Picking up the gauntlet thrown down by the fictional Forrest Gump, Pope ran over 15,000 miles across America, and this energising, entertaining read documents exactly how he managed such a Herculean feat of endurance.
The remarkable true story of an unrivalled journey to recreate the greatest run in film history: 15,600 miles, five-times across the United States.
Becoming Forrest is the incredible story of Englishman Rob Pope, a veterinarian who left his job in pursuit of a dream - to become the first person ever to complete the epic run undertaken by one of Hollywood's most beloved characters, Forrest Gump. After his momma urged him "to do one thing in life that made a difference", he flew to Alabama, put on his running shoes, and sped off into the wilderness.
To follow in Forrest's footsteps, he undertook a journey of over 15,000 miles, the distance from the North to the South Pole and a third of the way back. Over a gruelling 18 months, braving injuries, blizzards, forest fires and deadly wildlife, he crossed the United States five times. During one of the most turbulent periods in recent American history, witnessing the election of President Trump, the climate emergency and the country's widening societal divide, Rob immersed himself in American life as he struggled across the country step by step.
His time on the open road saw him forever changed, trying to make that difference, in the process of Becoming Forrest.
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
ISBN: 9780008472511
Number of pages: 432
Weight: 730 g
Dimensions: 240 x 159 x 39 mm
‘Rob Pope is a real-life Hollywood superstar!’Dean Karnazes, author of Ultramarathon Man ‘A simply staggering feat of endurance and storytelling. The tenacity, curiosity and humour of Rob’s amazing journey comes through in every page of this wonderful tale about people, discovery and a very, very long road.’ Mark Beaumont, author of The Man Who Cycled the World ‘With tons of humour Rob Pope takes us into one of the greatest running journeys. Lace up your shoes and enjoy this excellent book!’ Kilian Jornet, runner and author of Above the Clouds ‘What Rob has achieved both physically and mentally is mind-blowing, a true feat of human endurance.’ Tom Evans, Ultrarunner ‘A very readable and entertaining travelogue about an effing extraordinary run.’ Damian Hall, author of In It for the Long Run: Breaking records and getting FKT ‘Most of us watched that scene and thought: cute. Pope watched it and thought: could that be possible? … Like Gump, Pope also experienced what it was like to drift through America when history rears its ugly head. … He brightens people’s day. Pope is serious about running, but, just like Gump, he doesn’t overthink it. Why should someone run? “Because you want to,” he says.’ The Observer ‘A stirring chronicle … What quickly becomes striking — on top of the extreme distance of his runs, often “forty miles every day without rest” — is Pope’s innate curiosity and fascination with the world around him. … This is sure to inspire distance runners as well as those interested in a hearty slice of Americana.’ Publishers Weekly starred review
This book should come with a health warning. After reading you may well suffer from wanderlust and want to go on an adventure yourself.
422 pages covering 422 days of running with added dashes of history, music...
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I loved this book! I knew I would back when I first learned it was coming.
My New Year's resolution was to read more this year, aiming to fit in a minimum of 20 pages per day and this book made it easy for me....
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Such an enjoyable, heart warming read with a great positive message to top the whole thing off. In admiration of the adventures and challenges Rob and Nadine endured during the whole experience. To re-iterate the... More
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