California runners honour Banksy with impressive Strava art

Two well-known Strava artists gave ‘kudos’ to the famous street artist Banksy, sketching his famous “Girl with Balloon” by GPS in San Francisco. Lenny Maughan and Frank Chan collaborated to honour the tenth anniversary of the UN’s International Day of the Girl.

Maughan and Chan’s sketch covered 47 kilometres and more than 900 metres of elevation gain in one of the hilliest cities in North America. Maughan has over 10,000 followers on Strava and has previously drawn sketches of a tiger for the Lunar New Year and a sunflower for solidarity in Ukraine.

Earlier this year, Chan gained Strava popularity after he sketched a photo of him and his mother for Mother’s Day.

Banksy’s original mural of “Girl with Balloon” was drawn on London’s Waterloo Bridge in 2004, though it does not remain.

Although Banksy has not articulated the meaning behind the sketch, many interpret the mural as a symbol of lost innocence, while others believe the girl is setting the balloon free–either way, both remind the beholder to hold on to hope, even when it feels out of reach.

posted Saturday November 5th
by Running Magazine