The story of "Forrest Gump" is unfolding in real life in Australia, as local man Tom Denniss aims to become the fastest person to travel around the world on foot.
Hailing from Sydney, Tom Denniss was profoundly moved by the film "Forrest Gump" when it was released—eighteen years ago—and that impact has never faded. He’s long been captivated by Forrest’s journey around the world, but various constraints prevented him from pursuing a similar path. “Although I’d dreamed of traveling the world for many years, my busy work schedule and the many personal ties that were hard to leave behind made it impossible to realize this dream. But now, after all these years, the timing is finally right, and I’m able to make it happen!” As he spoke, his eyes shone with the joy of seeing his dream come true.
To pay tribute to the classic film "Forrest Gump," Tom Denniss even donned a long scarf and grew a beard, running along the Memorial Drive that straddles the Arizona–Utah border in the U.S.—just like Forrest did—so he could experience the locations of the movie’s iconic scenes firsthand and relive the emotions he felt watching the film. On New Year’s Eve 2012, he set off from the Sydney Opera House and began his round-the-world walk. He aims to complete 700 marathons in 700 days, striving to set a new world record by covering 29,000 kilometers in as short a time as possible. “At the beginning, since I’d never walked such long distances before, I’d feel a bit tired at the end of each day—but nothing extreme or severe. It was just a pleasant kind of fatigue. And every time I hit the road again, it was a completely different feeling. Out there, I experienced a kind of happiness I’d never known before. I felt I couldn’t stop—I just had to keep going.” It’s reported that Tom Denniss plans to cross more than 20 countries during his journey, setting foot on every continent except Antarctica. So far, he’s even slightly ahead of schedule, having completed 103 marathons in 92 days—an average of 50 kilometers per day.
Currently, Tom Denniss is in the United States, and his next destination will be the Black Hills. Clearly, his walking journey still has a long way to go.