The ‘real-life Forrest Gump’ arrives in Guanajuato

Published August 7th, 2021

Jonas Deichmann, the German athlete better known as the ‘Forrest Gump of real life’ for his enthusiasm for cycling, swimming, and running around the world, passed through Leon on Wednesday and then headed to Silao, Guanajuato, and San Miguel de Allende.

Originally from Munich, Germany, the 34-year-old triathlete expressed enthusiastically that of the more than 100 countries he has visited since September 26, when he began his 40,000-kilometer journey around the world, none have welcomed him as in Mexico.

“I started making world records on bicycle five years ago, I cycled from Alaska to Argentina and from Norway to southern Africa, and then came the idea of doing something different, and all adventurers have the dream of going around the world, it is logical, it is the biggest thing you can do and no one has done it as a triathlon,” said the ‘Forrest Gump of real life’.

On Wednesday afternoon, the ‘real-life Forrest Gump’ ran through downtown León, Guanajuato. Photo: Omar Ramírez

“Mexico is fantastic, with very diverse landscapes, the Baja California desert, and beaches, the rainforest in Sinaloa, the mountains of Durango. But the best thing about this country is the people because they are so friendly, hospitable, and very cheerful, and that is contagious,” he added.

He has been running through Mexico for 54 days
He shared that he will run through Mexico pulling behind him a cart that he ties to his waist, where he keeps his belongings and which, he said with a laugh, is his wife, confessing that he is not married and has no children.

As of yesterday, the triathlete had a total of 54 days running through the country, he started in Tijuana and will finish in Cancun having covered a distance of just over five thousand kilometers, then he will go to Portugal and finally return to Munich by bicycle where he plans to finish the record next November.

On his tour through Guanajuato, Jonas passed through Leon and then headed to Silao, the capital, and San Miguel de Allende.

The journey began in Munich where he set off on a bicycle to reach Croatia, from there he swam along the coast to Montenegro, to resume the bicycle route to cross Europe and Asia until he reached the Chinese coast, where he took a sailboat to cross the Pacific Ocean to San Francisco, United States.

The next step is to race through North America and Mexico to Portugal, where he will again cross the Atlantic Ocean by sailboat to Lisbon and cycle back to Munich.

Confesses to having felt fear in the open sea
The German adventurer, who is visiting Mexico for the second time, confessed that in his long journey he has also felt fear when he has to swim in the open sea or when he is running and cars and trucks pass very close to him, as he acknowledged that it is very dangerous.
In November I am going to finish the round the world race, the goal in Mexico is 120 marathons in 120 days, this one in León is the 56th, in total, the triathlon lasts 14 months, today is day number 319.