The story of Forrest Gump is coming to life in Australia, as a man named Tom Denniss is striving to become the fastest person to circumnavigate the globe on foot.
Tom Denniss, from Sydney, was deeply inspired by the film “Forrest Gump” when it was released — even though it’s been eighteen years since then, time has done nothing to diminish the impact it had on him. He has never forgotten Forrest Gump's journey around the world, but various constraints have long prevented him from embarking on such an adventure himself. He said, “Although I’ve wanted to travel the world for many years, my work was too demanding, and there were so many things in my life that I couldn’t leave behind — it just wasn’t possible to make it happen. But after all these years, the timing is finally right, and I’m able to go!” When speaking about this, his eyes shone with joy at the prospect of fulfilling his dream.
To pay tribute to the classic film “Forrest Gump,” Tom Denniss even imitated Forrest by wearing a long scarf and growing a beard while running along the Historic Route 66 on the Arizona–Utah border, just to experience the locations where iconic scenes from the movie were filmed and to relive the emotions he felt when watching the film. On New Year’s Eve 2012, he set off from the Sydney Opera House and began his journey to walk around the world. He aims to complete 700 marathons within 700 days in order to set a new world record — covering a total distance of 29,000 kilometers in the shortest possible time. “At the beginning, because I’d never walked such long distances before, I would feel a bit tired after each day’s walk, but nothing extreme or serious — just a satisfying kind of fatigue. But every time I set out again, what I experienced was completely different. It’s only when I’m out on the road that I feel a kind of happiness I’ve never known before. I don’t think I can stop — I want to keep going around the world.” It is reported that Tom Denniss’s route is expected to take him through more than 20 countries, covering all continents except Antarctica. At present, he is even slightly ahead of schedule, having completed 103 marathons in 92 days, averaging 50 kilometers per day.
Currently, Tom Denniss is in the United States, and the next area he will reach is the Black Hills. Clearly, his walking journey is far from over.