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‘I believe in this more than anything in my life that I’ve ever done’ – The Real Forrest Gump

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JIM is the modern day Forrest Gump. He’s the real Forrest Gump and he needs your help.

He needs your help to make his running journey across America, taking with him the same inspirational, significant messages that Forrest Gump did in his fictional epic. Forrest spread goodwill and helped people by accident – it was just who he was that did the job.

Jim ‘Gump’ has a plan that will achieve far more than Forrest ever did – but not without your help.

I don’t like asking for things. . . Here, I’m asking for something.

Today, June 2, 2016, is my 1,250th day of successfully completing at least a 10k run every day. Almost 3 and a half years of no rest. 9,200 miles of running. Have reached Australia and Antartica now without missing a day of at least 10K. Have come through injuries and illness – a triathlon a day for 365 days with norovirus and many bugs for a few of these days.

More than 1,000 days of running, blogging and recovering. I’ve seen a mother and my best friend (Alf Dog) perish in this time. Seen some amazing human friends pass also.

Such is life, I guess.

It’s been one hell of a journey. So far, it’s been one hell of a journey.

Have visited a dozen schools, like the one you see in the photo, and given my ‘Talk & Run’ Session with more than 2,000 of these incredible children. Trying as hard as I can to encourage our next generation to be a little active according to their design, and less sedentary – 1,000+ adults have joined in with the Kx365 every day active challenge to do a little activity each day, as is their preference (it’s fun, check it out).

The average child now spends 7 and a half hours each day sitting in front of a computer screen. We used to spend those hours playing actively. So much has changed. They go a bit bonkers when I do the run after the talk.

10399924_966901400073409_6481825467040830658_nThey’ve seen me and Alf (in the photos I show in the talks), and the many amazing experiences we have had out there on the trails together every day. They are incredibly inspired, they want this too, they want to run, they go home and tell their parents that they want to run. Their parents feel like maybe they should take them out running or walking outdoors (a few do already for sure, but most don’t).

I promote parkrun as a great first step (adult and junior). Children can inspire their parents I have found. They’re awesome and I feel more reward from these visits than anything I’ve ever done in my life.

Most of you know that the JimGump challenge is about doing so much more of this. In the States and also in the UK. I wish this amazing journey to continue. I wish to reach 100s more schools and Talk & Run with 100s of 1,000s of children.

Most of you also know that Forrest Gump’s epic fictional run is incidental to what this is really all about. ‘That’ run is my way of maximising interest in what it is that I really seek to do. To get people active, and less sedentary.

I’m not looking for sponsorship for a charity right now, as I have in the past. I’m looking for the funding to enable me to get to ‘that’ startline in the States on 1st October (the day Forrest supposedly started his run).

I need money to start. At which point, once started, I am hoping that I’ll have generated enough interest to secure resource and funding from large corporates, so as not to have to ask my friends and family to support me further. I’m hoping that once I get started, that they will come on board.

Hoping that they will come on board and that I can cover the costs of the challenge and all else raised goes to children’s Health & Wellbeing causes.

Huge thanks to those that have sponsored so far. Natasha Broke just sponsored £100 crazy pounds. That’s two school visits. That’s as many as 300 to 500 children who will be inspired. I cannot thank her enough. But I will be dedicating two school visits to her, that’s for sure!

I am hoping to inspire a generation globally.
This is quite a big thing to me. Quite a big thing.
I think I can do it. I guess I wouldn’t be writing this unless I truly thought that I could do it.

I’m about to visit Emerson’s Green Primary School in Bristol and Stoke Lodge Primary School in Bristol.

If you would like me to visit a school you know, then it isn’t too late to get in touch with me and I’ll do my best to visit before I go to the States. By instigating a visit, you are helping to inspire the next generation.

You helped to do that. It’s a wonderful thing that you have done. I appreciate it, the parents appreciate it, the teachers appreciate it…but most importantly…the kids appreciate it. They love it. They are awesome. I don’t care where the school is. If people have the wherewithal to invite me…then i darned well go.

By supporting me with a few quid (okay £50 is a lot of money to sponsor a school visit, but it works out at about £0.30p per child or thereabouts. Not much really). Or just sponsor what you can afford. It all helps to get me to ‘that’ startline. The recent £10 sponsorship from Anonymous is helping for sure. I know they want to sponsor more, of course I do.

If running clubs wish to sponsor as a club (Weston AC and Nailsea Running Club are doing this), I’ll wear the club vest for a day and say ‘thanks’ on social media. It’ll be fun. Imagine your club vest at the Grand Canyon or Niagra or Washington? I think this would make your club smile a little. If businesses wish to sponsor, then please do that too.

Even if you can’t sponsor (or get your club or business to sponsor), and I understand that many can’t for financial reasons, please share this message. Because you help me to reach folks who do have a few quid to spare.

Sharing it costs you nothing other than a few seconds and the energy it takes to press a few buttons on the mouse. I welcome any positive gesture. I always have.

I believe in this more than anything in my life that I’ve ever done. But I do need a little help right now.

 

Yours in running and life,

 

Jim

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