Rob Pope Profile Picture

Keynote SpeakerRob Pope

The real-life Forrest Gump, Elite endurance athlete, resilience expert and author

Rob Pope is the real-life Forrest Gump. When you think of running a REALLY long way, there is only one reference point. Forrest Gump. To honour a promise he made to his momma to “do one thing in your life that makes a difference”, he set out to see if... Read more

Biography

Rob Pope is the real-life Forrest Gump.

When you think of running a REALLY long way, there is only one reference point. Forrest Gump. To honour a promise he made to his momma to “do one thing in your life that makes a difference”, he set out to see if it was possible to complete the longest run in United States history. 15,621 miles, 43 states, 422 days and 33 pairs of shoes later, Rob was able to say he was “pretty tired” and go home, with his feet just about intact.

Rob holds two world records, was the 2015 Australian Men’s Marathon champion and the top northern European in the world’s toughest desert race, the Marathon des Sables. He is the first person to run across Ireland in a day and has a few more jaw-dropping plans in the pipeline.

The proud father of a little girl and a veterinarian, Rob Pope has also made time to commit his story to print, in the best-selling book from Harper Collins entitled simply, “Becoming Forrest” and is the host of the acclaimed podcast from Red Bull: “How to be Superhuman”.

Rob Pope is bringing his experience of being able to excel under pressure whilst also allowing room to follow your dreams to the public sector, corporate, and academic environments. By sharing his secrets of resilience, time management and making the best of whatever life throws at you, he is transforming people’s attitudes to what they can achieve and creating happy and successful work and home environments.

An inspirational speaker, he has brought his powerful insight and smiles to organisations including Zoetis, the WWF, Armis and Vets4Pets, as well as schools and universities across the United Kingdom. He can show you how to “Be More Forrest” and help make your world a better place.

“Rob gave two engaging talks for a speaker stream I organised at London Vet Show in 2019. He opened our lecture program with stories of his record-breaking epic runs across the USA, and closed it with a Q&A. He attracted a full house for both talks and effectively connected with the audience sharing his unique experiences, through his passionate and inspiring story telling. I’d highly recommend him as a speaker, he was professional to work with from planning to presenting.” National Veterinary Manager, Zoetis
“We were thrilled to have Rob as a guest speaker at the Armis VeloCup. Rob got involved with our guests through the day and delivered a truly heart warming, inspiring and funny talk. His presence was the highlight of the event and everyone wanted a signed book to take home with them. Highly recommend!” Regional Sales Director, Armis Security
“Rob is a genuinely inspirational, engaging, emotive, humorous, passionate & professional speaker, whilst also an elite athlete & qualified veterinarian! With an authentic ability to bring to life inspiring themes from his extraordinary experiences, Rob also has a unique ability to translate such powerful, poignant messages into meaningful & memorable insights that leave a lasting, positive impression on his audience. Which is exactly the lasting impression Rob made with myself, my team & our delegates! Rob is an absolute pleasure to work with, I would not hesitate in recommending Rob across any events spectrum between corporate, private or public sectors for a truly authentic, unique & memorable experience.” CEO and Managing Partner, Spitfire Consultancy
“Rob delivered an inspiring and engaging talk that truly moved the room and left a lasting impact. His unique & incredible story connected with everyone in the room and was not only thought-provoking but also motivating, encouraging us all to think differently and take steps in our lives and work. We all left feeling equipped with new perspectives. I highly recommend Rob as a speaker for any event looking to inspire and uplift its audience - oh, and bring your running shoes!” Director, Spitfire Consultancy

Popular Talks by Rob Pope

  • Who is your "Tough Boss"?
    You may not believe this of somebody who has run over 15,600 miles in less than a year and a half, but Rob Pope is an inherently lazy person. Given the chance, he likes nothing better than to kick back and watch the world go by. He is, however, also...
  • The Host With The Most
    Rob is the ideal host for any awards ceremony, charity auction, gala dinner you have in the pipeline. Bringing Liverpudlian charm to your event, Rob is spontaneous and funny, with real attention to detail in making sure his content on the night is right for you and your invited guests....
  • Becoming Forrest
    Rob Pope shares his incredible story of becoming the first person to complete the Forrest Gump Run, 5 times across America in 422 days – in doing so, running more than any Brit has ever done in a single year. Sit back and enjoy the first-hand journey of “Becoming Forrest”,...
  • Going The Distance - High Performance over a Sustained Period
    Rob Pope is Britain’s most “ultra” ultrarunner. He is also the real-life Forrest Gump, running 5 times across the USA (15,621 miles in 422 days!) before he hung up his shoes. Don’t worry, he’s not going to try and persuade you to run across a continent, but he will explain...
  • Finding your ocean - Adapting to change
    Rob Pope has travelled a long and winding road. From losing his mum at a young age, to becoming a veterinarian, he became the Australian marathon champion and eventually emulated Forrest Gump, running 5 times across the USA. Rob is now bringing you the lessons he learnt taking over 50...
  • Troubleshooting 101 and 1-2-1 (workshop)
    Rob has learned to solve his problems on his own. While he’s fully aware of the value of teamwork – sometimes you just have to figure things out for yourself. With knowledge of the particular problems you or your organisation is facing, Rob is able to help you work out...