Tube Challenge
Encyclopedia
The Tube Challenge is the accepted name for the Guinness World Record attempt to visit all the stations on the London Underground
network in the fastest time possible. Participants do not have to travel along all lines to complete the challenge, merely to pass through all the stations on the system. Participants may connect between stations on foot, or by using other forms of public transport.
The following is a list of record holders that have appeared in the Guinness Book of Records. The record did not appear in the book until its eighth edition.
Between the 1960s and 1990s the record regularly appeared in the Guinness Book of Records, initially listed under "Underground Railways - circuit of", but later just under "Railways" and then "Trains". Since the change of publishing style of the book from the 2001 edition onwards, the record - although frequently broken - has only once appeared in printed form, in the 2008 edition. More recent records have tended to be published online instead.
On 3 April 2002 Jack Welsby set a new record time by traversing the system in 19 hours, 18 minutes and 45 seconds. Welsby made just one attempt, starting his route at Heathrow and finishing at Amersham.
This time was beaten on the 4th May 2004 by Geoff Marshall and Neil Blake who achieved a new record time of 18 hours 35 minutes and 43 seconds. Their attempt began on the first train out of Amersham
on the Metropolitan Line and ended at Upminster
, and took Guinness World Records four months to ratify it. A previous attempt had been broadcast on TV as part of The Tube
TV series.
Although this time stood for two years before being beaten by just five seconds, it was not until Håkan Wolgé and Lars Andersson (both from Sweden) set a new record time for a network of 275 stations that it appeared in the Guinness Book of Records again, in the 2008 edition. They set a new record of 18 hours, 25 minutes and 3 seconds, on the 26th September 2006.
Changes to the network (and the total number of stations) meant the record was 'reset' and broken three more times during 2007 and 2008. In March 2008, Heathrow Terminal 5 opened as a new station and 'reset' the record with the total number of stations to visit now at 269. Shortly after Andi James, Martin Hazel and Sara Wearn set a new time on 8th July, 2008 of 17 hours, 56 minutes and 11 seconds.
Although the total number of stations to visit became 270 in October of 2008 when Wood Lane station opened, Guinness ruled that it was not a significant enough change to warrant a record reset.
James beat his own record on July 24th 2008, with a time of 17 hours, 12 minutes 43 seconds. On the 4th of December 2009, the record was beaten by Samantha Cawley with a time of 17 hours, 2 minutes, 23 seconds.
On the 14th December 2009, previous record holders James and Hazel, accompanied this time by another former holder Steve Wilson, achieved a record time of 16 hours, 44 minutes and 16 seconds.
This was considered an extremely hard time to beat, and the record remained unbeaten for 17 months. However improvements to the London Underground such as a new Jubilee Line service and an improved Victoria Line as well as general network upgrades meant that the service became more reliable, and faster times were possible.
This was proved so when Marc Gawley from Denton, Greater Manchester set a new time of 16 hours, 29 minutes and 57 seconds on the 21st April 2011. As a fast marathon runner, he revealed that he did not use any buses on the day, preferring instead to make all his connections on foot.
Marc's record lasted for just thirty six days, when previous record holders Andi James and Steve Wilson shaved just 44 seconds off of the time, setting a new record time of 16 hours, 29 minutes and 13 seconds on the 27th May 2011.
Other recent attempts have included a Cambridge University student in 2006, and a pub landlord from Reading.
A charity attempt known as 'Tube Relief' took place following the 7 July 2005 London bombings
to raise money for the London Bombings Relief Charitable Fund. Fifty one people, including a New Orleans police captain rode the entire tube network for the day, raising over £10,000 towards the official charity fund.
Richard Graham attempted the record on the 19th February 2010, raising money for Tearfund
, a Christian organisation which uses funds for churches in third-world countries.
A Sue Ryder
charity event took place on 9 November 2011, where ten teams competed against each other to have their photo taken outside as many of the 270 stations as possible.
Richie Firth from Absolute Radio raised the profile of challenging by announcing a record attempt, as part of the Christian O'Connell
breakfast show. Although a test run was made, the attempt was postponed due to Richie failing a medical.
London Underground
The London Underground is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England...
network in the fastest time possible. Participants do not have to travel along all lines to complete the challenge, merely to pass through all the stations on the system. Participants may connect between stations on foot, or by using other forms of public transport.
History
The first recorded challenge took place in 1959. Although many people have attempted the challenge and held the record since, they have not always been credited in the record books. In the earlier days of the challenge, participants were permitted to use private forms of transport (such as a car or bike) to move between stations. This led to times of less than 16 hours in some earlier records, and Guinness later changed the rules to ban private transport.The following is a list of record holders that have appeared in the Guinness Book of Records. The record did not appear in the book until its eighth edition.
| Date | Record Holder(s) | Stations | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 1960 | George Hurst & Jane Barwick | 264 | 18 hours, 35 minutes |
| 9 September 1961 | J Birch, B Phillips & N Storr | 264 | 18 hours, 9 minutes |
| 3 December 1960 | K A Branch and J Branch | 273 | 20 hours, 0 minutes |
| 22 August 1963 | Christopher Niekirk | 272 | 14 hours, 58 minutes |
| 4 July 1964 | A Mortimer, J P Herting, D Corke & G Elliot | 272 | 14 hours, 17 minutes |
| 7 September 1965 | Alan Paul Jenkins | 273 | 16 hours, 57 minutes |
| 1 November 1966 | Leslie Burwood | 273 | 15 hours, 53 minutes |
| 1 September 1967 | Leslie Burwood | 277 | 14 hours, 33 minutes |
| 3 September 1968 | Leslie Burwood | 277 | 15 hours, 0 minutes |
| 27 June 1969 | Anthony Durkin and Peter Griffiths | 277 | 16 hours, 5 minutes |
| 20 May 1980 | John & Stephen Trafford | 278 | 18 hours, 3 minutes |
| 3 December 1981 | Colin Mulvany | 277 | 17 hours, 37 minutes |
| 14 April 1986 | Robert Robinson, Peter David Robinson, John Garde, Timothy John Clark | 272 | 19 hours, 51 minutes, 14 seconds |
| 30 July 1986 | Robert Robinson, Peter David Robinson, Timothy Robinson, Timothy Clark, Richard Harris | 272 | 18 hours, 41 minutes, 41 seconds |
| 4 October 1994 | Robert Robinson, Tom McLaughlin | 270 | 18 hours, 18 minutes, 9 seconds |
| 16 March 2000 | Robert Robinson, Chris Loxton, Chris Stubley, Chris Whiteoak, Olly Rich and Adam Waller | 272 | 19 hours, 57 minutes, 47 seconds |
Between the 1960s and 1990s the record regularly appeared in the Guinness Book of Records, initially listed under "Underground Railways - circuit of", but later just under "Railways" and then "Trains". Since the change of publishing style of the book from the 2001 edition onwards, the record - although frequently broken - has only once appeared in printed form, in the 2008 edition. More recent records have tended to be published online instead.
On 3 April 2002 Jack Welsby set a new record time by traversing the system in 19 hours, 18 minutes and 45 seconds. Welsby made just one attempt, starting his route at Heathrow and finishing at Amersham.
This time was beaten on the 4th May 2004 by Geoff Marshall and Neil Blake who achieved a new record time of 18 hours 35 minutes and 43 seconds. Their attempt began on the first train out of Amersham
Amersham
Amersham is a market town and civil parish within Chiltern district in Buckinghamshire, England, 27 miles north west of London, in the Chiltern Hills. It is part of the London commuter belt....
on the Metropolitan Line and ended at Upminster
Upminster
Upminster is a suburban town in northeast London, England, and part of the London Borough of Havering. Located east-northeast of Charing Cross, it is one of the locally important district centres identified in the London Plan, and comprises a number of shopping streets and a large residential...
, and took Guinness World Records four months to ratify it. A previous attempt had been broadcast on TV as part of The Tube
The Tube
The Tube may refer to:*The London Underground* "The Tube", slang for Television, from the term cathode ray tube*The Tube , an ITV/Sky programme featuring the work of staff on the London Underground...
TV series.
Although this time stood for two years before being beaten by just five seconds, it was not until Håkan Wolgé and Lars Andersson (both from Sweden) set a new record time for a network of 275 stations that it appeared in the Guinness Book of Records again, in the 2008 edition. They set a new record of 18 hours, 25 minutes and 3 seconds, on the 26th September 2006.
Changes to the network (and the total number of stations) meant the record was 'reset' and broken three more times during 2007 and 2008. In March 2008, Heathrow Terminal 5 opened as a new station and 'reset' the record with the total number of stations to visit now at 269. Shortly after Andi James, Martin Hazel and Sara Wearn set a new time on 8th July, 2008 of 17 hours, 56 minutes and 11 seconds.
Although the total number of stations to visit became 270 in October of 2008 when Wood Lane station opened, Guinness ruled that it was not a significant enough change to warrant a record reset.
James beat his own record on July 24th 2008, with a time of 17 hours, 12 minutes 43 seconds. On the 4th of December 2009, the record was beaten by Samantha Cawley with a time of 17 hours, 2 minutes, 23 seconds.
On the 14th December 2009, previous record holders James and Hazel, accompanied this time by another former holder Steve Wilson, achieved a record time of 16 hours, 44 minutes and 16 seconds.
This was considered an extremely hard time to beat, and the record remained unbeaten for 17 months. However improvements to the London Underground such as a new Jubilee Line service and an improved Victoria Line as well as general network upgrades meant that the service became more reliable, and faster times were possible.
This was proved so when Marc Gawley from Denton, Greater Manchester set a new time of 16 hours, 29 minutes and 57 seconds on the 21st April 2011. As a fast marathon runner, he revealed that he did not use any buses on the day, preferring instead to make all his connections on foot.
Marc's record lasted for just thirty six days, when previous record holders Andi James and Steve Wilson shaved just 44 seconds off of the time, setting a new record time of 16 hours, 29 minutes and 13 seconds on the 27th May 2011.
Charity attempts
It is quite common for people to attempt the challenge and be sponsored for it — often on a 'pence per station' basis, or a complete sum for travelling the whole network. Attempts have been linked to charities such as Children in Need and Comic Relief.Other recent attempts have included a Cambridge University student in 2006, and a pub landlord from Reading.
A charity attempt known as 'Tube Relief' took place following the 7 July 2005 London bombings
7 July 2005 London bombings
The 7 July 2005 London bombings were a series of co-ordinated suicide attacks in the United Kingdom, targeting civilians using London's public transport system during the morning rush hour....
to raise money for the London Bombings Relief Charitable Fund. Fifty one people, including a New Orleans police captain rode the entire tube network for the day, raising over £10,000 towards the official charity fund.
Richard Graham attempted the record on the 19th February 2010, raising money for Tearfund
Tearfund
Tearfund is a UK Christian relief and development agency which works in over 50 countries. It is a founding member of both the Micah Network and the Disasters Emergency Committee.-History:...
, a Christian organisation which uses funds for churches in third-world countries.
A Sue Ryder
Sue Ryder
Margaret Susan Cheshire, Baroness Ryder of Warsaw and Baroness Cheshire, CMG, OBE , best known as Sue Ryder, was a British volunteer with Special Operations Executive in the Second World War, who afterwards led many charitable organizations, notably the charity named in her honour.-Early...
charity event took place on 9 November 2011, where ten teams competed against each other to have their photo taken outside as many of the 270 stations as possible.
Other Attempts
A smaller version of the challenge — in which only the Zone 1 stations are visited — is also frequently undertaken by people who don't want to do the whole thing, sometimes for charity purposes.Richie Firth from Absolute Radio raised the profile of challenging by announcing a record attempt, as part of the Christian O'Connell
Christian O'Connell
Christian O'Connell is an English radio DJ who presents the Absolute Radio weekday breakfast show.He has formerly hosted BBC Radio Five Live's weekend sports game show Fighting Talk alongside the weekday breakfast show on indie music station Xfm London...
breakfast show. Although a test run was made, the attempt was postponed due to Richie failing a medical.
See also
- List of Tube stations
- Timeline of the London UndergroundTimeline of the London UndergroundThe transport system now known as the London Underground began in 1863 with the Metropolitan Railway, the world's first underground railway. Over the next forty years, the early sub-surface lines reached out from the urban centre of the capital into the surrounding rural margins, leading to the...
- Subway ChallengeSubway ChallengeThe objective of the Subway Challenge is to navigate the entire New York City Subway system in the shortest time possible. This ride is also known as the Rapid Transit Challenge and the "Ultimate Ride".There are two primary variations of this challenge:...
- The corresponding challenge in New York, USA.