@duncan77mccabe Strava art animation through the streets of Toronto! This took me 121 runs from January to October 2024. #strava #running #toronto #purplehat #active #run #Canada #motivation #madden25 #ncaa #purple #hat #sofitukker #sofi #tukker ♬ original sound - Duncan McCabe
Accountant and avid runner Duncan McCabe has invented a new form of art - virtual animated geoglyphs. Using the Strava app, which tracks GPS movements during exercise, McCabe has transformed Toronto's city streets into a digital canvas, creating mesmerizing animations from his daily runs.
In the embedded TikTok video above, you can see his latest creation: a dancing stick figure shimmying to SOFI TUKKER’s hit track, Purple Hat. According to BlogTo, it took McCabe 10 months and 121 meticulously planned runs to complete the animation, with each tracked route serving as one frame in the final piece.
The Birth of a Creative Vision
McCabe’s fascination with Strava art began after discovering a fellow enthusiast’s beaver-shaped route. Inspired, he decided to transform his daily exercise into an ambitious creative project. Strava map running tracks, essentially “single frames,” became the perfect medium for him to explore animation. By carefully plotting out the movements of his stick figure across Toronto’s grid-like streets, McCabe turned individual runs into a choreographed series of frames. When stitched together the frames of each run become a fluid, playful animation.
- Plan Your Route: Begin by meticulously mapping out a path that, when tracked, will form a recognizable image.
- Record Your Movement: Use the Strava app to track your run, walk, or ride as you follow your pre-planned route.
- Share Your Work: Upload your creation to platforms like Strav.art.