Tube Olympics 2026: Event 6 - Biathlon

[tangy]

**Sorry for the late announcement, been a busy week for the TOSA**

The final event of Tube Olympics 2026 is the Biathlon... an event that will combine your darting and Tube Challenge experience (mixed in with some alcohol). This will be contested on Saturday 28th February 2026.

The rules for the Biathlon are pretty simple (unchanged from last games in 2018):

1. The event will be played in pairs, you may choose your team mate. Anyone not having a partner (or wishes to take pot luck) will be paired using the "nearest and dearest" method.
1a. Each team will then select one player to throw nearest the bull to determine the starting order.

2. If there is an odd number of participants the TOSA will not take part but will monitor all teams to ensure fair play.

3. The challenge involves visiting four pubs and playing a game of "Around the Clock" at each pub.

4. If you manage to score three consecutive numbers you get one extra throw, i.e. if you throw 1,2,3 you get one dart at 4, if you successfully hit 4 you get one dart at 5 and so on.

5. Each game of "Around the Clock" must be concluded on bull or 25 before the team can leave the pub.
5a. The final game can only be finished on bullseye.

6. At the start, the first seeds will throw 1st and 2nd, followed by the second seeds who throw 3rd and 4th.

7. Each team's watch starts when their first dart is thrown and finishes on bullseye in the final pub.

8. At each pub you must consume 1 pint of alcoholic (beer/lager/cider etc.) or non-alcoholic drink before departing to the next pub.
8a. For alcoholic drinks you can replace 1 pint with a standard glass of wine (175ml) or a double (50ml) for spirits.

9. If either team member does not take a drink there is a 5 minute penalty per missed drink per team member, so if both team members missed a drink the penalty would be 10 minutes.

10. You can only travel between pubs using standard Tube Challenge rules.

11. The starting pub is The Lord Palmerston (Walthamstow), the final pub is The Blue Posts (Newman Street W1T 3EU).
11a. The other 2 pubs are The Bricklayers (Gresse Street off TCR) and The Carpenters Arms (Seymour Street, Marble Arch).
11b. The Bricklayers and The Carpenters Arms can be visited in either order, it is your choice which pub you visit first. However both pubs MUST be visited before heading to the Blue Posts.

12. When you arrive at each pub chalk your names on the board and as other teams arrive they must chalk their names below so that teams play in strict rotation.
12a. You can start playing as soon as you arrive, you don't have to wait for other teams to arrive before you commence play.

13. If you find a dartboard in use you will have to use your negotiating skills to get access, this is all part of the challenge!
13a. If you cannot gain access to the dartboard at The Bricklayers or The Carpenters Arms you can try and find a substitute dartboard at another pub (of your choice) or wait until the board becomes free.

14. Full rules will be clarified on request.

15. The TOSA's decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.

16. This isn't as complicated as it sounds!

The event will start at 14:00 but there will be some warm up matches beforehand at The Lord Palmerston which opens from 12 noon.

Immediately after the conclusion of this event, there will be the closing ceremony hosted at the Blue Posts for challengers to collect their medals gained from all events during Tube Olympics 2026.

Expressions of interest please... (post below or via Tube Olympics Facebook page).

Tangy
Tube Olympics Supreme Admin

[Going Underground]

GU and Beer Baron

[RJSRdg]

Do we need to bring our own darts?

[Going Underground]

Do we need to bring our own darts?

It's probably a good idea - I will be taking mine but most pubs do have a set as well

[ANDY_JS]

Attending. (I don't have any darts).

[tangy]

If anyone is coming to the Lord Palmerston by bus from a nearby station please be aware that there are currently roadworks at the road junction outside with temporary lights so all immediate bus stops are temporarily closed.

I will bring a spare darts of darts if anyone needs them.

[RJSRdg]

At the Lord Palmerston, we split into three pairs - Kev and Ryan, Peter and I, and Tangy and Andy JS.

Kev and Ryan completed "round the clock" first and had probably reached Blackhorse Road before Peter and I completed ours, leaving Tangy and Andy in the pub. But not for long as they caught up with us on the approach to Blackhorse Road, where we boarded separate carriages and didn't see them again.

We decided that given the close proximity of the Bricklayers and the Blue Posts, it would make sense to go to the Carpenters' Arms first via the Victoria and Central Lines to Marble Arch. I had just ordered a pint of water when Peter noticed that the dartboard was inaccessible owing to a function at the back of the pub. As we headed out to find a different pub, we bumped into Ryan who asked "How did you get here before us?". First attempts at finding another nearby pub with a dartboard were unsuccessful. We headed east along Oxford Street thinking of heading for The Champion (which, we later found out, no longer has a dartboard). I suggested that as there were no pubs on Oxford Street, we might do better going down one of the parallel roads. Peter checked Google and agreed. The first pub we visited had no dartboard, but the second (The Cock Tavern, on the corner of Margaret Street and Great Portland Street) did. We played our game, had a loo break, then continued eastwards to the end of Margaret Street, then left and right past The Champion on to East Castle Street ("And I don't know anything about the East Castle Street job...."). Past the Blue Posts (a quick check inside saw Kev and Ryan playing darts in there) and on to the Brickies, where Tangy's name was on the blackboard. Played our game there, then back through the arcade to the Blue Posts, by which time Kev and Ryan had finished and a few minutes later, so had we. Tangy and Andy arrived shortly after our completion to round out the medals.

An enjoyable Challenge - many thanks to Tangy for organising and Peter for being a much better Darts player than I am!

[Going Underground]

This wasn't exactly seamless as a couple of bumps in the road and some very expensive rounds !

So we also decided to head down to the Viccie line at Blackhorse Road - a change at Oxford Circus but then held at Bond Street we heard "being held due defective train at East Acton"
waited a minute or so and decided to exit and jog or bus - I think it was a 390 and probably no quicker than walking
Anyway as per Rich post above Carpenters Arms no good and I had a few pubs in mind but decided the least risky option wat The Angel at TCR - board free and 2 x double vodkas and coke £24 something - ouch...
Ryan Carried me much of the day, especially here where I was throwing high darts...
On to The Bricklayers where we able to get on the board explaining the challenge we were doing and the same at The Blue Posts where we arrived over an hour before the board was booked, but no issues getting to throw.
So at the end we were both 2 pints and 8 double vodkas in....
A bit more frantic than previous years but good fun nevertheless

Thanks to Tangy as always for organising all the events

[RJSRdg]

Sorry to put a dampener on things, but I tested positive for Covid yesterday and suspect I probably picked it up during the event.

I suggest the rest pf you (especially Peter) get yourselves tested, particularly if you have elderly relatives.

Hope you're all OK.

Richard

[tangy]

The results of Event 6 of Tube Olympics 2026, the Biathlon, held on Saturday 28th February 2026.

Six challengers took part and split into three pairs:

Bronze: Tangy and Andy JS - 02:20:12 (Lord Palmerston, Bricklayers Arms, Carpenters Arms, Blue Posts).
Silver: Peter Smyth and Richard Standing - 02:08:43 (Lord Palmerston, Cock Tavern (substitute), Bricklayers Arms, Blue Posts).
Gold: Kevin & Ryan Brown - 01:29:33 (Lord Palmerston, The Angel (substitute), Bricklayers Arms, Blue Posts).

The final medals table after Event 6:

1st: Tangy - 2 gold, 1 silver, 2 bronze.
2nd: Zuzanna Robinson - 2 gold, 0 silver, 1 bronze.
3rd: Andy JS - 1 gold, 0 silver, 2 bronze.
4th: James Ramsbottom - 1 gold, 0 silver, 0 bronze.
=4th: Kevin Brown - 1 gold, 0 silver, 0 bronze.
=4th: Ryan Brown - 1 gold, 0 silver, 0 bronze.
7th: Andi James - 0 gold, 2 silver, 0 bronze.
8th: Ian McIntyre - 0 gold, 1 silver, 0 bronze.
=9th: Ian imrie - 0 gold, 1 silver, 0 bronze.
=9th: Andrew Baker - 0 gold, 1 silver, 0 bronze.
11th: Milo Ogidel - 0 gold, 0 silver, 1 bronze.
12th: Das Stevens - 0 gold, 0 silver, 0 bronze.
=12th: Rhys Jackson - 0 gold, 0 silver, 0 bronze.
=12th: Melanie - 0 gold, 0 silver, 0 bronze.

Uncollected medals for those challengers who could not make the closing ceremony can be collected at future Random 15 events.

This concludes Tube Olympics for 2026 and the next Games will be the summer version in 2028.

Tangy.
the TOSA.