Rolling out a record

By LEONG SIOK HUI

He has climbed Mt Everest twice, made it to the North and South Poles, conquered the tallest peaks in seven continents and cycled from Singapore to Beijing. Now Khoo Swee Chiow is about to complete the world’s longest journey on skates. 

It’s Day 43, and the horizon seems to stretch on forever. Today, Singaporean Khoo Swee Chiow has been on the road for almost seven hours, struggling to skate over bumpy, potholed dirt roads. The occasional truck trundles past and kicks up a cloud of dust. Grating sounds from his skates keep him company.  

Weary and missing his family, he wonders aloud: “Why am I doing this?”  

Family man: (Clockwise from left) Khoo Swee Chiow with wife Wee Leng and children, Sheng Feng and Sheng En.

But he rolls on; there is another 3,442km to go, and this was no way to motivate oneself. 

If you have scaled the world’s highest mountain twice, stood on the highest peaks in all seven continents, racked up two entries in the Guinness Book of World Records (the only South-East Asian to summit Everest twice and the longest scuba dive in a controlled environment), or ridden your bike for 8,000km, then you’ve earned the right to gloat and take things easy.  

But not Khoo.  

On Oct 20, 2007, the adventurer, writer and motivational speaker embarked on his latest adventure: to travel from Hanoi in Vietnam through Cambodia, Thailand and Malaysia to Singapore, covering 6,000km, on inline skates. Along the way, he would help spread the green message and break the Guinness Book of World Records for the longest journey on skates.  

Traffic trying to keep up with Khoo in Vietnam.

 

Green message 

“I’ve been to many fantastic places in the world – Everest, North and South Poles – but in this age of global warming, they’re all disappearing fast,” says Khoo, 44, who made a pit stop in Kuala Lumpur this week.  

“I want to tell people, ‘Hey look, we should be aware of our actions. Look at these places and see how we can help conserve them for our future generation’.”  

With this latest leg-powered journey, the indomitable Khoo wants to tell folks they can cover long distances without burning fuel.  

“We’re in this energy crisis age now. It’s important to think about how we conduct our daily lives and find ways to conserve energy and reduce usage,” says Khoo, who has written two books based on his exploits – Journeys to the Ends of the Earth and Singapore to Beijing on a Bike.  

In Singapore, the kids from Shuqun Primary School are keeping tabs on his expedition and researching topics on energy conservation. Khoo’s main sponsor, Brocade, the world leader in networked storage solutions, shares his belief in energy conservation.  

Chatting with the locals.

“Today, data centres and computer rooms across the globe consume approximately 2% of the world’s energy, and will continue to grow on a daily basis,” says Gerald Penaflor, Brocade’s regional director for South Asia Pacific/Korea.  

“Through supporting Khoo, we hope to create the awareness for the importance of energy conservation. Also, we admire his mental toughness and ability to execute a goal once he puts his mind to it,” Penaflor explains.  

The journey 

During our interview (on Tuesday), Port Dickson-born Khoo was on the final leg of his journey. He had covered 5,734km and been on the road for 88 days. He had broken the existing Guinness record of 4,174km on Christmas Eve when he arrived in Hua Hin, Thailand (4,176.3km).  

Now, another five days more, and he would be home.  

“This adventure is the longest for me. Even the Everest climbs only took 50-60 days, and the ride from Singapore to Beijing was 73 days,” says the father of two.  

Drawing curious looks from villagers. — KHOO SWEE CHIOW

“Physically, my body has adjusted to the daily exertion but it’s mentally exhausting. Everyday I ask: When am I going to get home?” 

For the last three months, Khoo’s life has been run like clockwork. His wake-up call is 6am, followed by breakfast. He hits the road at 8am. By 4.30am, he’s done for the day. He skates 70km-80km a day. On good days, when the wind is propelling him or the road is flat and smooth, he manages up to 100km in eight hours. 

On the road, Khoo gets all sorts of reactions from passers-by. 

“I got lots of curious looks, angry people who wanted me to ‘Get off the road!’ or friendly folk who gave the thumbs up or said ‘Go, go, go’. Quite a few in Thailand actually stopped me to snap photos with them,” says Khoo, who only picked up inline skating in January 2007.  

In Vietnam, Khoo had problems with the steep, high terrains. He had to tie two of the wheels together on each skate to slowly walk uphill and downhill. He braved strong chilly crosswinds. Near Danang and Hue (central Vietnam), he waded through flooded roads. In Cambodia, the roads were so bad that he took five days to cover 100km.  

“It was really frustrating as I was just walking instead of skating on the unpaved road. Giving up wasn’t an option but I just wanted to stop and rest.”  

Khoo had to be on his toes, literally, all the time. He had to watch out for pebbles, potholes and swerving trucks and cars.  

“But time flies and there’s no chance to get bored,” he shrugs. 

Some days, he is rewarded by scenic views of lush paddy fields or breathtaking coastlines.  

“The hardest part is missing my family. My son Sheng Feng keeps asking over the phone: Daddy, when are you coming home?” says Khoo, whose son is four and daughter, 18 months old.  

However, his wife and kids did get to meet up with him at various points during his journey: Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh, Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and Bangkok.  

“The thought of breaking the world record kept me going, and also of going home,” says Khoo, who plans to have a long vacation with the family after the expedition. Then he’ll start writing a book on his experience.  

“I’m only young once,” he reflects, “and if I don’t do this now I’ll never do it. I don’t want to have regrets in life. Life is short. Set your goal, give it a shot and don’t give up.  

“At the end of the day, what makes all these (feats) meaningful is when I receive the e-mail from strangers who say they’re inspired by what I did.”