Britain’s answer to Forrest Gump has run 3,100 miles across America in memory of his mother.
William Goodge reached New York City on Saturday, having spent almost 56 days running from Los Angeles.
The 29-year-old said: “Finishing felt nothing short of surreal.
“It was very emotional, my dad and brother were there, and we embraced after I crossed the finish line.
“I know my mum would be so proud, and she is the one that gave me the strength to keep going.”
He intended to finish the challenge on June 4 – but his trip went “better than planned”. Organisers said William’s time of 55 days, 23 hours and 51 minutes set a record for the fastest Brit to run from Los Angeles to New York.
William has raised more than £55,000 by crossing the continent in the style of Forrest, the hero of the 1994 Tom Hanks blockbuster. The funds are to be split between Macmillan Cancer Support in the UK and The American Cancer Society in the US.
Before beginning the run on April 2, William posted a picture on Instagram, writing: “What could possibly go wrong? I’ve got an angel on my side.”
He was referring to his “special, wonderful, loving” mother, Amanda.
She died five years ago aged 53 from non-Hodgkin lymphoma. William said running extreme distances has helped him manage the pain of her absence.
He added: “When it gets tough out here, to me, there’s a sense of ignorance to my own suffering because I know, seeing someone fight cancer, just how much worse that is”.
The runner, a former rugby player for Ampthill RUFC, is no stranger to extreme challenges, having run 48 marathons in 30 days in 2021. He said his mother’s death when he was 23 “was the most devastating thing that probably could have happened”.
“If I got the best news in the world, she’d be the first person I talked to, and if I got the worst news in the world, she would be the person I’d go to,” he said.
William, a brand partnerships manager from Ampthill, Beds, discovered running to feel close to his mum after his first run in Santa Monica.
Having run through the Californian city, he said: “I was in this really jubilant mood, and when I got back, my mum also called me. She’d just been to her doctor, and she was in remission, so as far as I was concerned, at that moment, she had beaten cancer, and it really was the happiest moment in my life.
“Fast forward nine months, and she did pass away because the cancer came back, but I naturally found myself running. On reflection, I understand I was trying to get back to that moment of feeling pure joy and happiness.
“It gives me an immense sense of purpose, and I get to feel extremely close to her when I do things like this because it’s a celebration of the person.”
As William ran through deserts, pine forests, snow-capped mountains and dual carriageways, he ate upwards of 6,000 calories daily and slept in a van kitted out with a bed, cooking equipment, a fridge freezer and a shower.
He said: “Everyone’s doing everything they can for me, and I feel very lucky.”
