A MAN is running a marathon everyday day for 70 days to be crowned the first to run from Asia to London.

Russell Cook, from Broadwater in Worthing, was a self-employed cleaner before he got into running.

He is now just over a third of his way through the colossal adventure.

The 22-year-old started in Istanbul in Turkey then ran through Bulgaria and is currently in Serbia. He will then take on Hungary, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Germany, France and then London.

The Argus spoke to him while he was having an hour lunch break in Serbia. It was about midday and he had another 25km to go.

He said: “I am tired and achy but really not that bad. It has been amazing so far and the people I have met have been so kind even though I can’t speak any of their languages.

"A lot of them probably think ‘what is this mad dude with a ginger beard doing here?’

“I stupidly thought I could do it all without sun cream but learnt that wasn’t possible.”

Russell, who only started getting into running last year when he ran his first marathon in Brighton, is carrying a hammock on his back and only has the bare minimum including that all-important sun cream.

Although he treats himself to a hotel once a week, he spends most nights in his hammock and washes in rivers. But he said he had been overwhelmed by the support of some locals.

He said: “A guy I met in a pub in Turkey who didn’t speak any English just let me stay there, he was so kind.

"Another woman looked after me when I was running through the Bulgarian mountains and ran out of cash.

"She gave me food and water, thank God because otherwise I would have had to run 60km without anything.”

Russell, who has been travelling the world for the past year, went to Worthing High School and Worthing College.

Now a long way from home, he has felt more inspired than ever to continue with extreme marathons.

He said: “I am already thinking about the next step. I would love to do pole-to-pole, but if I did that I would need proper funding because that’s serious. But this run as a good way of proving that I can do this. I am ahead of target which is great.”

Russell is raising money for The Running Charity which helps homeless young people.

He said: “My goal is to finish in London but if I have enough left in me I’ll run the extra 50-odd miles to Worthing to see my friends and family.”