LONDON -- One man ran the entire length of Great Britain, 1,050 miles, the equivalent of 42 back-to-back marathons, dressed as Forrest Gump.
Ewan Gordon, from Bicester, made the journey from John O'Groats to Lands End in memory of nine-year-old Thomas Laurie, who died of Cockayne Syndrome last year. He ran 26 miles (42 km) every day for 42 days, starting on May 4 and finishing Sunday.
Gordon said the idea of running as Forrest Gump, Tom Hank's character from the 1994 film who goes on a run lasting more than three years, came as a bet.
"People just think it's really funny and a lot of people just shout 'run Forrest run,'" he said.
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He said he was "delighted" to have finished and managed the feat without any major issues. "I haven't got a single blister -- your body just gets used to running that far every day."
He did twist his knee and ankle at one point but managed to treat it with ice and keep going. His run has already raised more than £9,000 ($14,000) for several related charities, including Amy & Friends Cockayne Support Group and Helen & Douglas House.
Gordon met Thomas Laurie at church five years ago, he says, adding: "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."
