Annual full network completion statistics

[Nigel]

As there are unlikely to be any more full network attempts this year, given I don't think there are any remaining days when a full service is operating, I've compiled the following year-by-year statistics on successful completions. These are taken from my list of recorded completion times since the current 269/270 network configuration was introduced (which I know has some missing, but is the best I have).

These are in the format:
Year: Number of completions; best time; average (mean) time

2008: 13; 17:12:43; 18:06:32
2009: 12; 16:44:16; 17:46:09
2010: 6; 17:07:06; 17:21:37
2011: 9; 16:29:13; 17:24:48
2012: 12; 16:43:36; 18:00:21

So 2012 was the second best year in terms of the number of completions, but the second worst in terms of the average time for completion (a consequence I suspect of a number of attempts this year just wanting to ensure that they completed).

[Nigel]

Time to update these annual statistics, as I don't think there will be any more completions this year. As always, they can only be as good as the data which has been made public - I'm sure that there are some completions which are missing. Since I compiled these for 2012, I have become aware of another 2012 completion which is now included. (Also my rounding up times for which no seconds were recorded has changed some of the averages for previous years.)

These are in the format:
Year: Number of completions; best time; average (mean) time

2008: 13; 17:12:43; 18:06:37
2009: 12; 16:44:16; 17:46:09
2010: 6; 17:07:06; 17:21:37
2011: 9; 16:29:13; 17:24:48
2012: 13; 16:43:36; 18:00:17
2013: 10; 16:20:27; 17:25:29

So 2013, despite being a year in which a new GWR was set, overall was a middling sort of year for the number of completions and the average time taken. However, of the ten completions in 2013, six were made during the week in which British Beer Festival special Olympia service was running, including four on the day of the Race Around the Tube.

[Nigel]

Another year has gone by, so it's time to update the full network completion statistics. Sadly, I did not do a full network challenge in 2014 (and with TCR being out of action on the Central for most of 2015, I can't see myself doing one this year either). As always, they can only be as good as the data which has been made public - I'm sure that there are some completions which are missing. In particular, Marc Gawley said that he completed in the summer, but as it was outside the GWR, he did not record a time.

As before, the statistics are in the format:
Year: Number of completions; best time; average (mean) time

2008: 13; 17:12:43; 18:06:37
2009: 12; 16:44:16; 17:46:09
2010: 6; 17:07:06; 17:21:37
2011: 9; 16:29:13; 17:24:48
2012: 13; 16:43:36; 18:00:17
2013: 10; 16:20:27; 17:25:29
2014: 15; 17:17:40; 18:47:35

So, 2014 had the most recorded completions since the current network configuration started in 2008. That said, it was a slow year. The average time was over 40 minutes slower than the previous worst year (2008) and the best time for the year was also the slowest since these records began.

[al]

Would this be due to a combination of several new challengers "learning the craft" and experienced challengers not really getting close to the record so therefore not completing?

[Nigel]

Would this be due to a combination of several new challengers "learning the craft" and experienced challengers not really getting close to the record so therefore not completing?

Yes - I think so. Also not helped by the Bond Street and Gloucester Road closures for much of the year, as well as the ever shrinking Olympia Exhibition Service.

[palkanetoijala31]

Would this be due to a combination of several new challengers "learning the craft" and experienced challengers not really getting close to the record so therefore not completing?

Yes - I think so. Also not helped by the Bond Street and Gloucester Road closures for much of the year, as well as the ever shrinking Olympia Exhibition Service.

i think you forgetting the other factor the same as it was years ago!