Russell Cook, the endurance runner known as the 'Hardest Geezer', has responded to allegations that he fabricated the reason for missing his target time at the London Marathon. Cook had aimed to complete the 26.2-mile course in under two hours and 35 minutes, but finished in 2:46:59 on Sunday, which he described as a personal best.
After the race, Cook hinted on Instagram that his race might have ended at the 10km mark and promised a full debrief the next day. True to his word, he revealed on Monday evening that he had needed to use the toilet during the run, even providing video evidence to support his claim.
In an Instagram post, the 29-year-old wrote: 'LDN Marathon debrief: At 10km I knew I was bang in trouble. Heart rate through the roof from the first kilometre. 5km I've got that overwhelming feeling I'm about to s*** myself… 9km it's actually happening. 10km I'm in a portaloo trying to fix up, look sharp.'
He added: 'Safe to say at that point, all time ambitions for the day had been size 10'd into row Z. To be honest, I was deeecently rattled. Even thought about sacking it off and saving the legs for another day.'
Despite his explanation, many on social media doubted his story. One user on X wrote: 'Nowhere to hide when everything is timed at the London Marathon, also convenient it was the day he needed a s*** halfway through it.' Another user shared data of Cook's splits, questioning the validity of his reasoning.
In response, Cook posted video footage from his Oakley Meta glasses showing him inside a portaloo at the 10km mark, grabbing toilet paper and sighing: 'Ah, f***ing hell!' The footage then shows him back running at 39:10, and later at the 16km mark, where he tells a supporter: 'I s*** myself at K10.'
When one follower asked, 'How come your strava never changed in the bog?' Cook replied: 'It did, in fact if you zoom in to 10km on the GPS route you can see exactly what was happening,' along with a crying-laughter emoji.
Cook's Strava data shows he ran at an average pace of 3:55 per kilometre, but needed a 3:40 pace to hit his target. His slowest kilometre was at the 11km mark, clocking 5:13, over a minute slower than the previous segment.
Cook gained fame for his endurance challenges, including running the length of Africa in 352 days, raising over £1 million for charity despite visa issues, health problems, and an armed robbery. He also ran the length of New Zealand in 73 days last year.
