Tube Olympics - Full Network Attempt - 24th July

[ping pon]

im also dreading runs and hoping i get a few hours sleep i never normally can

[Going Underground]

Echo what Phil & Matt said, I think I will need a change of shirt with the weather forecast but that is extra weight & space in the bag.....

[Going Underground]

Tomorrow could be the ultimate heartbreaker...... arriving at your finishing station inside the current GWR to find one of the other teams already there..........

[Root]

I mentioned exactly that to Antony on the phone the other day. It would be crushing.

[Going Underground]

I mentioned exactly that to Antony on the phone the other day. It would be crushing.

But very possible given a good wind and fair sailing.......

[Going Underground]

I know the Closing ceremony is officially from 7pm on Friday - but anyone fancy turning up earlier? I'm sure I'll be up by early afternoon...

Maybe, let's discuss on Thurs...

[dudey]

UPDATE 1900:

Team Scriven-Karahan-James are on track for a good time. Apparently 20 minutes up from their previous near-miss at the GWR, so they've been having a good day of it. However their team has been reduced to 2 with Matt missing a northern line train that his two team-mates couldn't/didn't hold. Needless to say Matt sounded quite annoyed as he wasn't able to catch up and was waiting for them at Finchley Central to return from Mill Hill East, so if he does carry on he will have only covered 268.

I'm trying to get hold of Team Brown now to see how they're getting on, and there is also a team of Ollie and someone else out there competing for gold!

I'll see if i can get some more updates through the rest of the evening and also the final result for anyone that is left at home looking here.

[dudey]

UPDATE 1925:

Team Brown are on a bit of a downer. An extremely slow driver on the Picadilly in the morning has put paid to their schedule completely and they don't seem confident of their chances in the race. Various minor delays have been plaguing their day and they havn't managed to gain any of the time back. It's pretty hot out there and i think it's been pretty impossible for any of our competitors to carry enough water for the whole day! Not a nice one.

Apparently Team Ollie hasn't been doing much better, when the Browns spoke to them just over an hour ago. So which will be the lesser of these two evil days?

Meanwhile, the newly castrated Team Karahan-James are still apparently going very well. They have been joined in support by Tangy and of course Matt is no longer on the sheet for the full 269. As for the possibility of a GWR this evening, i've been given permission to say they are 'optimistic'.

So, bar some kind of major setback, Karahan-James look set to take the gold. However anything could happen, and it probably will. The other two teams look to be closely tied for silver, and it could even be possible there will be a tie for position despite none of them taking vaguely similar routes!

[dudey]

UPDATE 1950:

I said anything could happen! The Picadilly line has been part suspended between Hounslow Central and Heathrow. There are minor delays on the rest of the line, but even if the teams manage to avoid delays, there is nothing that can be done if the the suspension remains in place for the rest of the evening since they are all supposed to be finishing at Heathrow!

[dudey]

UPDATE 2112:

Team Karahan-James have less than 30 stations left to cover, but they've lost time at Cockfosters and some of their earlier confidence has been deflated. "The atmosphere is one of worry", says Matt as they become aware that Team Ollie-Al and Team Brown are gaining on them and things are tensing up. There's an exciting couple of hours still to come!

Picadilly line fully re-opened and only minor delays are reported on the Picadilly and Central lines.

[hwolge]

Yes, please keep us posted! This is becoming more dramtic by the hour!

[dudey]

UPDATE 2140:

Yet more bad luck for Team Karahan-James. They've just had a run of disastrous changes, and they don't like the outlook.

[dudey]

UPDATE 2200:

Team Brown are going steady in their final stint, and they think they'll probably be equalling their previous time. Meanwhile Team James-Karahan are still on for a good time, but they're not very sure that it will be enough. After all, I havn't been in contact with Team Ollie-Al, and they seem to be maintaining silence with the other teams. It's coming right down to the wire.

[dudey]

UPDATE 2240:

Team Brown have had some bad luck on a still-recovering Picadilly line, and are no longer expecting or hoping to catch Team Karahan-James. To add insult to injury they've lost their digital camera!

[dudey]

UPDATE 2248:

It's not yet 11 o'clock, but I have news. The finish tape has been broken at Heathrow T5 in our inaugural tube olympics main event. So, as you will guess, there is now a NEW GUINESS WORLD RECORD!

Andi James and Steven Karahan have taken the gold medal and got round all 269 in a time of

17hrs 12mins 43secs

Absolutely smashing the previous record set only 16 days ago. The victorious pair are however consoling Matt Scrivin who, as I said earlier, lost his team on a change at Elephant & Castle and has missed out on being a new record holder by the hand of the dreaded Mill Hill East, which was the only one of the 269 he didn't visit.

The gold medalists are now awaiting to greet the other teams on arrival Heathrow T5, and give them the good news

The new record looks like it will be one that could stand for quite a while...