TOLEDO, OH (WTOL) - One day, for no particular reason, he felt like running. And Wednesday, he ran through the Glass City on his third transcontinental run.
In truth, Rob Pope wanted to raise awareness and funds for the Peace Direct and the World Wildlife Fund. So. he turned to the Academy Award winning film "Forrest Gump" for inspiration.
Pope has crossed the U.S. twice, retracing the steps of Forrest Gump in the film where he also crisscrossed the country.
"I just felt like runnin'," Pope said. "I've met thousands of people so far, I've meet two bad eggs so it just shows that most people here are great."
While Forrest Gump repeatedly said in the movie he was not running for world peace or any other cause, Pope is hoping to help the causes of conservation and the turmoil in the third-world countries.
While Pope did not play football for Alabama, win a Medal of Honor in Vietnam, become a ping pong champion or start a multi-million dollar shrimping business, Pope does have an impressive resume in his own right.
Pope, who works as an emergency veterinarian, is the winner of two marathons in Australia and Britain. His personal best was a time of 2:27:13.
As for similarities, Popes has the signature Gump beard.
He also started is journey in Mobile, Alabama, not far from the fictional town of Greenbow where Forrest began his famous run. Like Forest, he ventured west towards Los Angeles.
When he reached an ocean, he turned around and ran towards Maine. Afterward, he turned back around and now is running towards Portland, OR then south towards San Francisco.
Pope's distance thus far equates to more than 100 marathons.
For more information on Pope's run, and to follow his journey, you can visit his website.
