36,880 --> 00:27:39,040 Speaker 3: I if I say no, And I try and get 542 00:27:39,080 --> 00:27:41,600 Speaker 3: back on my feet. One I'm not even sure I'm 543 00:27:41,600 --> 00:27:43,200 Speaker 3: going to be able to get there too. If I do, 544 00:27:43,640 --> 00:27:45,639 Speaker 3: there's no saying that they're going to be there. And 545 00:27:45,640 --> 00:27:49,200 Speaker 3: then three, you know, if anything goes wrong, I'm looking 546 00:27:49,240 --> 00:27:51,280 Speaker 3: at a night in the jungle here with no water, 547 00:27:51,400 --> 00:27:54,440 Speaker 3: the ich, there's snakes running about, there's an angry set 548 00:27:54,440 --> 00:27:57,119 Speaker 3: of villagers that are already looking for me. You know, 549 00:27:57,440 --> 00:27:59,879 Speaker 3: this could this could be my best bet. So I 550 00:28:00,080 --> 00:28:02,560 Speaker 3: get on the back of this bike and I think 551 00:28:02,600 --> 00:28:04,639 Speaker 3: to myself, the boys are no more than sort of 552 00:28:04,640 --> 00:28:07,119 Speaker 3: ten care away. So if I'm on the bike for 553 00:28:07,160 --> 00:28:09,520 Speaker 3: more than half an hour, then I might be in trouble. 554 00:28:09,520 --> 00:28:11,760 Speaker 3: But until then, like really, I was trying to put 555 00:28:11,800 --> 00:28:13,119 Speaker 3: my mind at rest. Right now, it's going to be 556 00:28:13,119 --> 00:28:16,440 Speaker 3: all right. Then half an hour goes by stealing a bike, 557 00:28:16,760 --> 00:28:20,000 Speaker 3: hour goes by stelling a bike, two hours, three hours, 558 00:28:20,680 --> 00:28:24,960 Speaker 3: five hours, seven hours, no seven hours. Yeah, so I 559 00:28:25,000 --> 00:28:30,639 Speaker 3: spent seven hours on this bike get to this rural 560 00:28:30,760 --> 00:28:34,280 Speaker 3: conglese village, right And at this point, you know, you 561 00:28:34,280 --> 00:28:36,240 Speaker 3: can imagine the amount of things going from my head 562 00:28:36,240 --> 00:28:38,320 Speaker 3: at this because I'm just trying to analyze the situation 563 00:28:38,360 --> 00:28:40,880 Speaker 3: as best possible. Going okay, but you know, you know, 564 00:28:41,440 --> 00:28:43,680 Speaker 3: I'm on this bike and I'm getting off every you know, 565 00:28:43,840 --> 00:28:45,280 Speaker 3: half an hour, So I kicking off a bit to 566 00:28:45,280 --> 00:28:48,840 Speaker 3: see what they're doing. They're getting more and more hostile. 567 00:28:48,960 --> 00:28:51,040 Speaker 3: But the more I'm getting off and causing a bit 568 00:28:51,080 --> 00:28:53,600 Speaker 3: of a problem. And I'm thinking to myself, right, like, 569 00:28:53,640 --> 00:28:56,200 Speaker 3: if they were going to rob me, then I've done 570 00:28:56,640 --> 00:29:00,880 Speaker 3: they would have just done it, right, Well, why are 571 00:29:00,920 --> 00:29:02,920 Speaker 3: we going to the rural? Like while we're going rural 572 00:29:02,920 --> 00:29:05,360 Speaker 3: and into this jungle, we're going away from everything. And 573 00:29:05,360 --> 00:29:07,440 Speaker 3: I'm like, they're either taking me to hold me like 574 00:29:07,600 --> 00:29:10,000 Speaker 3: my folk. They're taking me to hold me ransom, or 575 00:29:10,040 --> 00:29:12,680 Speaker 3: they're taking me to kill me somewhere. And I was, 576 00:29:12,920 --> 00:29:15,560 Speaker 3: I was just flopping between those two things in my mind, 577 00:29:15,640 --> 00:29:19,680 Speaker 3: like and I was like, ah, maybe they've seen like 578 00:29:19,800 --> 00:29:21,680 Speaker 3: stuff we've been putting out of our stuff on Instagram. 579 00:29:21,720 --> 00:29:23,440 Speaker 3: We've got quite a lot of traction Instagram. Maybe they've 580 00:29:23,480 --> 00:29:25,480 Speaker 3: seen some of that and been like, ah, you know, 581 00:29:25,720 --> 00:29:29,720 Speaker 3: followers equals is rich, let's like get him in. So yeah, 582 00:29:29,880 --> 00:29:32,760 Speaker 3: I mean that's seven hours on a motorbike. I was, 583 00:29:33,560 --> 00:29:36,000 Speaker 3: you know, everything went through my head, and you know, 584 00:29:36,600 --> 00:29:38,000 Speaker 3: it got to the point where I thought, oh, I 585 00:29:38,040 --> 00:29:40,640 Speaker 3: think this you know this could be here. I'm like, 586 00:29:40,840 --> 00:29:43,920 Speaker 3: that's this might be me. I've pushed it too far, 587 00:29:44,040 --> 00:29:46,400 Speaker 3: and now I'm going to find out for real, for real. 588 00:29:47,160 --> 00:29:50,320 Speaker 3: And you know, I just thought about what I thought 589 00:29:50,320 --> 00:29:53,840 Speaker 3: about everyone I'm letting down at home, my friends, my family, 590 00:29:54,120 --> 00:29:57,280 Speaker 3: my girlfriend, you know, all of these things. I said like, Oh, 591 00:29:57,280 --> 00:29:58,680 Speaker 3: we're going to make it work. We're going to get 592 00:29:58,680 --> 00:29:59,920 Speaker 3: through it, and we're going to raise all this my 593 00:30:00,000 --> 00:30:01,520 Speaker 3: and it's going to be such a great you know thing. 594 00:30:01,600 --> 00:30:03,920 Speaker 3: And and then here I was on my silly little 595 00:30:03,960 --> 00:30:08,880 Speaker 3: mission about to get you know, get myself off yeah 596 00:30:09,400 --> 00:30:12,800 Speaker 3: for this, and it was, you know, I was. It was, 597 00:30:12,840 --> 00:30:15,480 Speaker 3: you know, the hardest, hardest little moment ever there And 598 00:30:15,840 --> 00:30:16,680 Speaker 3: did you were you? 599 00:30:16,760 --> 00:30:19,520 Speaker 2: Were you that knacker that you just didn't you didn't care, 600 00:30:19,600 --> 00:30:21,200 Speaker 2: you just sort of gave. 601 00:30:21,040 --> 00:30:25,760 Speaker 3: Up for a moment. I was, I would say for 602 00:30:25,800 --> 00:30:30,000 Speaker 3: the first few hours, I was intensely like trying to 603 00:30:30,040 --> 00:30:33,840 Speaker 3: figure out a solution. And then you know, when I 604 00:30:33,920 --> 00:30:36,280 Speaker 3: realized you can't get off the bike and run because 605 00:30:36,280 --> 00:30:38,120 Speaker 3: you're in the middle of the jungle. They'll know the 606 00:30:38,160 --> 00:30:41,959 Speaker 3: area much better than you. It's already you know, it's 607 00:30:42,320 --> 00:30:44,440 Speaker 3: from my experience in DRC as well, it's not like 608 00:30:44,480 --> 00:30:46,600 Speaker 3: I thought, if I run to a village, they'll keep 609 00:30:46,600 --> 00:30:47,880 Speaker 3: me safe. It was more like, if I run to 610 00:30:47,920 --> 00:30:50,760 Speaker 3: a village, then they'll probably just do the same That 611 00:30:50,840 --> 00:30:53,400 Speaker 3: was my experience. Then they'll probably just do the same thing. 612 00:30:53,520 --> 00:30:55,240 Speaker 3: So I didn't feel safe and that I could get 613 00:30:55,520 --> 00:30:59,080 Speaker 3: anywhere or do really anything about my situation. I was like, well, 614 00:30:59,120 --> 00:31:02,440 Speaker 3: you're going to have to sit on this motorbike. And 615 00:31:02,520 --> 00:31:05,040 Speaker 3: you know, I've been going on a spiritual journey as 616 00:31:05,040 --> 00:31:07,480 Speaker 3: well throughout that kind of probably the year or so 617 00:31:07,600 --> 00:31:10,400 Speaker 3: before meeting my girlfriend who's who's a Christian and then 618 00:31:10,720 --> 00:31:13,040 Speaker 3: and I was kind of going on that journey myself, 619 00:31:13,080 --> 00:31:15,160 Speaker 3: and I just you know, there was a point in 620 00:31:15,160 --> 00:31:17,720 Speaker 3: that motbike where I just thought, this is this is 621 00:31:17,720 --> 00:31:20,440 Speaker 3: in God's hands right now, and whatever's happening is happening. 622 00:31:20,480 --> 00:31:23,880 Speaker 3: And I don't know necessarily why. I don't understand, but 623 00:31:23,920 --> 00:31:25,560 Speaker 3: I am just a man, I'm just a human. I 624 00:31:25,600 --> 00:31:29,160 Speaker 3: wasn't meant to understand everything. And you know, I'm going 625 00:31:29,200 --> 00:31:32,840 Speaker 3: to trust that what God's plan here is the best 626 00:31:32,840 --> 00:31:34,920 Speaker 3: thing for me. And it's just a case of how 627 00:31:34,960 --> 00:31:36,400 Speaker 3: painful will this turn out to be? 628 00:31:45,400 --> 00:31:48,600 Speaker 2: So what what what happens? To you obviously end up 629 00:31:48,600 --> 00:31:51,320 Speaker 2: back with your team back. How did that come about? 630 00:31:51,920 --> 00:31:55,520 Speaker 3: Yeah, so we you know, we've driven seven hours into 631 00:31:55,560 --> 00:31:58,080 Speaker 3: this rural village and we've got there. It's the middle 632 00:31:58,080 --> 00:31:59,680 Speaker 3: of the night. It's the maddest thing I've ever seen, 633 00:31:59,720 --> 00:32:02,360 Speaker 3: because you know, they're not They've got a few they've 634 00:32:02,360 --> 00:32:04,000 Speaker 3: got a couple of light bulbs here and there, but 635 00:32:04,080 --> 00:32:08,680 Speaker 3: no real electricity. The village has made out of kind 636 00:32:08,720 --> 00:32:13,520 Speaker 3: of like corrugated iron roofs and then wooden kind of 637 00:32:13,760 --> 00:32:16,200 Speaker 3: shed so it's more like a structure of sheds rather 638 00:32:16,280 --> 00:32:20,000 Speaker 3: than what you would call houses. There's obviously no timac 639 00:32:20,040 --> 00:32:23,520 Speaker 3: on the road, so it's completely dirt roads. And I 640 00:32:23,600 --> 00:32:25,960 Speaker 3: get there and i'm you know, I'm at that point 641 00:32:25,960 --> 00:32:27,760 Speaker 3: I'm thinking, okay, like we're about to find out now, 642 00:32:27,760 --> 00:32:30,640 Speaker 3: and I'm just extremely anxious. So they kind of march 643 00:32:30,720 --> 00:32:35,320 Speaker 3: me into this little shack building and a load of 644 00:32:35,360 --> 00:32:37,840 Speaker 3: the men from the village gather. They all start arguing. 645 00:32:37,880 --> 00:32:41,080 Speaker 3: It gets a bit more progressively heated, and I can't 646 00:32:41,160 --> 00:32:44,240 Speaker 3: understand anything they're saying, but you know, I can still 647 00:32:44,320 --> 00:32:46,680 Speaker 3: read body language, so I'm just kind of trying to 648 00:32:47,240 --> 00:32:50,240 Speaker 3: work out the hierarchy here. Who's in charge, who's definitely 649 00:32:50,280 --> 00:32:52,800 Speaker 3: not in charge all of this type of stuff. And 650 00:32:52,920 --> 00:32:54,960 Speaker 3: I can see that they're arguing about kind of money 651 00:32:55,000 --> 00:32:57,800 Speaker 3: and me and all this stuff. So I'm thinking, all right, okay, 652 00:32:59,760 --> 00:33:01,480 Speaker 3: you know, well at least i'm you know, at least 653 00:33:01,520 --> 00:33:04,320 Speaker 3: I'm not. It's looking to me at this situation like 654 00:33:04,360 --> 00:33:06,280 Speaker 3: they just want they want money out of me more 655 00:33:06,320 --> 00:33:10,520 Speaker 3: than anything, is what I'm thinking. And then the guy, 656 00:33:11,120 --> 00:33:14,400 Speaker 3: a guy rolls in and can immediately see he's got 657 00:33:14,440 --> 00:33:17,000 Speaker 3: authority amongst everyone, and it turns out he was the 658 00:33:17,040 --> 00:33:19,640 Speaker 3: second chief of the village. And he said to me, like, 659 00:33:20,360 --> 00:33:25,320 Speaker 3: you speak to me English very slowly, and I was like, 660 00:33:25,520 --> 00:33:27,920 Speaker 3: thank god, right, and I said to him, like, look, 661 00:33:28,160 --> 00:33:32,880 Speaker 3: big mistake. If we make contact with my friends, they come, 662 00:33:33,080 --> 00:33:37,520 Speaker 3: they bring you money, right. And then from that moment on, 663 00:33:38,760 --> 00:33:40,720 Speaker 3: you know, we we went. We were able to make 664 00:33:40,720 --> 00:33:45,200 Speaker 3: contact with with my friends and explain the situation, and 665 00:33:45,240 --> 00:33:48,320 Speaker 3: then they kind of started this kind of two day 666 00:33:48,360 --> 00:33:51,640 Speaker 3: rescue mission to get out into the rural conglese village 667 00:33:52,520 --> 00:33:55,200 Speaker 3: and then you know, we handed everyone some money. Everything 668 00:33:55,320 --> 00:33:58,640 Speaker 3: was squared up, and you know I was allowed to leave. 669 00:33:59,440 --> 00:34:04,560 Speaker 2: Wow, So you not an EU, you know, going through 670 00:34:04,600 --> 00:34:10,000 Speaker 2: it physically, you know, emotionally psychologically, you know, you're drained 671 00:34:10,000 --> 00:34:13,279 Speaker 2: at this point, and then to want to risk all 672 00:34:13,320 --> 00:34:15,799 Speaker 2: of that again, What was what was going through your head? 673 00:34:15,840 --> 00:34:16,200 Speaker 3: Mate? 674 00:34:16,480 --> 00:34:16,719 Speaker 2: Yeah? 675 00:34:16,880 --> 00:34:19,600 Speaker 3: So, I mean, I think the backup moment bike was 676 00:34:19,640 --> 00:34:22,360 Speaker 3: the only time in the mission where I really contemplated 677 00:34:22,360 --> 00:34:24,120 Speaker 3: what I was doing in terms of like, do I 678 00:34:24,160 --> 00:34:26,120 Speaker 3: really want to be doing this kind of thing? Yeah? 679 00:34:26,160 --> 00:34:27,960 Speaker 3: That was the only time I ever really asked myself 680 00:34:28,000 --> 00:34:31,879 Speaker 3: the question. Once we got away, I got out of 681 00:34:33,040 --> 00:34:38,560 Speaker 3: I thought to myself, like, we've come this far, and 682 00:34:39,120 --> 00:34:44,839 Speaker 3: if I quit now, it's all for nothing. Or I 683 00:34:44,880 --> 00:34:49,560 Speaker 3: can carry on pushing through and complete everything that I 684 00:34:49,680 --> 00:34:53,120 Speaker 3: set out to achieve. You know, I did think about 685 00:34:53,160 --> 00:34:55,480 Speaker 3: it properly, but I thought, do you know what, like, 686 00:34:56,960 --> 00:35:00,600 Speaker 3: there's just no way I can let this negative experience 687 00:35:00,680 --> 00:35:03,719 Speaker 3: to find defind me like that, And uh, you know, 688 00:35:04,600 --> 00:35:06,799 Speaker 3: the next day I was up and running again. I 689 00:35:06,840 --> 00:35:09,319 Speaker 3: think as well, like part of my experience up until 690 00:35:09,360 --> 00:35:12,799 Speaker 3: that point had taught me is that you know, when 691 00:35:13,120 --> 00:35:15,560 Speaker 3: you're in the bad moments and the bad things do happen, 692 00:35:16,160 --> 00:35:18,440 Speaker 3: the only way out of that really is to go 693 00:35:18,560 --> 00:35:21,319 Speaker 3: straight through it. Because I think, like, if I think 694 00:35:21,320 --> 00:35:23,200 Speaker 3: about myself as a person. I think if I had 695 00:35:23,360 --> 00:35:26,000 Speaker 3: quit at that point, then it would have eaten me up. 696 00:35:26,120 --> 00:35:29,080 Speaker 3: It would have eaten me up that I quit because 697 00:35:29,200 --> 00:35:32,040 Speaker 3: that happened. So I was like, well, I get it. 698 00:35:32,160 --> 00:35:32,680 Speaker 3: I get it. 699 00:35:33,640 --> 00:35:37,960 Speaker 2: And so Mate, you say, you crack on telt me 700 00:35:38,000 --> 00:35:41,440 Speaker 2: about crossing the finish line. So mate, listen, it doesn't 701 00:35:41,480 --> 00:35:45,240 Speaker 2: get much better than that. What was it like crossing 702 00:35:45,239 --> 00:35:47,800 Speaker 2: that finish because I know the world at this stage, Mate, 703 00:35:48,040 --> 00:35:51,399 Speaker 2: was fully awake. And how how did you feel, mate, 704 00:35:51,440 --> 00:35:55,160 Speaker 2: that you could finally let everything go? Yeah, I think 705 00:35:56,080 --> 00:35:58,160 Speaker 2: really hard to kind of put that, put that all 706 00:35:58,200 --> 00:36:01,840 Speaker 2: into words. I remember, you know, that last that last 707 00:36:01,920 --> 00:36:04,520 Speaker 2: few days was quite emotional because it was a lot 708 00:36:04,520 --> 00:36:06,600 Speaker 2: of lasts, and it was this had been you know, 709 00:36:06,640 --> 00:36:08,719 Speaker 2: three ingred and fifty two days on the road, right, 710 00:36:09,000 --> 00:36:12,040 Speaker 2: running marath more than a marathon every day. It had 711 00:36:12,080 --> 00:36:14,239 Speaker 2: become a way of life, and I knew that it 712 00:36:14,280 --> 00:36:19,000 Speaker 2: was all ending. So for me, you know, like I've 713 00:36:19,000 --> 00:36:21,840 Speaker 2: woken up on that last day and I'm like saying 714 00:36:21,840 --> 00:36:24,080 Speaker 2: goodbye to the boys, the boys that have been there 715 00:36:24,120 --> 00:36:26,160 Speaker 2: for so much of this journey as well. 716 00:36:27,760 --> 00:36:30,359 Speaker 3: So like immediately, you know, water works on and off 717 00:36:30,360 --> 00:36:33,239 Speaker 3: all day. I'm extremely emotional seeing my dad for the 718 00:36:33,280 --> 00:36:37,120 Speaker 3: first time in over fourteen months, likewise, with my mom 719 00:36:37,160 --> 00:36:40,399 Speaker 3: and my girlfriend and my brothers. And I remember coming 720 00:36:40,440 --> 00:36:43,640 Speaker 3: over that hill, right, so there's the last hill before 721 00:36:43,680 --> 00:36:47,280 Speaker 3: I could see the med And I've been looking forward 722 00:36:47,280 --> 00:36:51,160 Speaker 3: to this Mediterranean Sea for over a year, right of 723 00:36:51,640 --> 00:36:54,480 Speaker 3: everything that we'd had to overcome to get there. And 724 00:36:55,320 --> 00:36:56,799 Speaker 3: I mean that in the sense everything I'd had to 725 00:36:56,840 --> 00:37:01,439 Speaker 3: overcome in Africa, but also before that, and immediately when 726 00:37:01,440 --> 00:37:03,960 Speaker 3: I when I ran over that hill, I had like 727 00:37:04,000 --> 00:37:08,080 Speaker 3: a flashback to I was seventeen. I was I was 728 00:37:08,160 --> 00:37:10,320 Speaker 3: having a really I was struggling a lot. I remember 729 00:37:10,320 --> 00:37:12,000 Speaker 3: I had my I was living by myself in this 730 00:37:12,040 --> 00:37:16,239 Speaker 3: flat and I was working about five jobs, cleaning, scrubbing toilets, 731 00:37:16,280 --> 00:37:18,759 Speaker 3: anything I could to kind of just pay my way, 732 00:37:18,920 --> 00:37:23,400 Speaker 3: pay my living, survive, literally survive. And I was, you know, 733 00:37:23,440 --> 00:37:26,160 Speaker 3: I remember being seventy. I opened this cupboard in my 734 00:37:26,239 --> 00:37:29,480 Speaker 3: kitchen and I looked at tin and new potatoes from 735 00:37:29,560 --> 00:37:32,000 Speaker 3: little that I had then it was all I had 736 00:37:32,080 --> 00:37:35,000 Speaker 3: for dinner that night. And I remember staring at this 737 00:37:35,160 --> 00:37:37,040 Speaker 3: tin of new potatoes for a few minutes at that 738 00:37:37,080 --> 00:37:40,520 Speaker 3: point in my life, thinking where is my life? Going 739 00:37:41,320 --> 00:37:43,399 Speaker 3: what like what am I going to do with my life? 740 00:37:43,440 --> 00:37:45,520 Speaker 3: What direction am I heading in? Like I'm desperate to 741 00:37:45,600 --> 00:37:47,680 Speaker 3: make something good of my life, and I just don't 742 00:37:47,680 --> 00:37:51,560 Speaker 3: know if I can. And then I thought of that 743 00:37:51,640 --> 00:37:53,840 Speaker 3: when I was running over this hill and sort of 744 00:37:53,880 --> 00:37:56,840 Speaker 3: med and I just had like that moment where it's like, 745 00:37:57,760 --> 00:37:59,560 Speaker 3: you know, we made it, rush, like we did it, 746 00:37:59,600 --> 00:38:01,879 Speaker 3: Like I'm proud of you, Like we we got through 747 00:38:01,920 --> 00:38:04,919 Speaker 3: all of that. Mate, that's a fucking hell. 748 00:38:04,960 --> 00:38:08,360 Speaker 2: That's that's put the hairs up on my arms because 749 00:38:09,400 --> 00:38:13,239 Speaker 2: you know, I have flashback like that. You know, there's 750 00:38:14,400 --> 00:38:18,160 Speaker 2: there's some trauma that you've obviously flipped into the life experience, 751 00:38:18,200 --> 00:38:21,440 Speaker 2: which I love. You know, you've obviously revisited a traumatic 752 00:38:21,520 --> 00:38:25,080 Speaker 2: situation and you flipped it into a life experience from 753 00:38:25,880 --> 00:38:28,799 Speaker 2: the magnitude of the task that you've just achieved. You 754 00:38:28,840 --> 00:38:31,160 Speaker 2: probably don't even realize that you've done that. But I 755 00:38:31,320 --> 00:38:33,319 Speaker 2: can't make the whole well newed about and knew about you? 756 00:38:33,360 --> 00:38:37,000 Speaker 2: How how surreal was it that you went and never 757 00:38:37,040 --> 00:38:40,040 Speaker 2: a nobody because nobody's a nobody, but when you went 758 00:38:40,080 --> 00:38:42,400 Speaker 2: there and you had ten grand in your pocket to 759 00:38:42,640 --> 00:38:48,320 Speaker 2: bring this global sort of matter sort of Elite Endurance 760 00:38:48,400 --> 00:38:53,000 Speaker 2: Runner and then known as Endurance. 761 00:38:53,760 --> 00:38:56,440 Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean it was it was wild. I mean, 762 00:38:56,480 --> 00:38:59,080 Speaker 3: I'm sure you can, like with a lot of stuff 763 00:38:59,120 --> 00:39:01,040 Speaker 3: you've done, right, you can't back to the UK after 764 00:39:01,080 --> 00:39:04,720 Speaker 3: a long time, whatever it is that you've been doing, 765 00:39:05,400 --> 00:39:07,759 Speaker 3: and you just kind of look at everything with a 766 00:39:07,800 --> 00:39:10,480 Speaker 3: totally new perspective. I remember I landed in London. I 767 00:39:10,480 --> 00:39:14,680 Speaker 3: was looking around London going like, look at these skyscrapers. Man, Like, obviously, 768 00:39:15,400 --> 00:39:17,799 Speaker 3: you know that's just a part of normal life for 769 00:39:17,840 --> 00:39:20,000 Speaker 3: a lot of us. But I was like looking at 770 00:39:20,040 --> 00:39:22,880 Speaker 3: the city of London, going like, do you know people 771 00:39:22,920 --> 00:39:26,600 Speaker 3: have built this over thousands of years of sacrifice and 772 00:39:27,480 --> 00:39:32,040 Speaker 3: hard work and the like, and this is the accumulation 773 00:39:32,200 --> 00:39:35,080 Speaker 3: of all of that in one you know, in one spot. 774 00:39:35,160 --> 00:39:39,399 Speaker 3: Like how incredible are humans? And I was like, I'm 775 00:39:39,440 --> 00:39:41,640 Speaker 3: having those kind of thoughts looking at like it is 776 00:39:41,760 --> 00:39:45,120 Speaker 3: incredible what we're like, what people have done, and everyone's 777 00:39:45,160 --> 00:39:47,640 Speaker 3: just batting around and I'm going, how good is like 778 00:39:47,760 --> 00:39:51,840 Speaker 3: a double cheeseburger. There's a lot of hard adjustments and 779 00:39:51,960 --> 00:39:54,520 Speaker 3: I think it's still I think it's still an ongoing 780 00:39:54,560 --> 00:40:00,279 Speaker 3: process for me. But yeah, it's been even like getting 781 00:40:00,280 --> 00:40:03,239 Speaker 3: recognized on the street and stuff like this was a 782 00:40:03,280 --> 00:40:05,279 Speaker 3: new one. Yes, surreal, But. 783 00:40:05,239 --> 00:40:07,760 Speaker 2: The good thing about it is the beautiful thing about 784 00:40:07,760 --> 00:40:11,800 Speaker 2: it us is you're getting recognized because you're You've inspired people, 785 00:40:11,920 --> 00:40:16,399 Speaker 2: you motivated people, you have changed people's lives, You've changed 786 00:40:16,400 --> 00:40:20,680 Speaker 2: people's perspective, you've changed the way people, you know, tackle 787 00:40:20,719 --> 00:40:24,120 Speaker 2: things and look at things differently. It's phenomenal when you 788 00:40:24,200 --> 00:40:27,360 Speaker 2: do something like that because people look at you and go, goh, 789 00:40:27,560 --> 00:40:30,520 Speaker 2: it's possible. It is possible if you, if you, if 790 00:40:30,560 --> 00:40:33,120 Speaker 2: you've got the right people around you, you've got the 791 00:40:33,239 --> 00:40:37,759 Speaker 2: right mindset, you've got the right purpose and ambitions in life, 792 00:40:37,800 --> 00:40:42,399 Speaker 2: and there's nothing out there that can't necessarily be achieved. Mate. 793 00:40:42,400 --> 00:40:45,239 Speaker 3: What's next with the Hardest Skeys? Good? Yeah, good question. 794 00:40:45,360 --> 00:40:48,600 Speaker 3: I think since finish in Africa, I've thought about a 795 00:40:48,640 --> 00:40:51,279 Speaker 3: lot of different things, and for me, I kind of 796 00:40:51,280 --> 00:40:53,120 Speaker 3: settled on I really want to make sure that whatever 797 00:40:53,200 --> 00:40:56,359 Speaker 3: we're doing moving forward, we're having that positive impact. We're 798 00:40:56,400 --> 00:40:58,799 Speaker 3: inspiring people to take on the adventure of their life. 799 00:40:58,840 --> 00:41:00,920 Speaker 3: So doing it in a few different ways. I've set 800 00:41:01,000 --> 00:41:05,480 Speaker 3: up Hardest Adventures. We're going to continue making our content 801 00:41:05,640 --> 00:41:09,439 Speaker 3: that that delivers that message and I've also just set 802 00:41:09,520 --> 00:41:12,320 Speaker 3: up a warehouse in my hometown. We're partnering with the 803 00:41:12,400 --> 00:41:14,640 Speaker 3: running charity there and we're going to be delivering impact 804 00:41:14,640 --> 00:41:18,760 Speaker 3: sessions for young vulnerable people all over Worthing and Brighton 805 00:41:18,800 --> 00:41:23,080 Speaker 3: as well. So yeah, lots going on, busy, busy with 806 00:41:23,120 --> 00:41:25,959 Speaker 3: it all, but it's all good stuff, mate, can't go flat. Listen. 807 00:41:26,120 --> 00:41:28,719 Speaker 3: Love your loads, mate, your big inspiration. 808 00:41:28,840 --> 00:41:31,359 Speaker 2: I love your story, I love following you, and I'm 809 00:41:31,400 --> 00:41:32,919 Speaker 2: looking forward to seeing what's next. 810 00:41:32,920 --> 00:41:33,120 Speaker 3: Mate. 811 00:41:33,160 --> 00:41:35,720 Speaker 2: Listen, keep up the good work, keep inspiring and thanks 812 00:41:35,719 --> 00:41:36,520 Speaker 2: for coming on buddy. 813 00:41:37,000 --> 00:41:38,600 Speaker 3: Cheers Anne, I appreciate it. Mate. 814 00:41:39,960 --> 00:41:44,120 Speaker 2: Russ Cook is the author of the Hardest Geezer Mind 815 00:41:44,239 --> 00:41:47,000 Speaker 2: over Miles. If you'd like to find out more on 816 00:41:47,120 --> 00:41:50,320 Speaker 2: link the details in the show notes. Thanks for joining 817 00:41:50,320 --> 00:41:53,600 Speaker 2: me on this episode of head Game. If you enjoyed 818 00:41:53,600 --> 00:41:55,880 Speaker 2: this episode, please share it with a friend. 819 00:41:56,600 --> 00:41:59,680 Speaker 3: I'm at Middleton. See you again next time.