They say the best way to successfully prepare for a marathon is to never stop running. Marathon runner Robert Pope of Liverpool, England, has barely stopped running since September of last year, covering more than 5,000 miles across America. He also took time Monday to drop by an actual marathon, the Boston Marathon—which he completed in less than three hours with a Bud Light in his hand for part of the way—before returning to his cross-country trek.
And yes, he's modeling the endeavor after Forrest Gump's America run, because he likes that movie a lot, he wanted to run across America, and how else are would he make a months-long run stand out?
Pope is raising money for the World Wildlife Fund and Peace Direct. He started in Mobile, Alabama, crossed the country to the Santa Monica Pier, and is now doubling back on the way to the Marshall Point Lighthouse in Maine. Fun fact, according to his website: America is over 100 marathons long. He told the Boston Globe that he consumes 6,000 calories a day, pushes a carriage in front of him, and sleeps wherever he can—sometimes, strangers put him up in hotel rooms.
When he ran the Boston Marathon, onlookers cheered, "Run, Forrest, run!" Bet he's heard that before.
