Forrest Dean and his sister were born in the western suburbs of Melbourne.

But growing up in the Western Suburbs was never going to work for Forrest who liked to run. He could run like the winds blows. So, his parents packed their 2 children up and moved to the open spaces of Gisborne.

Forrest was in his element – plenty of wide-open spaces to run; and run Forrest did.

One day as he was running through the Macedon Ranges, he ran through the Woodend football field. The coach saw him and how fast he could run, so they recruited him to play.

After running every track in Australia, he headed overseas and started running marathons in every continent of the world, including Antarctica, which he said was a bit warmer than Gisborne in July.  Over the years, he completed 7 marathons in 7 continents and is one of only 292 Men in the world who are members of the 7 Continents Marathon Club.

When he finished his running obsession, he came back to Gisborne to settle down with his childhood sweetheart, Marnie and raise a family. Marnie and Forrest went together like peas and carrots.

Forrest Dean, like his name suggests, loves trees, nature, and beautiful landscapes. So, after he sold his shrimp boat that he and his best mate Bubba Stevenson ran for a few years, he set up Boomerang Landscapes to design build more forests in the Macedon Ranges.

The other bit of running Forrest Dean dabbles in; is running around on Thursday night’s delivering Meals on Wheels to the local community. A big man with a big heart.

Of course, Forrest also had a passion for golf. Unfortunately, though, his game is like a box of chocolates; you never quite knew what you were going to get, especially with his chipping. He also tends to melt a bit when the heat is on.

Sports & Lifestyle Journalist – Domenic Hogan

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