Jono, Ben & Megan - The Podcast - Running across Africa!

Episode Date: April 8, 2024

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Welcome along to the Wild Wild Web on today's episode. A guy ran the equivalent of 385 marathons in a single year. Welcome to the untamed realm of the world's wide web. A swirling vortex of weirdness, bullying and self-obsessed social media posts. In this digital jungle, Jono and Vienna are your fearless guides. Leading you through the wildest parts of the wild, wild web. This is the wild, wild web.

These are real stories from the internet. We like to bring, well, our attention to bring to your attention. We talk about them every day, and then we see where the conversation ends up. Yeah, you got me tantalized there, Benjamin Boyce. A gentleman run how many marathons? Well, yeah, so this is this guy. They call him the hardest geezer is his nickname. His name is Russ Cook.

Now, he is a guy, he's got a big flowing ginger hair, big ginger beard. Now, he is the first person they reckon to run across Africa. So it took him. North to south or south to north, right? Yeah, he's basically from one end of Africa to the other. Now, he thought it was going to take him a little less time than it did, but it took him 352 days to run across Africa. Jeez.

The equivalent of running 385 marathons in the entire year. Good Lord. Wait, 385 marathons? Yeah. So some days he did more than a marathon. Now this guy has run across Africa, and the wild stuff that's happened to him over the top. He was robbed at gunpoint.

He went through sandstorms. He had food poisoning. He also had a kidnapping attempt on him by machete-wielding thugs as well. So he had a whole lot of what? Just while trying to run across country to country what's your first question i was just gonna go how did he get out of the kidnapping attempt was he like man i'm just trying to run across africa and they're like actually fair game you keep running buddy go chase your dreams feels like the guy would be like guys come on i don't need this

right now do you know how deep i am into running across africa and they're like well that's pretty impressive we can't stop a man from achieving that through all the countries it took him yeah it took him 352 days he also had a girlfriend as well through the whole time

so she waited for him for a year while he went off and ran Africa I love how your question was about the kidnapping and mine was about the food poisoning

so does he give himself a day off or does he run while he's got well I guess it was no like yeah he probably could give himself a day off but he's the hardest

geezer mate he's you know like that's his nickname so does he run with a na got... Well, I guess it was no, like... Yeah, he probably could give himself a day off, but he's the hardest geezer, mate. He's, you know, like, that's his nickname. Does he run with a nappy, or does he just stop to get it out and then carry on? It's pretty incredible, eh? God. To run that amount of time from, yeah. And to do that.

He did have a rest day when he had food poisoning, because the doctors found blood and protein in his urine. So he was quite sick. Apparently by the end of it he was pretty broken. As you would do, running that far. Well geez, and Forrest Gump obviously gave it a bash, didn't he? In that movie, in that documentary.

Our friend Sharon, you know Sharon? Yeah. She thought that was a documentary. She thought Forrest Gump was a documentary she thought forest was a documentary she did wow this guy's done all these things and i was like like i think yeah like on a real i i think maybe she thought it was on a real person or something that was based on a true story she's like oh my god this guy's been to like the moon he started playing football he's done all these things with the president that's like this is not like a real person. Like a biopic. Yeah. Tom Hanks is playing Forrest Gump, who was a real person.

But Africa, three times the size of the US. So Trump and Trumping old Gump, that is phenomenal. It is incredible. Especially to survive like, you know, like kidnapping and gunpoint, robberies and all sorts. Last question for me. Why? I have a couple more because we've got 10 minutes to fill. He did raise money for charity.

Oh, okay. So he raised money as well. Raised over a million dollars. So you guys played 24 hours of handball and he ran across Africa over a year. $500,000 apparently within the last week he raised. That's how much he jumped up. Yeah, it puts you guys to shame, huh?

Well, don't tell Russ. Don't tell Russ that we nearly did half a million just with 24 hours. No one passed that on to us. True, actually. There are easier ways to achieve that financial goal. But pretty incredible. It's a long way to go.

There you go. That's your next promo. Well, run across Africa. Well, he's done it now. He's done it. Run while wearing Lynx Africa. We could do. That's fine. It'll keep you perspired.

Do you like Lynx Africa? Do you like the smell of Lynx Africa? I actually don't mind it. But it does, to me, kind of smell like younger men. Do you know what I mean? Yeah. Like sort of mixed with raging hormones and the smell of puberty.

Trying its best to disguise the wall of body odour, hey, Lynx Africa, it's clinging on for dear life. But we were going to do a thing. Remember, we wanted to do a thing with Lynx and make the smell of Rotorua. Oh, yeah, like a smell of New Zealand, and then put that in the thing. You don't want to put Rotorua in a can.

It smells like stinky eggs. We've got to call it Stinks. That was our thing. S-T-Y-N-X. Yeah, but no, I don't think. They were probably like, hey, well, no one really wants to spray that on themselves. No. A sulfur sort of smell.

They'd be like, this is a waste of all of our resources. Yeah. They do do unusual smells. Not links, but people will do unusual smells from time to time. Yeah, it's like Gwyneth's candles, right? Oh, yeah. Now, how did she, because we've spoken about this at least, how did she extract the odour of her special lady garden?

No, it's not. It's not. It's the essence. I thought I was understanding it was hers. No. No, are you serious? Yeah, well, that's what, maybe I should have read the news story. She's just selling it to everyone.

No, I think, I'll tell you what the fragrance was. I think it had like jasmine or, you know, like it's still a pleasant smelling. Candle. Candle. It's like a freshly washed one. Not a three day old, buddy. You missed that. Ben actually like rubbed his head like, oh my God.

I'll leave you to answer these ones. Geranium, bergamot, cedar. I guess as it would be, again, a nice smelling candle. Great publicity though. It's not meant to actually smell like someone's vagina. It's what it was marketed on. It's marketing, babes. Okay.

Marketing. So why did that? Yeah, but surely it's false advertising, right? Do you know what? So I watched this documentary about Goop and everyone takes the piss out of it all the time, but that's the point is right? Do you know what? So I watch this documentary about Goop, and everyone takes the piss out of it all the time, but that's the point, is that that's how she gets marketing. It's genius. And it's actually like a lot of it.

I actually think Gwyneth Paltrow is quite entertaining. She's almost like a caricature of herself. Yeah. And she totally knows what everyone says about her, but she leans into it. And I think she's quite genius for that. Oh, well, she doesn't do acting now, right? This is it.

Nah, yeah. Yeah, $250 million that company's worth. Madness. Good on her. So what do they do? What does Goop do? It's like that whole well-being trend. It's a little bit controversial, some of the things on there not everyone agrees with.

But the doc, I believe, is still on Netflix. It's pretty good because I was like everyone else and I was like, oh my God, I roll Gwyneth Paltrow. But then I watched it and I was like, oh, she's actually kind of entertaining and funny and chill.

Right. Oh, yeah, she comes across like that. Did you not think she did? No, I thought she was a bit like elitist.

Oh. You know, trying to, because she sells those yoni eggs, like gold plated yonis you're supposed to put up.

What? You mean to put up. What? You mean to put up your goop? Yeah. Do you? For the whole day? That was another marketing thing. They call them yoni eggs. Which orifice are we talking?

Front or back. Your vagina. Oh, right. A yoni egg is also widely known as a jade egg or love egg. They are carved and polished, semi-precious stones that are inserted into the vein to improve pelvic strength. Ah.

I'm just reading this off Google. So it's not for a pleasurable experience. No. It's more about pelvic strength. Oh, it's good for your pelvic floor. Okay. And you just go around like a little Easter egg hunter. Kids, you'll never guess where it is this year.

Inside mum. I don't know the science of it. I don't know anything about it. I'm just reading through Google. It looks all through the lounge. Well, it's still in here somewhere. Then I think some doctors are saying. You'll never find it.

Got the caramello cabri, buddy. No, don't do that. That's so funny. Some doctors say it can be a bit harmful. I don't know. I haven't delved into a yoni egg myself. Who would have thought jamming a rock egg up you would have been harmful? Not me.

Yeah, well. I wouldn't have been in that camp. Amazing what we do these days, eh? We'll just take a quick break from the Wild Wild Web. We'll be back after this. Welcome back. I mean, there's so many crazy health kicks

out there now. Yeah, a lot of them are on goop. Right, so she gets kind of swept up in the health fads. What's the one where they do like,

oh, they do like, I don't know how to. Why is everything on her website do you have to tippy toe around? Yeah. They do like group

O's. And then like. On goop? Yeah. What, what like over zoom that was like one of the episodes you should watch it it's very interesting so everyone together will yeah it's like it's like a therapy session oh and then yeah you do it with an instructor kind of oh that's in a room or on zoom what are we doing um doing? From memory, I think they do some of them together and then some of them just with the instructor. Oh. Yeah. Who's the instructor?

This guy, Gary. I was like, where do I apply? Gary's like, boy, boy, I've tapped into a market here. Honestly, you should watch it. If nothing else, it's really interesting and entertaining. Yeah, I bet it is. It's weird. I bet it is.

Oh, so they have the visuals of the classes. Will she do that? Or will she just... No, no. But one of the employees... You're like, oh, it's Greta Paltrow. I'm sorry. This is awkward.

One of the employees that works for Goop took part in it. Right. As like part of the episode. What do you think about the ice bath trend? Do you think we're going to look back on that and go, that was a fad? Or do you think that's here to stay? I don't know. I feel like the people that are really into it love it.

It's sports teams and stuff. It's been around for a while now. I suppose old Wim Hof, that mad Dutch bastard. I kind of like Wim Hof's ideas. Like Art Green was saying that to us at the 24-hour marathon. He's like, get yourself some ice, get in the bath later, it'll do wonders for you in the middle of the night. But even just the cold shower situation,

because that's what Victoria Beckham swears by as well. She'll have a normal shower and then she turns it really cold at the end. Yeah, that's what I've started doing the last couple of weeks. Yeah? And you do, you can, when you first turn it on, you're like, and you're breathing very shallow, you know, very shallow and quick, and just start to slow down the breathing. And you can actually, I could probably have the entire shower cold now,

to be honest. That's only just over two weeks. Yeah, it's all about breathing, right? Yeah. And you do feel more alive and awake when you come out. Yeah. A little shriveled more than usual. I won't lie.

But yeah, I can see the benefit. I don't know if I could do ice though. See, I'd probably rather do an ice bath than do my shower cold because I like the shower as my, you know, it's do ice though. See, I'd probably rather do an ice bath than do my shower cold because I like the shower as my comfortable spot. See, if I did an ice bath, then I'd go, cool, I can get into a hot shower afterwards. I do the cold shower if it's a morning shower.

If I'm about to go to bed or something, I just keep it warm. You don't want to be like... And you don't want to be sitting in the shower the whole time dreading what's coming up. You're like, oh God, why am I doing this? This is meant to be like and you don't want to be sitting in the shower the whole time dreading what's coming what's coming up you're like oh god why am I doing this this is meant to be an enjoyable experience

like a few moments of like oh this is nice before you have to start your day but yeah have you been swept up in a health kick before Ben well

I don't know not off the top of my head I can think of I'm sure I would have did you do a lemon detox was that just like lemon juice no it's like

lemon juice cayenne pepper I think it was supposed to be maple syrup Or something and that's all you have Terrible idea I did it for like two days, shit myself And felt disgusting Because I remember Beyonce was pushing that What a load of rubbish

Terrible idea Actually is that like fit tea? It gives you the bloody squits Yeah but you're allowed to eat as well There's dandelion tea, is that like fit tea? It gives you the bloody squids. Yeah, but you're allowed to eat as well. There's dandelion tea. Is that what Tay has? I'm just going to get Taylor in, actually, producer Taylor, because if there's anyone who gets swept up in a health

bed. What do you have? She shoves some crackers. We just talked about how you get caught up in health kicks and you're shoving your face with crackers. She's loving them. So we're just saying what a healthy.

By all means, put another one in your mouth. We're just saying how healthy you were in a health kick. And then we look over and you're like, you know. Shoving chips in your face. I know, but 80-20, guys. Yeah, moderation, exactly. Talk us through all the health kicks you've done and what you've been taking and everything. Just, I mean, even over the last month, if you could.

Okay. So I'm taking this Eve Wellness. They're a great brand. They do multivitamins for females and stuff. Chuck two of those in the morning. Then I've got my zinc, my vitamin D. I did vitamin C this morning because I'm not feeling well. And then magnesium, two of those at night time.

Help you sleep. Now do apple cider vinegar with turmeric and ginger after dinner. Very good for bloating, very good for digestion, and also just really great for immunity as well. Is that as a drink or a tablet? No, that's a drink I concocted myself. Can I jump in there on the apple cider vinegar? Miracle cure for any hangover.

Really? Yeah, have a shot glass of that the next morning. I didn't know that. All dentists are cringing right now. Because my dentist was like, do you do apple cider vinegar? I was like, yeah. And they said it eats away at your plaque or something. But that's why they said you should do it as a tablet. Well, a hangover eats away at your

soul. You've got to decide what you'd rather. A plaque or a soul. I'm not a plaque what's the good that's a bad thing right oh enamel yeah that's the one there you go well yeah and then i'm into acupuncture so i've been getting that done like once a week and then i go to an acupuncturist who specializes in chinese herbs so she gives me like dong shi probably probably not pronounced that right, and then I put that in hot water and I drink that. It tastes disgusting. So you must spend quite a bit on this. All my money goes to health and wellness.

Do you find it's obviously beneficial? It helps you? No, I'm sick right now. I feel like I should have a stronger immunity. I've got a pimple as well that's come over this week. I'm just a mess. So it kind of makes me think, imagine how much of a mess I would be

if I wasn't doing the massage. Right, okay, go along with that. I don't know, you know, catch 22. It'd be hundreds of dollars a month. Yeah, yeah. Close to a thousand? Probably, yeah. Acupuncture alone is like

a hundred and something dollars a week. Now Marcelo, who you live with, he must be very healthy, obviously a professional athlete. Does he indulge in your herbs? Absolutely not. Does he know how much you indulge in? No.

This is why I have this job. So I get paid separately. But for his job at the Warriors, they would probably provide him with some of the health things. Yeah, like he'll do all the mainstream stuff like physio and gym and running and that. But I'm like to him, you should go to the acupuncturist it's so good for you and he's like why like why would i need that so he's got a sore knee doesn't

he he's got a sore body everything's just sore it really hurt in every game he must be like he's playing with like a his whole arm taped up at the moment yeah well he does the ice baths though he does he loves an ice bath What does he think of your Chinese medicines? He thinks it's ridiculous. And he hates the smell of all the stuff and then the apple cider vinegar after dinner.

He goes off at me. He hates it. And I'm like, it smells nice. It's like apple. It's like it's not apple. Sometimes you just do wonder and the vitamins

have gone bonkers. The kids' gummies and things. Like you can go, I think you get to a point where you're like, is this actually doing anything? Is this turning a profit for the... I have to set myself a time limit in like Chemist Warehouse because that's like getting a candy store. I'm like, what does niacinamide do for me?

I need it. Collagen ones and... Yeah. Yeah. I'm about to start taking a pill form. My homeopath Naturopath Is sending it

Directly to my house It's a pill form Of animal placenta And it's going to Directly For what Target my damaged liver Maybe it's got some

Placenta Yeah You are so right Erection placenta We could make some money Off that So my initial intention Was to make it into pills And I would take my initial intention was to make it into pills and

i would take it you sure i made it into pills forget about it it's not happening now because it's old and it's defrosting but if i had made it into pills would you have absolutely taken my place yes that is like the like that'll fix you right up inside yeah how why i don't know trust the scientists That's what everyone said That was my intention But I never got round to it Because I had like a baby

I was busy I'll be doing that for sure Once I become a mum 100% You just get this child home though And they take up a lot of your time I tried to do a diet And I literally lasted

Probably half a day And it was the General Motors diet And General Motors in America A few decades ago Put all of their employees on basically just fruit-only diet. Oh. And they got some big results.

A lot of people lost weight. Yeah. I stuck with it for about, I started at 7 in the morning and I stuck with it until 1 o'clock. Yeah. Had a beer by 2 o'clock. You've run out of fruits. Yeah.

That's a lot of sugar too. Yeah. I don't really believe in restricting food groups. I feel like there should be a good balance. What's keto? Keto, high fat, moderate protein, very low carb. I did that when I was cheerleading. Do you know Bryn that works here?

I know Bryn. He does the carnival diet. Or meat. He only eats steak and eggs. Does he? So he doesn't eat until lunchtime and then he has a steak and a couple of eggs. Every day? Yeah.

We should talk to him about this on the radio. We should go get him. We had a drink. It was late at night. I remember now that he told me that when we were having drinks. And for dinner he leaves steak and eggs? Yeah. More steak.

I don't think he has breakfast. His iron must be great. Yeah. But where's the fibre? Exactly. Mate, truckies must be bloody as healthy as anything. But then I think I asked him

about his poop and he said it was fine. So no fruit? He's not like backed up. Whoa. That's really interesting. It's one step further than keto. It's the carnivore diet. I hope he doesn't mind me telling everyone that

Diode of a bogan, that one Beautiful We'll get Bryn on, this has been fascinating Thank you Taylor for sharing Thank you for listening, this is another episode of the Wild Wild Web