SG60: Man, 65, & woman, 61, trace lion head on map by walking 60km in 14 hours

Over the course of three days and after almost 14 hours in total, a Singaporean couple walked a total of 60km while logging their workout on the fitness app, Strava.

The result? A Strava art outline of a lion head, one of the national symbols of Singapore.

The Strava art was created by David Tan, 65, and his partner, Doris Loh, 61, to commemorate Singapore's 60th birthday.

A running club challenge

Speaking to Mothership, Tan shared that the Strava art endeavour is actually part of a challenge posted by a local running club, "X-Runners", which they are a part of.

According to the club's Jul. 30 Facebook post and challenge sign-up form, the goal of the "6060 challenge" was to complete 60 lion head Strava art to celebrate SG60.

"The intention is for the route to be 60km as it is SG60, but there are variations in the distance clocked among my friends and I due to GPS deviation," Tan pointed out.

Rough start

Finding the challenge meaningful, Tan and Loh signed up.

"It was our way of expressing love and pride for our country through something we enjoy – walking, jogging and exploring," Tan said.

A GPS file of the route was shared with the duo after they signed up, and they kick-started their challenge on Aug. 1.

Things got off to a rough start as the duo ran into navigational issues.

"Our Garmin watch didn't prompt us to turn left or right," Tan said.

"The GPS file that was shared with us was also two years old. Some roads had change a bit and there were also diversions due to road works," the 65-year-old added.

After 3.9km, Tan and Loh decided to start again.

Perseverance paid off

Despite the difficulties and this being their first time attempting Strava art, the duo persevered.

While they had planned to make it a single-day effort, they decided to break things up into sessions instead.

Their first session began at 9pm on Aug. 1 and lasted till 3am on Aug. 2.

The duo were more deliberate in their subsequent attempts, having gotten into the groove of things.

They studied the map in detail and plotted junctions before setting off.

The second session on Aug. 3 began at 4pm and ended at 9pm.

Their final session on Aug. 4 began at 7pm and ended at 11pm.

In total, it took Tan and Loh approximately 13 hours and 45 minutes to complete the Lion Head outline on Strava.

"The result was not just a physical accomplishment but a heartfelt tribute to our nation’s resilience and unity," Tan commented.

Aug. 31 challenge deadline

Apart from the sense of accomplishment, Tan shared that another highlight was getting to see the country during the walks.

"We got to see many parts of Singapore which we don't usually visit," he said.

As of Aug. 8, at least three other lion head outlines have been completed by challengers, according to Tan.

He hoped that more would join the club's challenge, member or not, to commemorate the nation's 60th birthday.

"It is a group effort, and I hope we can get as many as we can. Best is 60," Tan said.

Top image via David Tan