There are few things as frustrating as being trapped in a tube that, usually for reasons you don’t know, moves at the speed of evolution.

When it stops in a London Underground tunnel and you don’t even have the signal to let anyone know you’re late, it starts to look suspiciously like a hostage situation – if you’re as dramatic and quick to anger you as I am.

It’s amazing that it took someone so long to jump and start running.

READ MORE: “I rented an abandoned London tube station and turned it into an escape room”

In July 2014, James Heptonstall jumped off a Circle Line train at Blackfriars and climbed the stairs.

His goal was to sprint to Cannon Street to board the same train.

He had one minute and 20 seconds to overcome 380m, two ticket barriers and 75 steps.

After months of planning – including his girlfriend waiting in a blind corner to let him know there was no one or bike – he succeeded, and the other passengers cheered and smiled as he stumbled in the car, lying on the ground and panting in triumph.

He wasn’t the first to attempt it – just two months earlier, Richard Guthrie in a group of his friends, 11 amateur athletes, had gathered for the reunion of their first tube dash in 1999, a 1 .5 mile from South Kensington to Fulham Broadway – four stops.

They conceived the idea while talking about possibly breaking Roger Bannister’s record for a four-minute mile.

Of course, they usually lost.

The best attempt ever was, without a doubt, by someone who had quite the advantage – in 2008 Olympic triathlete Tim Don was challenged to sprint the 965m between Baker Street and Edgeware Road.

The bookmakers’ favorite was the Tube – and why wouldn’t it be?

Metro trains run an average of 25mph, 10mph faster than Don – and would have no pedestrians, stairs or gates to contend with.

Not only did Tim beat the train, he beat it by four minutes and 13 seconds.

Oh, Circle Line. I know he was world triathlon champion in 2006, but this is embarrassing for you.

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So of course there was a rematch.

But it was not going to be easy for Tim: this time he had to run 5 km between Tower Hill and St James’s Park.

He didn’t crush it – but he still won, by a single second.

Tim used his victory to try to convince people to run to work while promoting a sportswear brand. “Running or walking to work is the perfect way for people to incorporate exercise into their daily routine, no matter how busy they are.”

“The metro is an excellent means of transport, but it is not the most comfortable nor the most advantageous. Then go !

As someone who used to run around central London and then come home and sneeze soot, I can’t echo that sentiment, and it’s always irritating when people who have achieved something amazing claim it’s completely repeatable in everyday life.

by James Heptonstall BBC verdict was, “I probably wouldn’t recommend people do this…it all sounds pretty exciting and fun, but there’s been months of planning behind it and we’ve taken a lot of safety precautions.”

Erica is a London story writer and has a particular interest in London history – the more foreign the better. She lectures on feature writing at various UK universities, has written for the Guardian, BBC and Medium, and is the author of the book This Party’s Dead.

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