You might struggle to believe this, but some people can, on occasion, find running a little boring (we’ll wait while you pick your jaw up from the floor).
Fortunately, there are always ways to spice it up, especially when armed with Strava, the many paths of Bushy Park and a whole load of Christmas cheer.
One London runner – Owen Delaney – has taken it upon himself to map out as many Christmas-related things as possible with his running routes. The results are undeniably impressive.
The estimable Twitter account Strava Wankers (opens in new tab) has been highlighting Owen’s work for the masses, starting with this ever-so-slightly (compared to his subsequent efforts) slapdash Rudolph from the 14th December.
It's starting... pic.twitter.com/QwDTkiP7XmDecember 14, 2016
On the very next day, Owen stepped it up with the big man himself, Santa Claus. Note that this required 7.1 miles of painstakingly-accurate running over the course of 70 minutes. There’s Christmas commitment for you.
So far, Owen is winning at December #stravawanking. Anybody fancy taking him on? pic.twitter.com/ApDgWNt520December 16, 2016
Despite that lengthy run, Owen was out in Bushy Park the following day to craft Santa’s sleigh. Yes, there are more straight lines on this one, but who would begrudge him keeping it simple the day after mapping out Saint Nick?
Wonder how long it'll be before Owen runs out of festive things to draw. Here's round 3... pic.twitter.com/cR2A4VGYbrDecember 17, 2016
As Christmas has drawn closer, Owen’s festive excitement has only become more apparent, and judging by his three latest creations he has more or less perfected the art of Strava drawings. His snowflake in particular is something very special.
3 more installments from Owen this week, our favourite Xmas #Stravawanker pic.twitter.com/Adb3UWBvLIDecember 18, 2016
With a week still to go before Papa Noel slides his substantial bulk down chimneys across the world, Owen has plenty of time to add to his festive portfolio, so we’d advise following @stravawankers (opens in new tab) in order to ensure you don’t miss out on whatever comes next. We’re hoping Owen spreads his holiday wings and opts for a Hanukkah Menorah, although that could end up topping the 10-mile mark.
If you’ve been inspired to try and create your own Christmas maps on Strava, get in touch with Coach on Twitter (opens in new tab) and Instagram (opens in new tab).
Image courtesy London Santa Dash (opens in new tab)
Nick Harris-Fry is a journalist who has been covering health and fitness since 2015. Nick is an avid runner, covering 70-110km a week, which gives him ample opportunity to test a wide range of running shoes and running gear. He is also the chief tester for fitness trackers and running watches, treadmills and exercise bikes, and workout headphones.
