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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Another North Goa nightclub sealed; Kejriwal says corruption led to fire tragedy
Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
