Becoming Forrest: One man's epic run across America

by Rob Pope

Overview

The remarkable true story of an unrivalled journey to recreate the greatest run in film history: 15,621 miles, five-times across the United States.

‘Rob Pope has made his name revelling in challenges that range from the unconventional to the extraordinary.’ BBC News

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.

His remarkable journey covered 15,600 miles, the distance from the North to the South Pole and a third of the way back. Over a grueling 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, Rob immersed himself in American life. His time on the open road saw him forever changed, trying to make that difference, in the process of Becoming Forrest.

This is a tale of one man who just wanted to make a difference.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780008472559
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	03/07/2023
Pages:	432
Sales rank:	495,841
Product dimensions:	7.60(w) x 5.10(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Rob Pope is one of Britain’s best-known ultra-athletes. He has competed in long-distance races around the world, including the legendary Marathon des Sables, as well as becoming the host of the Red Bull podcast ‘How to be Superhuman.’ He runs to raise funds and awareness for the WWF and Peace Direct and holds a Guinness World Record for fastest marathon dressed as a film character. He can be found on social media as @runroblarun

Table of Contents

Leg 1 15 September-30 November 2016

1 Time to Roll (Tide) 3

2 Mississippin' 13

3 Things Ain't So (Big) Easy 19

4 The Big One 27

5 From Green to Yellow 36

6 I Walk the Line 49

7 Welcome to the Wild West 55

8 California Dreamin' 65

Leg 2 13 January-28 April 2017

9 No Easy Way Out 79

10 Getting Lucky 88

11 Arizona Sunsets Will Get You Every Time 91

12 The New Mex Files 101

13 TX2 109

14 Sooner Than You'd Think 115

15 Hope Springs Eternal 119

16 A Change Is Gonna Come 127

17 Going Pramsolo 134

18 Mostly Sweet Virginia 150

19 Meeting George and Mary, While Sampling Dela's Wares 159

20 The Gritty Cities 164

21 Boston Strong 171

22 An Apple a Day 178

23 A New England 183

24 The Maine Event 187

Leg 3 29 April-30 September 2017

25 Becoming a Tripod 195

26 How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Brussels Sprouts 201

27 The Flattest of Rollercoasters 209

28 The Oceans Between the Waves 213

29 If You Leave Me Now 218

30 One Vision 225

31 Too Kwik a Trip 229

32 Highway 61 Revisited 234

33 Us 237

34 Far-go 245

35 Big Skies 250

36 Bigger Skies 257

37 Sunshine on Leith 263

38 Burning 269

39 The Prefontaine Pilgrimage 274

Leg 4 1 October-17 December 2017

40 Inspiration Point 285

41 Only the Lonely 289

42 Utah Saints 297

43 Wynter is Coming 301

44 All Downhill from Here 307

45 The Center of the Universe 313

46 Breaking Point 318

47 You Can Go Your Own Way 325

48 Back to Where I Belonged 330

49 Summit to Sea 335

Leg 5 5 January-29 April 2018

50 Re-becoming Forrest 343

51 One. Last. Push. 348

52 Peaches and Screams 353

53 Sweet Home Alabama 359

54 Keep Moving Forward 366

55 A Return to Hope 371

56 Getting My Kicks 375

57 Panhandlin' 384

58 From the Bottom Up 389

59 A Line in the Sand 396

The Most Beautiful Thing I've Ever Seen 401

60 I'm Pretty Tired. I Think I'll Go Home Now. 405

Becoming Forest: Fascinating (I Hope) Facts and Stats 417

Acknowledgements 419

Editorial Reviews

★ 11/22/2021

Ultra-athlete Pope debuts with a stirring chronicle of his more than 15,000 mile run across the United States to recreate Tom Hanks’s famous cross-country trek in Forrest Gump. An English veterinarian, marathon runner, and longtime Gump enthusiast, Pope dedicated his run to raising money for charities including the World Wide Fund for Nature and Peace Direct. Early chapters detail his start in Alabama in 2016—decked out in “Gump paraphernalia,” including a “pristine new pair of white Nike Cortez”—and then follow Pope day by day, state by state. Along the way, he meticulously catalogues his experiences, dutifully posting his mileage, new roadkill spottings (in Louisiana: “one otter”), and his latest gnarly blisters. 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. While running near the Mexican border, for example, he reflects upon George Harrison’s quote that “all things must pass,” and after President Trump’s declaration that the U.S. would be leaving the Paris Agreement regarding climate change, Pope ponders the shifting tides of American life and culture during a stop in Indiana. This is sure to inspire distance runners as well as those interested in a hearty slice of Americana. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly

‘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

From the Publisher

2021-12-07
A British veterinarian and marathoner re-creates film hero Forrest Gump’s 15,248-mile run across America.

Pope had often wondered whether the run the film’s main character claimed to have completed in “three years, two months, fourteen days and sixteen hours” was really possible. Other runners had actually completed one of the five legs that had comprised it, but Pope wanted to be “the guy who tried” to do it all. A seasoned competitive distance runner, he transformed his Forrest Gump obsession into a fundraiser for the World Wildlife Federation and Peace Direct. For the next year and a half, Pope flew back and forth across the Atlantic to undertake each leg. His girlfriend, Nadine, followed him in Jenny, the RV they christened after Gump’s love interest, while friends and admirers followed him on social media and sometimes opened their homes to him as he traveled. Often sporting Forrest’s iconic red Bubba Gump hat, the author traveled through cities, prairies, mountains, and deserts, battled extremes of weather and temperature, and suffered the inevitable injuries that came from running 30 to 50 miles per day. When Nadine returned to England midway through his venture to have their child, Pope found himself torn between family responsibilities and finishing his project. “There was no question I’d be heading home for the birth, but if she needed me during her pregnancy I was ready to cancel everything and come back to her at the drop of a hat,” he writes, “She kept telling me she’d hate to be the reason for doing that, but I didn’t care—she came first.” Ultimately, Pope’s enthusiasm for his venture and for America itself, which reveals itself through the myriad details he offers when describing people and places, never flagged. Those who followed Pope on his amazing odyssey, as well as readers with a penchant for travelogues, are most likely to enjoy this book. Others may be put off by the story’s overdescriptiveness, length, and lack of interiority, and the author too infrequently makes room for voices other than his.

A well-intentioned but flawed adventure memoir.

Kirkus Reviews