‘Run, Rob Pope, run’ doesn’t have quite the same ring to it
Rob Pope is quite a runner. In fact, he is so good at running it barely seems plausible. Like Tom Hank’s iconic character in the 1994 film Forrest Gump, Pope went for a run one day and has barely stopped ever since.
The Liverpudlian has already ran 15,000 miles in the space of just over a year, which is a fifteenth of the way to the Moon. Like the fictional character he dresses as he has also ran the entire way across America, on four separate occasions no less, becoming the first person to have ever done it three times in one year along the way.
If that wasn’t enough to make you feel bad, or lazy, or bad and lazy, he does it all for a good cause too; donating everything he raises to the World Wide Fund for Nature (previously World Wildlife Fund) and Peace Direct charities.
15,000 miles. 2500 x height of #Everest, a 15th of the way to the #moon, 4 x as long as the #Amazon and #GreatWall of China, 5.5 x the distance from #LA to #NYC…or…this run, consisting of 400 days of rubber on tarmac. 37.5 miles a day.#goingthedistance.@wwf_uk @peacedirect pic.twitter.com/khWA5bwwQv
— Robert Pope (@runroblarun) March 6, 2018
Lapping America from coast to coast just wasn’t enough for him, though, so today he took on the London Marathon – officially the hottest on record – probably out of boredom, and completed it in a blistering 2 hours 36 minutes and 28 seconds, breaking the record for the fastest marathon dressed as a film character in the process.
Run, Forrest, run! @runroblarun has just broken the record for the fastest marathon in a film character costume (male) – dressed as Forrest Gump – in a time of 2:36:28. He’s raised money for a variety of charities including @WWF and @peacedirect . #LondonMarathon pic.twitter.com/jbXCPMGxqy
— Guinness World Records (@GWR) April 22, 2018
After the race he explained that he can “run like the wind blows” and revealed the reason behind his two charities of choice:
“Today was unbelievable. I had so many ‘Run Forrest run’ shouts – a couple of ‘beardy man’ and a couple ‘Jesus’ but mostly Forrest Gump! In the film Forrest Gump they ask him ‘why are you doing this? Are you running for women’s rights? world peace? the homeless? the environment? animals?’ and between those two charities they cover all those bases,” he said.
You want to watch the running scene from Forrest Gump now, in its entirety, don’t you?
I’ve got you covered.
*sprints out of the office, through the building, down the steps and runs all the way home*
*makes it to the corner shop at the end of the road. Stops for a Twix and waits for the bus instead*
