Toronto man goes viral for creating animated stick man using running routes on Strava app
A Toronto accountant, Duncan McCabe, has captured global attention after spending months running through the streets of the city to create a flip animation featuring a dancing stick man. Using the route-tracking app Strava, McCabe’s project seamlessly combined his love for running and video editing, leading to a viral sensation. The creative video has amassed 25 million views on X (formerly Twitter) and over nine million views on TikTok.
Captioning the video as “Strava art animation through the streets of Toronto! This took me 121 runs from January to October 2024,” McCabe meticulously mapped out each run to bring his stick man to life. Inspired by Strava artists Lenny Maughan from San Francisco and Mike Scott from Toronto—who famously used GPS routes to create unique drawings—McCabe set out to make his own mark with a nod to his favorite song.
"For six months, I had a line across the stick man's head for animation. The hat-tip was a creative touch and a tribute to the song," McCabe shared in an interview with Canada Running. He also emphasized the difficulty of keeping the stick figure consistent, saying, “My stick man had to be the same size in each frame. I spent 10 months planning the project.”
Since going viral, McCabe has received widespread praise from both the running community and social media fans, who marveled at his dedication and the execution of his unique idea. Comments flooded in, calling it “one of the most impressive things" they had seen. One user said, “The amount of effort and planning that goes into this is insane,” while another hailed it as "the greatest running-related post" ever.
This isn’t the first time McCabe has created large-scale running art. Last year, he completed an animation featuring animals like dinosaurs, giraffes, whales, and sharks, running a total of 700 kilometers through Toronto's streets.
In a similar vein of using GPS for art, a UK runner, Terry Rosoman, made headlines earlier this month by drawing a giant penis across South Wales to raise awareness and funds for men's mental health. Covering 120 kilometers in 24 hours, Rosoman cheekily mentioned his intention of becoming the top Google search saying “Am I doing this to secure my name as the first result on Google when someone searches "world's largest c**k and balls"? Absolutely. However, I also have a far nobler cause in mind.”
I’ve seen a lot of the Toronto running community, but this guy wins. pic.twitter.com/il9LBXyiSD
— Ben Steiner (@BenSteiner00) November 21, 2024
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Raj and Uddhav spark reunion buzz, say ready to ignore trivial issues in Maharashtra's interest
Mumbai, Apr 19 (PTI): MNS leader Raj Thackeray has sparked speculation about a potential political rapprochement with his estranged cousin and Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, noting their past differences are "trivial" and uniting for the greater good of "Marathi manoos" is not a difficult task.
The buzz strengthened when Uddhav on Saturday said he is ready to put aside trivial fights provided that those working against Maharashtra's interests will not be entertained, a veiled reference to Raj hosting Shiv Sena head and Deputy CM Eknath Shinde at his residence.
In an interview with actor-director Mahesh Manjrekar’s podcast, released on Saturday, Raj said he had no issues working with Uddhav when they were in the undivided Shiv Sena. Raj said the question is, does Uddhav want to work with him?
"For a bigger cause, our fights and issues are trivial. Maharashtra is very big. For Maharashtra, the existence of Marathi manoos, these fights are very trivial. I don't think it is a difficult task to come together and stay united. But the issue is of desire.
"It is not the question of my desire or selfishness. We need to look at the larger picture. All Maharashtrians should form one party," Raj said when asked whether the two estranged cousins could come together politically.
Raj, for his part, stressed that ego should not be brought to dictate such small issues.
Responding to Raj, Uddhav told Shiv Sena (UBT) workers, "I am also ready to put aside trivial issues and I appeal to everyone to come together for the sake of Marathi manoos."
Without taking the name of his cousin, Uddhav said had the MNS president opposed Maharashtra's investments and businesses moving to Gujarat, then a government that takes care of the interests of the state would have been formed in Delhi and Maharashtra.
"It cannot happen that (you) support (the BJP during Lok Sabha polls), then oppose (during the state assembly polls) and again compromise. This cannot happen.
"First decide that whoever works against the interests of Maharashtra will not be welcomed at home, you will not go to their homes and break bread. Then talk about the interests of Maharashtra," Uddhav said.
Uddhav said he was ready to set aside minor disagreements.
"I am saying I don't have fights with anyone, and if any, I am resolving them. But decide on this (the interest of Maharashtra) first. But then all Marathi people should decide whether they will go with the BJP or with me," Uddhav added.
Notably, Uddhav's assertion comes at a time when Shiv Sena (UBT) has opposed the "imposition" of Hindi in Maharashtra after the state government gave its nod to the three-language formula under NEP.
Raj, nephew of late Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray, resigned from his uncle's party in January 2006 and later formed the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena by picking the son-of-the-soil agenda aggressively.
He had launched several pointed attacks on Uddhav Thackeray who he had blamed for his exit from Shiv Sena.
After winning 13 seats in the 2009 assembly elections, MNS gradually declined and was pushed to political margins in Maharashtra. The party currently has no representation in the legislative assembly due to eroding voter base.
In the recent assembly polls, the Shiv Sena (UBT) was reduced to 20 seats, while the Raj Thackeray-led party drew a blank with even Raj's son Amit losing his maiden poll contest.
The rapprochement buzz comes ahead of civic polls in Mumbai amid the realisation that Shiv Sena (UBT) will have to fight the Sena led by Shinde and BJP to protect its citadel of Mumbai.
Meanwhile, responding to the speculation that the warring cousins may bury their hatchets, state Congress president Harshvardhan Sapkal on Saturday said if two families are coming together, there is no reason to object.
"When Raj Thackeray says that his issues with Uddhav Thackeray are not bigger than Maharashtra, he must be hitting that BJP is causing loss to Maharashtra. He must be hinting that investment is going out of Maharashtra. The other meaning of his statement is that BJP and Mahayuti are trying to cause harm to the basic foundation of the state," he told reporters in Pune.
Sapkal underlined Maharashtra's tradition of inclusive governance based on the ideologies of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Shahu Maharaj, Jyotiba Phule, and B R Ambedkar.
"The BJP is trying to break the language and culture of Maharashtra, and Raj Thackeray's recent stand seems to endorse this view," he added.
Using the 'Bharat Jodo' analogy, he said, "If two families are coming together, there is no reason to object. If bonds are being formed, it should be welcomed".
