‘Run Jon, Run’ --- North Attleboro man breaks Forrest Gump’s fictional record
Just in time for today’s 128th running of the Boston Marathon (Monday, April
15, 2024), is this feel-good story about a North Attleboro runner who has been
on the run for a while --- more than three years and two months for a total of
1,170 days as of Saturday, April 13, 2024.
Why that number? Because that’s how many days in a row that Forrest Gump, the
character played brilliantly by Tom Hanks in the 1994 film, ran --- regardless
of the weather or personal circumstances.
Similarly to the fictional Forrest, Jon Duperron achieved that mark of
consecutive running days and has no intention of stopping.
Jon’s story will bring a smile to your face; find out why and how the streak
started in the following story.
LINK TO THE STORY AS IT APPEARS IN THE MONDAY, APRIL 15, 2024 EDITION OF THE
SUN CHRONICLE OF ATTLEBORO, MA: https://www.thesunchronicle.com/news/local_news/north-attleboro-man-runs-through-weather-illness-to-reach-forrest-gump-running-milestone/article_67eeba9e-266b-5e48-89a8-45169a085b7e.html
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“Run Forrest, run.”
--- Line from the 1994 film, “Forrest Gump”
NORTH ATTLEBORO --- For the sake of this feel-good story served up just
in time for the 128th running of the Boston Marathon on Monday, make that “Run Jon,
run.”
That’s because North Attleboro resident and North Attleboro High School Class
of 1998 graduate Jon Duperron, 44, on Saturday tied the consecutive-days
running streak set by the fictional character in the film starring Tom Hanks of
running for three years, two
months, 14 days, and 16 hours: 1,170 days.
On that day, his wife Kerrin (NAHS, 2000), 43, gathered some family and friends
outside of their Rosewood Lane home to cheer Jon on as he took off from his cul-de-sac
on his record-tying journey.
As amazing --- or “spectacular and slightly insane,” as Kerrin calls Jon’s
achievement --- is, none of this was
planned, Jon said in a phone interview.
It really just happened --- and here’s how it all came about.
****
“I’ve
really never been a diehard runner,” Jon said, noting he competed in track and
field events, including sprints while at NAHS to keep him in shape for hockey,
which he said he played from 3 to 18 in private leagues, not high school.
As an adult, Jon said he “always tried to maintain a healthy lifestyle, run on
the treadmill a couple of miles. But “when COVID hit, the gyms were closed,” he
said, so he decided to start running as a way of escaping the lockdown and “get
some fresh air.” Running, he noted, “was the one thing I could control.”
That went on for a while, until one day, while building a fire pit in his
backyard, he said the hatchet he was using to chop wood “went straight into”
his knee.
My first thought was I never was going to be able to run again,” but six weeks
later, he returned to running, and he gradually set goals, vowing to run 33,
100 and 150 days straight.
He didn’t give up and marked his one-year consecutive streak by slogging
through a blizzard.
Soon after, when people asked him how much longer he intended to keep up the
streak, as a joke he mentioned running as long as Forrest Gump did in the film
--- and eventually one year became two and three years.
Jon has had to balance his running obsession with his work and family. He's
employed in the IT department of FM Global Insurance of Johnston, R.I. and he
and his wife are the parents of Lana, 13, and Myles, 9. Kerrin works with
contract support in the pharmaceutical side of Johnson & Johnson.
Jon has remained steadfast in his desire to run every day, getting out there
despite injuries, two bouts with COVID, two more with the flu and numerous
injuries.
Once he ties and surpasses the Forrest Gump record, he said he expects to
continue getting out there every day.
“I probably will,” he said. “My response has always been I’ll do it until my
body won’t let me.”
As proof of his commitment to running, he said he ran a Boston qualifying time
in last fall’s Cape Cod Marathon in 3 hours, 17 minutes and 5 seconds, but
Monday’s race was already filled. “I’m hoping that (time) holds up for 2025,”
he said.
He also plans on running in October’s Chicago Marathon, so the finish line
isn’t on the horizon just yet.
Through it all, Jon has maintained a keen sense of humor. When asked what kind
of reaction he gets from people, he said, “Two types: People who think I’m
crazy, nuts” and some people who’ve told him that he’s inspired them to get in
better shape.
But “the majority of people think I’m nuts,” he quipped.
Then, turning contemplative, he revealed the real reason he’s still on the run
every single day.
“It’s just putting one foot in front of another. I don’t really want to quit,”
he said. “If I can do this and challenge myself to do this hard thing every
day, when something else in life that’s hard pops up, I’ll be ready for it.
“I have this never-stop philosophy,” he said.
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