Rob Pope, a vet from Merseyside, is embarking on an enormous journey running 2000 miles across the United States to raise funds and awareness for causes he really believes in – Peace Direct and the WWF.
A huge challenge, Rob aims to recreate the journey of Forrest Gump, the 1994 American comedy-drama film telling the story of one man who just loved to run.
Rob’s challenge is earning him the tagline of “Run, Rob, run”, a play on the film’s famous line.
Rob said, “I guess I just felt like running…”, but he is no beginner in the running world. He won the Liverpool Rock n Roll Marathon in 2015 and became Australia Marathon Champion at the Australian Marathon Championships in 2015.
But this is his biggest challenge yet. It is a huge distance that will take months to finish. With the equivalent of 100 marathons between him and the finish line, Rob would appreciate any and all support.
Ruth Tidy, Head of Supporter Fundraising, said: “It is so inspirational to see people like Rob taking on these impressive and creative challenges to help people in conflict. Whether this is swimming Lake Geneva, surviving on a Scottish island for 72 hours, or running hundreds of miles, our supporters are doing some truly incredible things to raise money. Every step taken and every penny raised makes a huge difference. Run, Rob, run!”
For us at Peace Direct, Rob is an inspirational reminder of the power and determination of individuals to take on extraordinary challenges and overcome enormous hurdles – values we see in the local people we support in conflict zones around the world, and in our supporters.
Good luck Rob! We will be following your journey all the way.
To find out more about Rob and to donate, visit his website www.goingthedistancerun.com
You can also follow his journey on Twitter (@runroblarun), Facebook and Instagram.
Now, enjoy the trailer video he made:
