Youth, 20, who ‘hates walking’ hikes 76km overnight along East-West Line, completes quest to trek all MRT lines
A 20-year-old content creator who “hate(s) walking” has completed his quest to walk every MRT line in Singapore, finishing off the challenge with a gruelling 76km overnight trek along the East-West Line from Nov 13 to 15, joined by over 300 participants.
The walk began at Tuas Link station at around 9.20pm on Nov 13, and ended at Changi Airport station at around 12.04am on Nov 15.
Speaking to Stomp during the walk, Ananya, a participant, said she joined the challenge as she thought it was “uncommon” and “unusual”.
“I usually enjoy walking. So I wanted to test my endurance and also I didn’t have any Friday night plans, so I just decided to do this,” the 19-year-old university student said.
‘I really hate walking’: How it all started
The young man who started it all, Trevor Kam, said he initially wanted to do something different because he sometimes found life in Singapore a little boring.
“I really hate walking,” he admitted. “But that is exactly why I think this needs to be done.”
He hoped that pushing himself to do something he disliked would inspire others to step outside their comfort zones too.
The 20-year-old had gone viral earlier this year when he posted calls on Instagram and TikTok for people to join him for treks across the Thomson East Coast Line, Downtown Line and North-South Line.
Each time, participants would grow in number, from around 50 people trekking the Downtown Line to about 150 people for the North-South Line walk.
Participants ranged from children as young as 13 to seniors in their 70s.
‘Proud of the community’: Youth heartened by interactions with strangers
Beyond the physical challenge, Kam said one of the most meaningful aspects of the walks has been building a community.
He would make it a point to speak to every participant, and was surprised by how open people were to meeting others outside their usual social circles.
He shared how refreshing it was to connect with others through one-on-one conversations.
“It feels nice to have a long conversation and a serious heart-to-heart talk,” he said.
One participant, whom he met during his first walk, has since become a close friend. The man regularly joins the walks with his dog, and the two continue to keep in touch outside the events.
Besides forging friendships, Kam has also been heartened by people approaching fellow participants who seem to be alone and including them in conversations.
“I think what I am proudest of is the community,” he said. “I think seeing how people can come together to do great things is what makes me happiest.”
Juggling filming content and completing the trek
However, the challenge has not always been a walk in the park.
Kam has to film content and interact with participants while covering long distances, which makes the experience “emotionally and physically draining” at times.
There have also been instances of participants getting injured, including one who suffered heatstroke during a recent walk.
Kam said he did not want people to push themselves to the point of harming their health, reminding them that the walks were meant to be enjoyable.
Subsequent challenges to be ‘rooted in making Singapore fun again’
With the MRT walking challenge now completed, Kam is already looking towards his next challenge.
He expressed his hope to continue organising social events that bring people together.
One such event was a duck-duck-goose meetup, where participants gathered to play the childhood game, and a costume contest in October that drew about 120 to 130 people.
“Personally, I think that the future of what I do is going to be rooted in making Singapore fun again, and just doing more social events where I can bring people together,” he added.
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