Thijs de Buck, a physicist from the Netherlands, is realizing that his pet hamster, Mollie, is garnering more attention and admiration as a runner than he ever did. Mollie has gained popularity in the running community after de Buck devised a system to monitor the hamster’s activities on the fitness app Strava.
Despite de Buck’s own efforts in marathon training, where he received only a modest amount of recognition on Strava, Mollie is earning thousands of ‘kudos’ for each nightly run. This disparity has left de Buck feeling somewhat envious of his furry companion’s success.
Not only is Mollie irresistibly cute with his black fur, pink nose, and tiny paws, but he is also a remarkable runner. Mollie averages 10 kilometers per night on his hamster wheel, boasting a personal record of 11.15 kilometers. De Buck humorously laments that Mollie outpaces him, covering nearly 70 kilometers per week, a feat that many marathon runners would applaud.
To track Mollie’s nightly escapades, de Buck developed a speed and distance monitoring system using a magnet to detect each rotation of the hamster wheel. By implementing additional metrics like timing, de Buck can precisely record Mollie’s speed and distance, which he then uploads to Strava for public viewing.
This project is a fusion of de Buck’s passions for running and his beloved pet, Mollie. The physicist, who is an avid runner himself, found it intriguing to quantify Mollie’s activities and share them with the world. The hamster’s data is automatically updated each morning, reflecting his nocturnal running routine.
While de Buck didn’t anticipate Mollie’s rise to fame through his tracking system, the hamster has garnered attention beyond their expectations, even being featured in Runner’s World. De Buck acknowledges the unexpected popularity, attributing it to people’s shared interests in running, pets, and innovative projects.
Mollie’s nightly running routine aligns with typical hamster behavior, as these small creatures, mainly found in Europe and Asia, are known to cover significant distances at night while foraging for food and evading predators.