By Markus Weinberg & Steffi Rostoski
Forrest Gump exists and he is German: the crazy challenge of a round-the-world triathlon. For 429 days, Jonas ran, swam and cycled across Europe, Asia and the Americas, completing the equivalent of 120 Ironman distances.
Forrest Gump exists in real life; he is no longer just the likeable character played in 1994 by Tom Hanks in the film directed by Robert Zemeckis. There is the long unkempt beard under the “Bubba Gump” hat, there are the endless seemingly aimless runs, and there are even the people who for some stretches decide to follow him at long strides despite the prohibitive temperatures.
Jonas Deichmann is not a figure invented from the mind of a screenwriter but is a flesh-and-blood man, a German triathlete who is the protagonist of a sensational feat: a round-the-world race accomplished only by running, swimming and cycling.
Jonas Deichmann has achieved the impossible: while the world remains in isolation, he circumnavigates it, in 14 months filled with borderline experiences and moments of utmost happiness. Deichmann swam across the Adriatic Sea, pedaled 20,000 kilometers to Vladivostok and ran through Mexico in 120 marathons. Accompanied by people, young and old, who join him to become a small part of his adventure.
The end result is an incredible story of courage and motivation. Go Forrest, go!
