Who said excercise can't be fun or artsy?

With gyms closed, outdoor exercise like biking and running are gaining popularity in urban areas in Vietnam. Đăng Việt, a running enthusiast from Hanoi, picked up this sport with a much bigger motivation: to recover from his treatment of high blood pressure back in April 2020. He then creatively made this hobby extra fun by creating "art" on the tracking app Strava.

Sharing on the Facebook group "Cộng Đồng Chạy Bộ," Việt said in Vietnamese: "At first, I didn't have time to join running clubs or find a running buddy, so I was quickly demotivated. Many times I just wanted to quit and go back to sleep. However, back in January 2021, I came across a graphic of a mouse drawn on Strava on Facebook and decided to copy it. Since then, I have become fascinated with creating shapes on Strava and have created many of my own. This was my way of motivating myself to run and maintain my health."

Since picking up running, Việt said his health has noticeably improved. He lost weight and his blood pressure returned to normal. He even managed to donate blood recently. Let's take a look at some of the artwork that Việt shared on the Facebook group. And if you want to retrace Việt's routes, click on the image to go to his Strava page. 

Revolutionary Flag.

Buffalo.

[Images via Strava user Viet Nguyen Dang]