:Tube Challenge
{{Short description|Fastest time to travel to all London Underground Stations}}
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{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2017}}
File:London_Underground_full_map.svg and the Docklands Light Railway]]
The Tube Challenge is the competition for the fastest time to travel to all London Underground stations, tracked as a Guinness World Record since 1960. The goal is to visit all the stations on the system, not necessarily all the lines; participants may connect between stations on foot, or by using other forms of public transport.
{{As of|March 2025}}, the record for fastest completion (272 stations) is held by Robin Otter and Thomas Sheat, who completed the challenge in 17 hours, 46 minutes and 48 seconds on 10 August 2024.{{cite news|url=https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/677236-fastest-time-to-travel-to-all-london-underground-stations|title=Fastest time to travel to all London Underground stations|quote=17 hr 46 min 48 sec and was achieved by Robin Otter and Thomas Sheat (both UK), in London, UK, on 10 August 2024.|publisher=Guinness World Records}}
A similar unofficial tube-related challenge is also completed where participants try and ride all 14 London Underground lines as quickly as possible. This challenge was dubbed: "The All Lines challenge".{{Cite web |title=diamond geezer |url=https://diamondgeezer.blogspot.com/2023/11/all-lines-challenge.html |access-date=2024-03-03 |website=diamondgeezer.blogspot.com}}{{Cite web |title=Top Times: All Lines |url=https://www.explorerticket.co.uk/tubechallenge/alllinetop.htm |access-date=2024-03-03 |website=www.explorerticket.co.uk}}
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{{when|date=July 2011}} to ban private transport.
The following is a list of record holders that have appeared in the printed edition of the Guinness Book of Records. The record did not appear in the book until its eighth edition.
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| data-sort-type="date" | Date
! Record Holder(s) ! Stations ! Time |
|---|
| {{sort|1960-03|March 1960}}
| George Hurst and Jane Barwick{{cite book|title=The Guinness Book of Records|year=1962|publisher=Guinness Superlatives Ltd|page=191|edition=10th }} | 264 | 18 hours, 35 minutes |
| {{sort|1961-09-09|9 September 1961}}
| J Birch, B Phillips and N Storr{{cite book|title=The Guinness Book of Records|year=1960|publisher=Guinness Superlatives Ltd|page=183|edition=8th }} | 274 | 18 hours, 9 minutes |
| {{sort|1960-12-03|3 December 1960}}
| K A Branch and J Branch{{cite book|title=The Guinness Book of Records|year=1964|publisher=Guinness Superlatives Ltd|page=190|edition=11th }} | 273 | 20 hours, 0 minutes |
| {{sort|1963-08-22|22 August 1963}}
| 272 | 14 hours, 58 minutes |
| {{sort|1964-07-04|4 July 1964}}
| A Mortimer, J P Herting, D Corke and G Elliot{{cite book|title=The Guinness Book of Records|year=1965|publisher=Guinness Superlatives Ltd|page=200|edition=12th }} | 272 | 14 hours, 17 minutes |
| {{sort|1965-09-07|7 September 1965}}
| 273 | 16 hours, 57 minutes |
| {{sort|1966-11-01|1 November 1966}}
| Leslie Burwood{{cite book|title=The Guinness Book of Records|year=1967|publisher=Guinness Superlatives Ltd|page=137|edition=14th }} | 273 | 15 hours, 53 minutes |
| {{sort|1967-09-01|1 September 1967}}
| Leslie Burwood{{cite book|title=The Guinness Book of Records|year=1969|publisher=Guinness Superlatives Ltd|page=175|edition=15th }} | 277 | 14 hours, 33 minutes |
| {{sort|1968-09-03|3 September 1968}}
| Leslie Burwood{{cite book|title=The Guinness Book of Records|year=1970|publisher=Guinness Superlatives Ltd|page=137|edition=17th }} | 277 | 15 hours, 0 minutes |
| {{sort|1969-06-27|27 June 1969}}
| Anthony Durkin and Peter Griffiths{{cite book|title=The Guinness Book of Records|year=1969|publisher=Guinness Superlatives Ltd|page=183|edition=16th }} | 277 | 16 hours, 5 minutes |
| {{sort|1980-05-20|20 May 1980}}
| John Trafford and Stephen Trafford{{cite book|title=The Guinness Book of Records|year=1980|publisher=Guinness Superlatives Ltd|page=143|edition=27th }} | 278 | 18 hours, 3 minutes |
| {{sort|1981-12-03|3 December 1981}}
| Colm Mulvany{{cite book|title=Guinness Book of Records|year=1982|publisher=Guinness Superlatives Ltd|page=145|edition=29th }} | 277 | 17 hours, 37 minutes |
| {{sort|1982-07-22|22 July 1982}}
| Peter Robinson (youngest person to tour all stations, aged 8){{cite book|title=Guinness Book of Records 1987|year=1986|publisher=Guinness Superlatives Ltd|page=132}} | 277 | Not given |
| {{sort|1986-04-14|14 April 1986}}
| Robert Robinson, Peter David Robinson, John Garde and Timothy John Clark{{cite book|title=The Guinness Book of Records 1987|year=1986|publisher=Guinness Superlatives Ltd|page=132|edition=33rd }} | 272 | 19 hours, 51 minutes, 14 seconds |
| {{sort|1986-07-30|30 July 1986}}
| Robert Robinson, Peter David Robinson, Timothy Robinson, Timothy Clark and Richard Harris{{cite book|title=Guinness Book of Records|year=1993|publisher=Guinness World Records|page=125}} | 272 | 18 hours, 41 minutes, 41 seconds |
| {{sort|1994-10-04|4 October 1994}}
| Robert Robinson and Tom McLaughlin{{cite book|title=The New Guinness Book of Records|year=1996|publisher=Guinness Publishing Ltd|page=124}} | 270 | 18 hours, 18 minutes, 9 seconds |
| {{sort|2000-03-16|16 March 2000}}
| Robert Robinson, Chris Loxton, Chris Stubley, Chris Whiteoak, Olly Rich and Adam Waller{{Cite book|title=Guinness Book of Records|year=2002|publisher=Guinness World Records|page=186}} | 272 | 19 hours, 57 minutes, 47 seconds |
| {{Sort|2006-09-26|26 September 2006}}
| Håkan Wolgé and Lars Andersson{{cite book|title=Guinness Book of Records|year=2008|publisher=Guinness World Records|page=198}} | 275 | 18 hours, 25 minutes, 3 seconds |
| {{Sort|2013-10-01|1 October 2013}}
| Geoff Marshall and Anthony Smith{{cite book|title=Guinness Book of Records|year=2015|publisher=Guinness World Records|page=189}} | 270 | 16 hours, 20 minutes, 27 seconds |
| {{Sort|2015-05-21|21 May 2015}}
| Steve Wilson and Andi James{{cite book|title=Guinness Book of Records|year=2021|publisher=Guinness World Records|page=130}} | 270 | 15 hours, 45 minutes, 38 seconds |
| {{Sort|2023-10-23|23 October 2023}}
| Arthur Philipps, Ruairí O'Grady, John Mawdsley, Alex Rennie, Tim Livant, Joseph Solomon, Alex Sinclair, Yipeng Xu{{cite book|title=Guinness Book of Records|year=2024|publisher=Guinness World Records}} | 272 | 18 hours, 08 minutes, 13 seconds |
| {{Sort|2024-08-10|10 August 2024}}
| Robin Otter and Thomas Sheat {{cite web |title=Fastest time to travel to all London Underground stations |url=https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/677236-fastest-time-to-travel-to-all-london-underground-stations |publisher=Guinness World Records |access-date=18 March 2025}} | 272 | 17 hours, 46 minutes, 48 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 twice appeared in printed form, in the 2008 edition, and then the 2015 edition. More recent records have tended to be published online instead. Since the record has not regularly been published in the book, there have been two broad configurations on the system – one for 275 stations, and one for 270 once the East London Line was no longer part of the network.
=275 stations=
On 3 April 2002 Jack Welsby set a new record time for 275 stations by traversing the system in 19 hours, 18 minutes and 45 seconds.{{cite news|url=http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-433122-new-record-set-on-the-tube.do|title=New record set on the tube|newspaper=Evening Standard|accessdate=24 July 2002|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100305141751/http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-433122-new-record-set-on-the-tube.do|archivedate=5 March 2010}} Welsby made just one attempt, starting his route at Heathrow and finishing at Amersham.
This time was beaten on 4 May 2004 by Geoff Marshall and Neil Blake who achieved a new record time of 18 hours 35 minutes and 43 seconds.{{cite news|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/every-tube-station-in-18-hours-7235423.html|title=Every Tube station in 18 hours|newspaper=Evening Standard|accessdate=5 April 2016}} Their attempt began on the first train out of Amersham on the Metropolitan Line and ended at Upminster, and it took Guinness World Records four months to ratify it.{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/3700658.stm|title=Tube station visit record broken|publisher=BBC News|accessdate=29 September 2004 | date=29 September 2004}} A previous attempt had been broadcast on TV as part of The Tube TV series and another attempt had been televised as part of an ITV1 programme Metroland: Race Around the Underground on 16 October 2003.{{cite news|url=http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/showbiz/article-7231700-going-down-the-tubes.do|title=Going down the tubes|newspaper=Evening Standard|date=17 October 2003|accessdate=27 January 2013|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110429143148/http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/showbiz/article-7231700-going-down-the-tubes.do|archivedate=29 April 2011}}
Although this time stood for two years before being beaten by just five seconds by Samantha Cawley and Steve Wilson on 30 May 2006,{{cite news|url=http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l9/tytc4/GWRCertificate.jpg|title=Guinness World Records Certificate: Steven Wilson and Samantha Cawley (both UK) travelled through all 275 stations on the London Underground network in a time of 18hr 35min 38sec on 30 May 2006}}{{cite news|url=https://s92.photobucket.com/user/tytc4/library?page=1|title=Steven Wilson's (tytc4) Photobucket|date=2006}}{{Non-primary source needed|date=July 2024}} it was not until Håkan Wolgé and Lars Andersson (both from Sweden) set a new record time for 275 stations that it appeared in the Guinness World Records book again, in the 2008 edition. They set a new record of 18 hours, 25 minutes and 3 seconds, on 26 September 2006.
=270 stations=
In 2007, the closure of the East London Line (incorporated into London Overground) removed seven stations from the Underground network, while Wood Lane and Heathrow Terminal 5 both opened in 2008, resulting in the record being 'reset' several times in quick succession before the network settled on 270 stations for the following 13 years.
Subsequent holders of the 270-station record were Andi James and Steven Karahan, who set a time of 17 hours, 12 minutes and 43 seconds on 24 July 2008.{{Cite news|title=So you think you know the Tube?|quote="At the time of writing the official Guinness World Record stood at 17 hours, 12 minutes and 43 seconds (set on 24 July 2008 by Steven Karahan and Andi James)."|publisher=BBC London|date=19 July 2010|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/london/hi/people_and_places/history/newsid_8834000/8834065.stm}}
On 14 December 2009, James set another record with Martin Hazel and Steve Wilson, achieving a time of 16 hours, 44 minutes and 16 seconds.{{Cite news |title = Richard's going underground on charity mission|quote = [will] attempt to dethrone Andi James, Martin Hazel and Steve Wilson who set the benchmark on December 14, 2009.|work = This Is Plymouth |date = 4 February 2010 |url =http://www.thisisplymouth.co.uk/Richard-s-going-underground-charity-mission/story-11837754-detail/story.html |accessdate = 12 July 2011 |url-status = dead |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20120614040236/http://www.thisisplymouth.co.uk/Richard-s-going-underground-charity-mission/story-11837754-detail/story.html |archivedate = 14 June 2012 |df = dmy-all}} TfL used this route four years later as part of the Art on the Underground labyrinth project to mark the 150th anniversary of the London Underground, installing permanent designs at stations in the same order that the world record route had taken, and later appeared in an Information Capital article.{{cite news|newspaper=Telegraph|title=How to do the Tube Challenge|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/11174269/How-to-do-the-Tube-Challenge.html|accessdate=20 October 2014}} The three became the first people to have held records for both the London Underground and the New York City Subway when they beat the New York Subway Challenge record in November 2013.{{cite news |url=http://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/10866339.Bournemouth_tube_challenger_breaks_record_for_visiting_New_York_s_468_subway_stations_in_fastest_time/?ref=rss |title=Bournemouth tube challenger breaks record for visiting New York's 468 subway stations in fastest time|last=Awford | first=Jenny | work=Daily Echo| date= 10 December 2013 | access-date= 24 September 2018}}
The record remained unbeaten for 17 months, until Marc Gawley from Denton, Greater Manchester, set a new time of 16 hours, 29 minutes and 57 seconds on 21 April 2011.{{cite news|newspaper=Manchester Evening News|title=New world record for Denton man who travelled to all 270 London tube stations in under 17 hours |url=http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/news/s/1425496_new-world-record-for-denton-man-who-travelled-to-all-270-london-tube-stations-in-under-17-hours |accessdate=2 July 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. Gawley's record was beaten 37 days later, when James and Wilson completed the challenge in just 44 seconds under Gawley's time, setting a new record of 16 hours, 29 minutes and 13 seconds on 27 May 2011.
This record stood for over two years until August 2013, before being broken by previous record holder Geoff Marshall who along with Anthony Smith, completed the challenge in 16 hours, 20 minutes and 27 seconds,{{cite news|publisher=BBC News|title=London Tube Station Visiting Record Broken|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-24203949|accessdate=23 September 2013 |date=23 September 2013}}{{cite news |work=Londonist |title=New world record for Tube Challenges|url=http://londonist.com/2013/09/new-world-record-for-tube-challenge.php |accessdate=23 September 2013 |date=23 September 2013}} the record time was then published for the first time in seven years in the Guinness World Records in the 2015 edition.
Clive Burgess and Ronan McDonald set a new Guinness world record time of 16 hours, 14 minutes and 10 seconds on 21 February 2015.{{cite news|work=Brighton Argus|title=For the record, world was enthusiats's Oyster card|url=http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/12901532.For_the_record__world_was_enthusiast___s_Oyster__card_/|accessdate=21 April 2015|date=21 April 2015}} The record was broken later that year, on 21 May, by previous record holders Andi James and Steve Wilson, in a time of 15 hours, 45 minutes 38 seconds.{{cite web|url=http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/fastest-time-to-travel-to-all-london-underground-stations|title=Fastest time to travel to all London Underground stations|quote=15 hr 45 min 38 sec, and was achieved by Andy James (Finland) and Steve Wilson (UK) in London, UK, on 21 May 2015.|publisher=Guinness World Records|accessdate=11 March 2016|archivedate=4 March 2016|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304083335/http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/fastest-time-to-travel-to-all-london-underground-stations/}}
=272 stations=
The total number of stations rose to 272 after the opening of Nine Elms and Battersea Power Station on the Northern line extension to Battersea.
Adham Fisher set a new Guinness World Record time of 20 hours, 4 minutes and 10 seconds on 4 October 2021.{{cite web |url=https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/677236-fastest-time-to-travel-to-all-london-underground-stations |website=Guinness World Records |access-date=9 August 2023 |lang=en |date=4 Oct 2021 |title=Fastest time to travel to all London Underground stations}}{{Failed verification|date=March 2025|reason=the record is replaced with the newer records on the page, and no versions of internet archive provide evidence of this}}
Arthur Philipps, Ruairí O'Grady, John Mawdsley, Alex Rennie, Tim Livant, Joseph Solomon, Alex Sinclair, and Yipeng Xu set a new Guinness World Record time of 18 hours, 8 minutes, and 13 seconds on 23 October 2023.{{Cite web |date=2023-10-23 |title=Fastest time to travel to all London Underground stations |url=https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/677236-fastest-time-to-travel-to-all-london-underground-stations |access-date=2025-03-20 |website=Guinness World Records|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240528185443/https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/677236-fastest-time-to-travel-to-all-london-underground-stations |archive-date=28 May 2024 |quote=18 hr 08 min 13 sec, and was achieved by Arthur Philipps, Ruairí O'Grady, John Mawdsley, Alex Rennie, Tim Livant, Joseph Solomon, Alex Sinclair, Yipeng Xu (UK and Ireland) in London, UK, on 23 October 2023.}} A new record was set on 10 August 2024 when Robin Otter and Thomas Sheat visited the 272 stations in 17 hours, 46 minutes and 48 seconds.
Other attempts
Attempts to travel the network have been linked to charities such as Children in Need{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/wear/hi/front_page/newsid_9184000/9184337.stm|title=Pudsey Challenge 2010|publisher=BBC Sunderland|date = 12 November 2010|accessdate=26 January 2011}}{{cite news|url=http://www.sunderlandecho.com/news/local/going_underground_1_2769466|title=Going Underground|newspaper=Sunderland Echo|date = 26 January 2011|accessdate=26 January 2011}} and Comic Relief.{{cite web|url=http://jamesthegill.blogspot.com/2009/03/red-nose-day-tube-challenge-2009.html|title=Aiming to misbehave|date = 14 March 2009|accessdate=26 January 2011}} A charity attempt known as "Tube Relief" was organised, following the 7 July 2005 London bombings, to raise money for the London Bombings Relief Charitable Fund. Fifty-one people rode the entire tube network for the day,{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/4180368.stm |title=Tube challenge for bomb charity|publisher=BBC News |date=25 August 2005 |accessdate=22 June 2010}} raising over £10,000 towards the official charity fund. A Sue Ryder charity event took place in November 2011, when ten teams competed against each other to have their photo taken outside as many of the 270 stations as possible.{{cite news|url=http://www.purplefrog.co.uk/2011/11/visiting-270-london-underground-stations-in-1-day/|title=Visiting 270 London Underground stations in one day|work=Purple Frog|date=14 November 2011|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120424125549/http://www.purplefrog.co.uk/2011/11/visiting-270-london-underground-stations-in-1-day|archivedate=2012-04-24}} Former record holder Geoff Marshall subsequently organised a mass-participant events in 2014, 2015 and 2016, called "Walk The Tube", raising tens of thousands of pounds in the process.{{cite web |url=http://www.geofftech.co.uk/tube/tube26.html |title=Tube 26 - Walk The Tube 2014 |website=Geofftech |date=4 April 2014 |accessdate=6 December 2018}}
See also
References
{{Reflist|30em}}
External links
- [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-22042127 BBC video of a 2013 attempt]
- [http://www.thetubechallenge.com Former record holder Mark Gawley's Tube Challenge website]