The B of the Bang

Linford Christie used to claim that he started his 100m races on the ‘B of the Bang’. Getting off to a good start in a race that lasts 10 seconds is undoubtedly crucial but it is also vital for a Tube Challenge World Record attempt that will take over 17 hours. 

My fellow tube challenger, Justin and I will start our odyssey in Amersham, Buckinghamshire (27 miles North West of London and way beyond the M25) in order to cover the remote reaches of the Metropolitan line first. 

All being well, we will be on a train leaving Amersham at 5.28am.  As there are a few odd branch lines to negotiate and the frequency of services isn’t great, the consequences of missing a connection could scupper our record chances, so Justin and I decided it would be best to go on a reconnaissance mission to practice the all important start.

As we are both born and bred South Londoners, neither of us knows our Cheshams from our Chorleywoods so our trip to Amersham furnished us with lots of useful and interesting information: Which platform to be on at Chalfont and Latimer, which carriage to board at Watford, where the toilets are at Moor Park and, startlingly, that it is possible to gaze out of the window of a London Underground tube train and see fields of sheep!

The trip has made us even more excited about the big day, less than two weeks away now. The sponsorship for Asthma UK is going tremendously well with over £3,500 raised so far, enough to fund 18 days worth of resources to help Asthma UK scientists’ research into the causes of asthma so we can free people with asthma from its effects. Thank you to all those who have sponsored us.

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