Five years ago, Ewan Gordon met a little boy named Thomas Laurie at his church. Thomas was born with Cockayne Syndrome, a genetic disorder that causes premature aging. After Thomas died, Gordon was moved to do something to generate awareness and raise money to find a cure for the disease, so he came up with something that people would surely recognize: he dressed up like Forrest Gump and started running. And like the titular character of Forrest Gump, Gordon didn’t just run for a while — he ran across a continent.
Beginning on May 4, Gordon started running 26 miles a day, equivalent to a marathon, for 42 days, wrapping up yesterday for a total of 1,050 miles, the length of Great Britain.
But wait! He’s gonna say something!
“Like Forrest Gump, I run because I feel the need to and I will stop when my work is done, I will stop when they find a cure to Cockayne Syndrome, as yet there is no known cure.”
Aside from a twisted ankle and knee, Gordon didn’t suffer any injuries or ailments during his 42-day run and he ended up raising £9,000 (or $14,000) for several charities. And yes, people who saw him would yell “Run, Forrest, run!” at him. How could they not?
And I would imagine that he’s also pretty tired.
Source: Mashable