From the Trussville Tribune staff
A real-life Forrest Gump, Rob Pope, has completed over 15,000 miles of running and raised $30,000 for charity.
According to Today.com, Pope crisscrossed 15,000 miles theough America, similar to Tom Hanks’ character in the 1994 movie Forrest Gump.
The British runner, 39, said he was pretty tired and thinks he’ll go home after finishing his quest at Forrest Gump Point in Utah’s Monument Valley on April 29.
Pope began his quest to run the route Forrest covered in the movie when he started out in Mobile, Alabama, in September 2016.
He has covered 15,300 miles and run across the country four times in four different stages across 420 days, besting the 15,248 miles that Forrest said he ran in the movie.
Pope quit his job as an emergency veterinarian to pursue his quest, which arose from his desire to do something unique.
He also has used his journey to raise about $30,000 so far for Peace Direct and the World Wildlife Fund.
Starting out clean shaven and wearing a plaid shirt, Pope has since grown a shaggy beard and worn a “Bubba Gump” hat like the character during his yearslong run.
He visited several landmarks as in the movie, including a 100 yard run of the football field at Weingart Stadium in Los Angeles, a stand in for University of Alabama’s home field in the movie.
Pope’s started his journey in Mobile, Alabama in 2016 and has documented his whole journey on Instagram.