Running
Jeric Yuen loves to run and create GPS art: routes that produce clever drawings when completed on a digital map. He shares his running tips, and his one-of-a-kind spirit, in the Why I Run podcast.
A rabbit. A chicken. A dog. A Tyrannosaurus rex. Jeric Yuen has sketched all those and more, and he’s done it on the run – literally. Yuen, a tech enthusiast and web developer, creates GPS art while he gets his running workout, designing routes that show up on the map as fanciful creatures. And to inspire others, he shares them, both online and in running groups that he organises.
“For me, running is basically to spread joy. It's not just me feeling happy – I like that moment of spreading joy to everyone around me, especially with all my GPS art,” says Yuen, who posts his creations on Instagram @coderunnerguy.
In the podcast, Yuen tells a humorous story about how he started running a few years ago. With his innate enthusiasm (and the promise of a free t-shirt), the developer dived in head-first when colleagues invited him to join their running team for an event, only to discover just how long a half marathon feels when you’ve trained for only two weeks. With the wisdom of that experience, he offers some running tips on how to get into running and how to run longer.
One of Yuen’s tips is to run with others, and in January 2023, he put together a special GPS artwork to mark the 100-day countdown to the Wings for Life World Run, where people from all over the globe share the experience by starting at exactly the same time, no matter where they are. Every participant can set their own distance goal, and 100 percent of entry fees goes to finding a cure for spinal cord injury.
Yuen says that he’s signing up for the run, which will be held on May 7, to “give back to the community, to help spinal cord research. Because not everyone has this opportunity to stay active.”
Listen to the full podcast episode below for 30 minutes of pure fun and inspiration, and why not spread joy yourself by creating your own GPS art?
Just map out a course in the shape of a design (a heart, for example), then run it and take a screenshot of the GPS route when you're finished. Share it on Instagram, tag @wflworldrun and use the hashtag #sharethelove for the whole Wings for Life World Run community – and the world – to see.
You can follow Why I Run on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon and wherever you listen to podcasts.