Becoming Forrest: One man's epic run across America

by Rob Pope

The remarkable true story of an unrivalled journey to recreate the greatest run in film 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.

432 pages, Paperback

Published March 7, 2023

Reviews

[JamieJames · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly recommend to any runner or any person into their sports, or even anyone who can just appreciate what a feat this is! Can’t believe it doesn’t have more recognition, the fact that Rob Pope ran over 15,000 miles in just over 420 days is nothing short of phenomenal. Also a really easy read and he comes across as a very humble bloke and portrays himself as just a bloke from Liverpool, even though he’s clearly not as he ran all those miles and raised a lot of money for charity. As a runner I found it really inspiring to hear how he tackled all the adversity along the way, with the help of many others of course!

[David Macnamara · Rating 1 out of 5]

Got about 140 pages into this and thought “I really don’t care about this guy, or why he’s doing this.”

[Jacob Griffith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really awesome read. He reads it for the audiobook so that was a neat experience.

[Greg Panowicz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really does a good job referencing Forrest’s journey and shows a lot of ambition.

[Antony Mariani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wake, run, struggle, feed, sleep....again and again. It could have been so dull, but not at all. Really wanted to read each chapter, find out where "Forrest" was, how he was coping etc. I missed hearing from Forrest when the book was finished!