Misplaced Pages

Tube Challenge: Difference between revisions

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
Browse history interactively← Previous editNext edit →Content deleted Content addedVisualWikitext
Revision as of 01:34, 11 September 2010 view sourceSmackBot (talk | contribs)3,734,324 editsm Date maintenance tags and general fixes: build 515:← Previous edit Revision as of 18:54, 11 September 2010 view source Chase me ladies, I'm the Cavalry (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers, Rollbackers31,859 edits Complete re-write, removing all unsourced and poorly sourced material. Hopefully we can build on this.Next edit →
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Infobox game
{{COI|date=September 2010}}
| title = Tube Challenge
{{Original research|date=September 2010}}
| subtitle =
The '''Tube Challenge''' is the accepted name for the ] attempt to visit all of the ] stations in the fastest time possible, of which there are currently 270 (See ]). Those who attempt to break the record are referred to as '''Tube Challengers'''.
| image_link = ]
| image_caption = The London Underground roundel
| years = 1970s-present
| players = 1+
| setup_time =
| playing_time = 1 day
| random_chance =
| skills =
}}


The '''Tube Challenge''' is the accepted name for the ] attempt to visit all of the ] stations in the fastest time possible, of which there are currently 270.
Guinness lay down numerous rules and conditions under which challenges must be completed in order for an attempt to be eligible for World Record consideration. The main stipulation is that all stations must be visited by either arriving or leaving on a London Underground train, which must must stop or arrive at every tube station, ''in normal public service'' <ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.tubeforum.co.uk/rules.html |title=The Rules of The Challenge |publisher=Tubeforum.co.uk |date=2004-05-05 |accessdate=2010-06-22}}</ref>{{Dubious|date=September 2010}}. It is not necessary to get out at each station . It is permitted instead to use another operator's train only if it runs on the same tracks as the Underground, e.g. on the Richmond branch of the ]). Travel between stations by other means is allowed, for example between two termini, but this can only be done on foot or by using ].


Several attempts have been notable enough to receive coverage in local or national news. The first in recent years were Geoff Marshall and Neil Blake, who, in May 2004, finally achieved the record with a time of 18 hours 35 minutes and 43 seconds. The attempt began at 05:29 at ] on the Metropolitan Line and ended at ] on the District Line - however, it took four months for Guinness World Records to recognise the attempt.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/3700658.stm|title=Tube station visit record broken|publisher=BBC News|accessdate=2004-09-29}}</ref> Richard Graham also attempted the record on 19 February 2010, to raise money for ], a Christian organisation which uses funds churches in third-world countries.<ref name=NorthDevon>{{cite news
The length of time required to visit all stations on the network is currently at around seventeen hours - only slightly shorter than the daily operating hours of the system. Completing the challenge in a single day is therefore difficult, particularly considering some stations are not open at all times of day, and some parts have an infrequent service. Depending on the route used, there can be a fine margin between successfully recording a record time or failing altogether to visit all the stations.
|author = Steph Cockroft

|title = Richard's going underground to beat tube record
The current official Guinness World Record stands at 16 hours, 44 minutes and 16 seconds which was achieved by Martin Hazel, Andi James and Steve Wilson on the 14th December 2009.{{Citation needed|date=September 2010}}
|quote = ''Richard Graham, 23, a former pupil of South Molton Community College, intends to travel through 270 stations in the shortest time possible to raise cash for Tearfund, a Christian charity which aims to tackle global poverty through the church... The challenge will take place on Friday, February 19.''

|publisher = North Devon Journal
== The history of the challenge ==
|date = February 4, 2010

|url =
The first recorded instance of a World Record being set for the completion of the challenge dates back to 13 June 1959 when R.J. Lewis and D.R. Longley attempted the challenge. Unfortunately no further information is available for this particular attempt, but it established what has since become a well-known and (particularly within circles of enthusiasts) well-respected challenge. There have subsequently been numerous recorded attempts - a few successful, most unsuccessful - and doubtless many more unrecorded attempts. The list that follows is by no means exhaustive, but merely a record of those who have made notable efforts or who have even held the record themselves.
|accessdate =

}}</ref>
===The 1960s===

The first documented record was set on 3 December 1960 by K. and J. Branch, who completed the network (of then 277 stations) in a time of 20 hours and 27 minutes. Marshall<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.geofftech.co.uk/tube/others.html|title=Tube Challenge History|publisher=Geoff Marshall|accessdate=2007-11-21}}</ref>{{Dubious|date=September 2010}}
has collated details of the progress of the record in the 1960s which, alongside the historical material at www.tubechallenge.com,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.tubeforum.co.uk/record_times.html|title=World Record Times|accessdate=2007-11-21}}</ref>{{Dubious|date=September 2010}} form the source material for the following table. Other notable attempts come from Keith Shirland who, despite not breaking the record, completed the network several times in the late 1960s to late 1970s. A common starting place at this time was Ongar. Other starting stations used included Upminster,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://homepage.ntlworld.com/rosenstiel/trains/undtrip.htm|title=London Underground trip 1970|accessdate=2010-09-10}}</ref> West Kensington and Wembley Park, which involved going straight to Watford and then to Chesham afterwards.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Date
! Record Holder(s)
! Stations
! Time (hr:min)
|-
| 3 December 1960
| K.Branch and J.Branch
| 277
| 20:27
|-
| 1 June 1965
| J.P.Chambers and M.P. Atkinson
| 273
| 18:45
|-
| 12 July 1965
| A.J.T Holmes and C.J.N Holmes
| 273
| 18:32
|-
| 7 September 1965
| Alan Jenkins
| 273
| 16:56
|}

The regulations of the time defined "Class A" attempts, which allowed only public transport to be used and were most similar to the modern rules, and "Class B" attempts, where private transport was permitted between stations. Some recorded times which appear to be "Class B", together with incomplete attempts, have been omitted from the table. The network in 1960 was considerably different from the network that exists today - for more information, see 'Network Changes' below.

===1979 to 2000: The 'Bob Robinson' era===

The most prolific Tube Challenger of all, Bob Robinson, made 51 attempts between 1979 and 2000, completing 46 and setting the record time on 6 occasions. He held (with Tom McLaughlin) the pre-Jubilee line extension record of 18 hours 18 minutes 9 seconds for 270 stations.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Date
! Record Holder(s)
! Stations
! Time
|-
| 18 October 1979
| Peter Altman, Marilyn Nathan and Ralph Cramer
| 278
| 19:25
|-
| 25 March 1980
| Robert Robinson, David Herring, Paul Eddington & Finn Gleeson
| 278
| 18:22
|-
| 20 May 1980
| John Trafford and Stephen Trafford
| 278
| 18:03
|-
| 23 June 1981
| Robert Robinson and Finn Gleeson
| 278
| 17:57
|-
| 16 September 1981
| Jon Brown, Robert Anderson and Alex Chin-A-Fat
| 278
| 17:48
|-
| 21 October 1981
| Nicholas Mitchell and Ian Robins
| 278
| 17:42:38
|-
| 3 December 1981
| Colm Mulvaney and Seth Vlardis
| 277
| 17:37
|-
| 14 April 1986
| Robert Robinson, Peter Robinson, John Garde and Timothy Clark
| 272
| 19:51:14
|-
| 30 July 1986
| Robert Robinson, Peter Robinson, Timothy Robinson, Timothy Clark and Richard Harris
| 273
| 18:41:41
|-
| 4 October 1994
| Robert Robinson and Tom McLaughlin
| 270
| 18:18:09
|}

===2000 - 2009 Changing of the Guard===

The opening of the ] in 1999 was a significant addition to the network and may be seen as heralding the beginning of the modern era of Tube Challenging. Nonetheless, it was the doyen of the previous era - Bob Robinson - who led the team that set the first record including the Jubilee extension in March 2000.

In April 2002, Jack Welsby started at Heathrow and finished at Amersham setting a new world record of 19 hours, 18 minutes and 45 seconds. Steven Karahan in February 2004 beat the time starting at Amersham and finishing at Upminster setting a new world record of 18 hours 47 minutes and 57 seconds. His subsequent later successful attempt in April 2008 makes him the only the person to hold two solo records. The appearance of two television programmes featuring (unsuccessful) record attempts by Geoff Marshall raised the profile of Tube Challenging. In May 2004 he finally achieved the record on his seventh attempt with a time of 18 hours 35 minutes and 43 seconds.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/3700658.stm|title=:: news.bbc.co..uk :: tube record beaten :: new world record|publisher=BBC News|accessdate=2004-09-29}}</ref>

Håkan Wolgé and Lars Anderson from Sweden used computer algorithms to calculate a route which helped them set the last 275 station time in September 2006 with 18 hours 25 minutes and 3 seconds. The Brown family of Anthony, Kevin, Phillip and Jamie along with John Stark further raised the media visibility of the challenge with their charity attempts for ] and ] between 2006 and 2009.

The closure of East London Line in December 2007 was a significant reduction to the network and explains the faster times being set today. It led to challengers not having to start on the first train of the day (typically around 05.30am in the Amersham/Chesham corner) but about an hour later instead. This in turn meant shorter waits and better connection times and less time wasted at the first few connections early on in the day, as trains are more frequent an hour after the start of service.

Since May 2006, three ladies have claimed the record (the last female holder had been in 1979). Rachel Brabbins (a reporter for BBC Three Counties), Sara Wearn and Sam Cawley have all held the record, the latter being the only female solo World record holder in the history of the challenge.

Since November 2007 Andi James has made twenty-eight attempts completing the network fifteen times and achieved a new record on three of those occasions. James, along with Bob Robinson, Tomothy Clark and Peter Robinson, are the only people to break their own record times.

During 2009, major works started across the whole of network led to a more reliable network, which has contributed to faster times being possible. Continued improvement works in the run-up to the Olympic Games in London in 2012 are expected to lead to yet more improved journey times. Also, challengers increasingly now run between the on-foot connections (rather than wait for buses), which has led to faster times being achieved.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Date
! Record Holder(s)
! Start
! Finish
! Stations
! Time
|-
| 16&nbsp;March&nbsp;2000
| Robert Robinson, Chris Loxton, Chris Stubley, Chris Whiteoak, Olly Rich and Adam Waller
| Temple
| Amersham
| 272*
| 19:57:47
|-
| 3&nbsp;April&nbsp;2002
| Jack Welsby
| Heathrow&nbsp;T4
| Amersham
| 275
| 19:18:45
|-
| 20&nbsp;February&nbsp;2004
| Steven Karahan
| Amersham
| Upminster
| 275
| 18:47:57
|-
| 5&nbsp;May&nbsp;2004
| Geoff Marshall and Neil Blake
| Amersham
| Upminster
| 275
| 18:35:43<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/3700658.stm |title=BBC News, Tube World Record Broken |publisher=BBC News |date=2004-09-29 |accessdate=2010-06-22}}</ref>
|-
| 30&nbsp;May&nbsp;2006
| Steve Wilson and Samantha Cawley
| Amersham
| Upminster
| 275
| 18:35:38
|-
| 26&nbsp;September&nbsp;2006
| Håkan Wolgé and Lars Andersson
| Amersham
| Heathrow&nbsp;T123
| 275
| 18:25:03
|-
| 25&nbsp;July&nbsp;2007
| Antony, Jamie, Kevin & Phillip Brown and John Stark
| Amersham
| Heathrow&nbsp;T123
| 274
| 18:20:26
|-
| 10&nbsp;April&nbsp;2008
| Steven Karahan
| Amersham
| Heathrow&nbsp;T5
| 269
| 18:18:42
|-
| 18&nbsp;April&nbsp;2008
| Rachel Brabbins, John Stark, Antony, Jamie, Kevin, Phillip and Ryan Brown
| Amersham
| Heathrow&nbsp;T5
| 269
| 17:56:28
|-
| 8&nbsp;July&nbsp;2008
| Martin Hazel, Sara Wearn and Andi James
| Amersham
| Heathrow&nbsp;T5
| 269
| 17:56:11
|-
| 24&nbsp;July&nbsp;2008
| Steven Karahan and Andi James
| Amersham
| Heathrow&nbsp;T5
| 269
| 17:12:43
|-
| 04&nbsp;December&nbsp;2009
| Samantha Cawley
| Amersham
| Heathrow&nbsp;T5
| 270
| 17:02:23<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.scriv.me.uk/?p=319|title=:: scriv.me.uk :: blog :: I've Only Gone And Done It!|publisher=Matthew Scrivin|accessdate=2010-03-16}}</ref>
|-
| '''14&nbsp;December&nbsp;2009'''
| '''Martin Hazel, Steve Wilson and Andi James'''
| '''Chesham'''
| '''Heathrow&nbsp;T5'''
| '''270'''
| '''16:44:16'''<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.tubeforum.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=1515&start=60#p35114|title=Tube 24 3rd World Record|publisher=Andi James|accessdate=2010-06-22}}</ref>
|} '

'''Time in bold represents current official Guinness World Record.'''<br/>
''* The number of stations visited is uncertain''

== Route planning ==

Mathematically, the Tube Challenge is closely analogous to the ]. The successful route of former world record holder Håkan Wolgé was designed by computer, using a ].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://gwr.host-ed.net/ |title=Travelling the London Underground in the shortest time |accessdate=2010-04-12 }}</ref> It is necessary to account not just for the distances or times between stations, but also for the timetable - especially when planning routes over the less frequently served parts of the network. Comparison of recent routes with earlier ones suggests that the dramatic improvement in the record time between 2000-2008 may largely be due to the use of increasingly better routes.

There are a number of commonly used bus, tram, rail or pedestrian connections between termini or near-termini of lines, such as: ] - ] (or ]); ] - ]; ] - ] (or ]); ] - ]; and ] - ]. These may be traversed in either direction, depending on the specifics of the route.

Some connections are often made on foot between geographically proximal points on different lines, or different branches of the same line, such as ] - ] (0.36 miles / 0.59&nbsp;km); ] - ] (0.32 miles / 0.52&nbsp;km); ] - ] (0.65 miles / 1.05&nbsp;km); ] - ] (0.68 miles / 1.10&nbsp;km) and ] - ] (0.46 miles / 0.76&nbsp;km).

== Network changes ==

The London Underground network of today is considerably changed from that Lewis & Longley traversed in 1959. The most significant changes were the openings of the ] (1968–1972) and the ] (1999),<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.geofftech.co.uk/tube/others.html|title=Tube Challenge History|publisher=Geoff Marshall|accessdate=2007-01-13}}</ref> together with the loss of the ] from the network in 2007.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Date
! Line
! style="width:150px;"| Stations Lost
! style="width:150px;"| Stations Gained
! Notes
! Network Size
|-
| 1959
| 25 October
| ]
| ]
| -
| -
| 277 Stations
|-
| 1961
| 10 September
| Metropolitan Line
| ]<br/>]<br/>]<br/>]
| -
| -
| 273 Stations
|-
| 1968
| 1 September
| ]
| -
| ]<br/>]<br/> ]<br/>]
| -
| 277 Stations
|-
|
| -
| ]/] Lines
| -
| -
| ] consolidated
| 276 Stations
|-
| 1971
| 23 July
| Victoria Line
| -
| ]<br/>]
| -
| 278 Stations
|-
| 1972
| 14 September
| Victoria Line
| -
| ]
| -
| 279 Stations
|-
| 1973
| 16 June
| ]
| ]
| -
| Consolidated with Charing Cross (Bakerloo)
| 278 Stations
|-
| 1975
| 19 July
| ]
| -
| ]
| -
| 279 Stations
|-
|
| 4 October
| Northern Line
| ]<br/>]
| -
| ] transferred to British Rail
| 277 Stations
|-
| 1977
| 16 December
| Piccadilly Line
| -
| ]
| -
| 278 Stations
|-
| 1981
| 31 October
| Central Line
| ]
| -
| -
| 277 Stations
|-
| 1982
| 24 September
| ]
| ]<br/>]<br/>]<br/>]<br/>]<br/>]<br/>]<br/>]<br/>]<br/>]<br/>]
| -
| -
| 266 Stations
|-
| 1984
| 4 June
| Bakerloo Line
| -
| Wembley Central<br/>North Wembley<br/>South Kenton<br/>Kenton<br/>Harrow & Wealdstone
| -
| 271 Stations
|-
| 1986
| 12 April
| Piccadilly Line
| -
| ]
| -
| 272 Stations
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1994
| rowspan="2" | 30 September
| Central Line
| ]<br/>]
| -
| ] section of Central Line closed.
| rowspan="2" | 269 Stations
|-
| Piccadilly Line
| ]
| -
| ] branch of Piccadilly Line closed.
|-
| 1995
| 23 March
| ]
| ]<br/>]<br/>]<br/>]<br/>]<br/>]<br/>]
| -
| East London Line closed for repairs<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.davros.org/rail/culg/eastlondon.html |title=Clive's UndergrounD Line Guides - East London Line |accessdate=2008-03-22 }}</ref>
| 262 stations
|-
| 1998
| 23 March
| rowspan="2" | East London Line
| -
| Shadwell<br/>Wapping<br/>Rotherhithe<br/>Surrey Quays<br/>New Cross<br/>New Cross Gate
| rowspan="2" | East London Line reopened
| 268 stations
|-
|
| 27 September
| -
| Shoreditch
| 269 stations
|-
| 1999
| 14 May
| ]
| -
| ]<br/>]
| rowspan="4" | ]
| 271 Stations
|-
|
| 18 August
| East London/Jubilee Lines
| -
| ]
| 272 Stations
|-
|
| 17 September
| Jubilee Line
| -
| ]<br/>]
| 274 Stations
|-
|
| 20 November
| Jubilee Line
| -
| ]
| 275 Stations
|-
| 2006
| 9 June
| East London Line
| ]
| -
| Highly disputed Guinness Rule that replacement bus must be used
| 275 Stations
|-
| 2007
| 23 December
| East London Line
| ]<br/>]<br/>]<br/>]<br/>]<br/>]
| -
| ] closed for engineering work prior to its incorporation in ]; permanently removed from the ] network.
| 268 Stations
|-
| 2008
| 27 March
| Piccadilly Line
| -
| ]
|
| 269 Stations
|-
|
| 12 October<ref>{{Dead link|date=June 2010}}</ref>
| ]
| -
| ]
|
| 270 Stations
|}

==Charity Attempts==

It is quite common for an attempt to be linked to a charity, raising money on a per-station completed basis, or a set amount for getting round the whole system. An attempt was made by some challengers in aid of ] on the very first ] in 1988. More recently, another ] attempt was made in March 2009, when a group of challengers dressed up as Superheroes for a day<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://jamesthegill.blogspot.com/2009/03/red-nose-day-tube-challenge-2009.html |title=Red Nose Day Tube Challenging |publisher=James Tong |date= |accessdate=2010-07--3}}</ref> and chased a 'convict' around the system whilst filming the event for a DVD, with the proceeds going to the charity. Towards the end of 2010 there will be an attempt at The Tube Challenge<ref>The preparations for the world record attempt are detailed at http://www.thetubechallenge.com/</ref> linked to the charity ].

In 2006 the first annual charity attempt was made in aid of ]. Challengers taking part featured on ]<ref>{{Cite web|author=&ldquo;&rdquo; |url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfZjV7XjnRI |title=Audio of Children In Need Tube Challenge 2006 |publisher=Youtube.com |date= |accessdate=2010-06-22}}</ref> and ] during the challenge.

In the wake of ], a special charity event "Tube Relief"<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.tuberelief.co.uk/ |title=Tube Relief |publisher=Tube Relief |date= |accessdate=2010-06-22}}</ref> was organised, to encourage people to ride the tube all day and attempt to visit all the stations. The spirit of the event was not to try and break the record time, but to merely show that the "We're not afraid" tag line in use at the time was very much true. On 25 August 2005, sixty-seven people participated - most of them travelling the majority of the network - starting at ] and finishing at ]. Over £10,000 was raised in total for the official relief fund.

==Tube Challenge in the media==

Former Guinness World Record holder Geoff Marshall was featured in an episode of the ] documentary series (later sold to ] amongst others) "]", as he and friend Dave Brooks attempted (unsuccessfully) to break the record.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.geofftech.co.uk/tube/tube3.html |title=Tube 3 (the one in "24 hours") |publisher=geofftech.co.uk |date= |accessdate=2010-06-22}}</ref><ref name="geofftech1">{{Cite web|url=http://www.geofftech.co.uk/tube/media.html |title=Media/TV appearances |publisher=geofftech.co.uk |date=2003-10-16 |accessdate=2010-06-22}}</ref>

A few months later, as part of the 'Metroland' series of programmes on ITV, Geoff appeared again: this time with two friends, Chris Vinall and Peter Martell, as they made another (unsuccessful) attempt. This programme was called 'Race Around The Underground'<ref name="geofftech1"/> and also featured previous world record holders Jack Welsby and Bob Robinson.

The 'Tube Relief' charity attempt attracted attention from ]<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/4180368.stm |title=BBC News, Tube Challenge for Bomb Charity |publisher=BBC News |date=2005-08-25 |accessdate=2010-06-22}}</ref> and ], as well as several channels in ], ], from where one participant had travelled to take part, only to return home in the wake of ].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2005/08/tami-in-news-and-on-tv.html |title=Going Underground - Tami in the news and on TV |publisher=London-underground.blogspot.com |date=2005-08-31 |accessdate=2010-06-22}}</ref>

In April 2008, BBC Three Counties Radio featured the Tube Challenge for a week on the Lorna Milton show, culminating in the coverage of a record attempt by station reporter Rachel Brabbins, who along with Ryan Brown joined current holders Antony, Jamie, Kevin and Phillip Brown and John Stark for the day. The teams progress was followed by the station throughout the day, and they finished in a new record time of 17 hours, 56 minutes and 28 seconds.

On 17 November 2008, a team of Tube Challengers appeared on the BBC2 quiz show ].

==Tube Challenge documentaries online==

On 10 February 2009, a team of Southampton students filmed an online documentary with record holder Andi James.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Jem |first=William |url=http://www.vimeo.com/4799982 |title=Mind the Gap London 2009 |publisher=Vimeo.com |date= |accessdate=2010-06-22}}</ref>

On 14 September 2009 Paul Berry along with Simon Hollett, Hassan Chagani, Chris Marshall and Andi James also filmed an online documentary<ref>{{Cite web|last=Beans |first=Pouring |url=http://www.vimeo.com/6717302 |title=Tube Challenge 14/09/09 |publisher=Vimeo.com |date= |accessdate=2010-06-22}}</ref> simply called "Tube Challenge".

==Tube Challenge in literature==

The 2001 novel '']'' (ISBN 0-09-941668-9) by author ] follows a fictional man who on the eve of his wedding, in a fit of last-minute nerves, makes a drunken bet about completing a Tube Challenge and thus putting his wedding at risk. Ian Marchant's 2003 autobiography Parallel Lines (ISBN 0-7475-6584-8) includes a description of a solo attempt at the Challenge.

==Other Challenges==

Though corresponding full system tours have been recorded for numerous cities, including Paris, Berlin and Moscow, Guinness World Records only acknowledge attempts for London and New York. The latter is known as the ] and takes longer than London to complete as there are substantially more stations on the New York subway.

There are also ], shorter than the full network, on the London Underground.


A charity attempt, known as 'Tube Relief', was timed to begin after Marshal and Blake's May 2004 attempt.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/4180368.stm |title=Tube challenge for bomb charity|publisher=BBC News |date=2005-08-25 |accessdate=2010-06-22}}</ref> Paul Webb, from ], joined 51 other people - including a ] police captain - to raise funds for the ]. They hoped to raise at least £20,000 through their efforts. <ref name=Burnley>{{cite news
|author =
|title = 'We showed we are not afraid'
|quote = ''Some of those taking part included Tami Brisset, a police captain from New Orleans, who flew over especially.... Mr Webb revealed he is continuing to collect the sponsor money and expects the total will eventually increase to over £20,000.''
|publisher = Burnley Express
|date = September 1, 2005
|url =
|accessdate =
}}</ref>
==See Also
*]
*]
== References == == References ==
{{Reflist}} {{Reflist}}

== External links ==
*

{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2010}}

]
]

Revision as of 18:54, 11 September 2010

Tube Challenge
The London Underground roundel
Years active1970s-present
Players1+
Playing time1 day

The Tube Challenge is the accepted name for the Guinness World Record attempt to visit all of the London Underground stations in the fastest time possible, of which there are currently 270.

Several attempts have been notable enough to receive coverage in local or national news. The first in recent years were Geoff Marshall and Neil Blake, who, in May 2004, finally achieved the record with a time of 18 hours 35 minutes and 43 seconds. The attempt began at 05:29 at Amersham on the Metropolitan Line and ended at Upminster on the District Line - however, it took four months for Guinness World Records to recognise the attempt. Richard Graham also attempted the record on 19 February 2010, to raise money for Tearfund, a Christian organisation which uses funds churches in third-world countries.

A charity attempt, known as 'Tube Relief', was timed to begin after Marshal and Blake's May 2004 attempt. Paul Webb, from Clitheroe, joined 51 other people - including a New Orleans police captain - to raise funds for the London Bombings Relief Charitable Fund. They hoped to raise at least £20,000 through their efforts. ==See Also

References

  1. "Tube station visit record broken". BBC News. Retrieved 2004-09-29.
  2. Steph Cockroft (February 4, 2010). "Richard's going underground to beat tube record". North Devon Journal. Richard Graham, 23, a former pupil of South Molton Community College, intends to travel through 270 stations in the shortest time possible to raise cash for Tearfund, a Christian charity which aims to tackle global poverty through the church... The challenge will take place on Friday, February 19.
  3. "Tube challenge for bomb charity". BBC News. 2005-08-25. Retrieved 2010-06-22.
  4. "'We showed we are not afraid'". Burnley Express. September 1, 2005. Some of those taking part included Tami Brisset, a police captain from New Orleans, who flew over especially.... Mr Webb revealed he is continuing to collect the sponsor money and expects the total will eventually increase to over £20,000.