Londoners set to run the length of London Underground lines for charity

Run: Adam Broadbent, Jon Cooper, Simon Gibbs and Seb Hine

Rachel Blundy9 March 2014

Four Londoners are planning to run the length of the Tube network for an epic fundraising challenge.

Adam Broadbent, Simon Gibbs and Seb Hine, all 28, and Jon Cooper, 26, are set to embark on the 335mile challenge this Sunday, starting with the District Line.

The runners, who hope to raise thousands of pounds for Alzheimer's Research UK and War Child, will follow eleven London Underground lines with the help of special GPS watches.

They will take on 23 different routes over the coming year, covering distances of between 1.5miles on the Waterloo and City line and 32miles on the Piccadilly Line.

The friends must pass every station on each line to complete the challenge, as well as running overlapping lines multiple times.

TfL

They must also run along any 'branchless' lines without taking a break.

Mr Broadbent, who works in finance and lives in Colliers Wood, said: "We thought it would be a bit different. We thought it would be nice to see London's sites overland."

The group, some of whom have completed marathons in the past, have been training hard ahead of Sunday's inaugural run.

Mr Broadbent said: "We have had a little bit of practice of long distances but when we start putting long distances in close proximity together then it is a different ball game."

Mr Gibbs, a solicitor from Hackney, added: "We know it’s going to be hard, especially the four runs of ultra-marathon length, but we’re all motivated."

Jodie Vaughan, community fundraising manager at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: "We rely on public donations to fund our world-class research and it’s thanks to the commitment of people like Simon, Seb, Jon and Adam that we’re able to continue our crucial work.

"There are hundreds of thousands of people across the UK living with dementia today, including nearly 64,000 people in Greater London. Despite this, dementia research is desperately underfunded compared to other serious diseases."