A London radio presenter is aiming to become a record-breaker and tear-up the current Guinness World Record for travelling to every London Underground station in the shortest time possible.
Richie Firth, co-presenter of the Christian O'Connell Breakfast Show on Absolute Radio, will leave the comfort of his central London studios and travel the world-famous subterranean train network dressed as his on-air alter-ego superhero "Captain Chaos" - set to be an entertaining sight for commuters and tourists alike.
His bid takes place on Thursday 17th November 2011 as part of Guinness World Records Day.
The current record for the "London tube challenge" is held by Andi James and Steve Wilson and stands at 16 hours, 29 minutes & 13 seconds and Richie, with the encouragement of Christian O'Connell Breakfast Show listeners, is aiming to cover all 270 stations in a shorter time.
Host Christian O'Connell said, "Commuters, I promise you this - he is going to be a sight for sore eyes. When Richie squeezes into his skin-tight superhero outfit, this whole challenge will quite literally go down the tube. If you spot an out-of-breath funny-looking man running up behind you -get the hell out of his way - because he won't stop for anyone."
Tube challenger Richie said, "If dedication's what you need then I've got shed loads. I buy rail magazine every fortnight - I love trains - and it's time my investment paid off. As for the current record holders, well neither of them had the power of a national breakfast show behind them. I've got a support team of over a million people plus several packets of Imodium to ensure a smooth and continuous journey. Eat my dust London…this record is in the bag."
Guinness World Records adjudicator Liz Smith said: "It's going to take an incredible effort, and the support of his fellow London commuters, if he's going to achieve this. I'll be there on the day to adjudicate and deliver the final verdict. Good luck Richie!"
Richie is keeping a video diary of his training regime at www.absoluteradio.co.uk in the run up to his challenge, he will be visiting a gym (to eat jaffa cakes), speaking to a psychologist to help get him psyched up for his big day, speaking to a pharmacist about "avoiding the need to go to the toilet" and having a fitting for his skin-tight curve-hugging costume.
The event kicks off at 6am at Amersham Underground station and will finish at Heathrow Airport - Richie's progress will be tracked at all times on a special interactive map, and he will be posting audio highlights of his journey to the website. Social media users can also track his progress on Facebook and twitter using the hashtag #teamchaos.
