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ROLLER-ODYSSEY: Mr Khoo, who learnt to skate only 10 months ago, said this trip would not be easier than climbing Mount Everest. -- ST PHOTO: MUGILAN RAJASEGERAN
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SINGAPORE adventurer Khoo Swee Chiow is raring to go again - this time, on in-line skates.
The man who learnt to skate only 10 months ago intends to zip his way from Shenzhen to Singapore in 100 days.
That is 6,000km, and he is looking to break the Guinness World Record for the longest journey on skates when he begins his journey on Oct 14.
The current record of 4,175km was set in 2002 by Russell Moncres, who skated from Florida to California.
Mr Khoo's route will take him through major Asian cities in China, Vietnam, Cambodia and Malaysia.
He told The Straits Times that he would stay on trunk roads and avoid the highways. In Cambodia and Vietnam, where roads are less developed, he would go slower.
He plans to stop over in some cities for a night or two to recuperate and meet reporters.
The main sponsor of his roller-odyssey is Brocade, an organisation which provides data storage solutions.
Both Mr Khoo and Brocade want to use this trip to plug the environment, specifically, the need to protect it by conserving energy.
Mr Khoo, 43, said at a press conference at the Shangri-La Hotel yesterday: 'While not all of us will skate a distance of 6,000km, we can do something in our daily lives to protect our environment.'
He cited installing energy-saving appliances at home and turning off the office lights at the end of the day as helpful habits.
Asked if his naysayers may scoff at his attempt - pointing out that long-distance skating was less impressive than his mountaineering exploits - he said, grinning: 'Not at all, because, to me, it is an enormous challenge given the fact that I am a new skater. It is perhaps less risky than climbing the Everest, where the death rate is higher, but it is not easier.'
Since picking up basic skating skills in January, he has been going to the gym twice a week, focusing on strengthening his core muscles.
'I also skate 42km a day along East Coast Park,' added the father of two.
His family may go to Ho Chi Minh City to meet him during his rest stop there.
He said of his endlessly supportive wife, Madam Tok Wee Leng: 'If I didn't have a wife like my wife, I wouldn't be able to do any of this.'
diothman@sph.com.sg
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