London Man Runs Entire Length of London Underground System
Jonny Davies completed an unconventional ultramarathon—the 350-plus mile London Tube—in support of a good cause.
After months of training, Jonny Davies set off to run an unconventional ultramarathon—along the entire length of the London Underground network for 11 days. The 350-plus mile run was already going to be a challenge, and that was before temperatures soared to nearly 90 degrees Fahrenheit at the start of his trip.
For his ultramarathon, Davies ran the entire length of every London Underground line, which totaled just over 355 miles across 11 lines, tackling one line each day. He finished on Sunday, surrounded by friends and family who joined him for the final kilometers.
Davies kicked off the challenge with the Northern line, which he broke down into sections and shared each on his TikTok. The fitness influencer and lululemon ambassador began sharing his videos on September 8 and chronicled how he completes each section of the run with some help from his friends.
- DAY 1
The crew started the day in Camden, running about 8.5 miles before getting on the train to go up to High Barnet for another 12.5 miles—but the challenge was only beginning. In the video, one of Davies’ friends notes that the heat was already oppressive at 10 a.m. The heat would go on to reach a high of 90 degrees.
- DAY 2
On the second day, Davies ran the Circle line—roughly 19 miles long, beginning at King’s Cross Station. During the video, Davies talked about the charity he hopes to raise money and awareness for with the run. CALM—or Campaign Against Living Miserably—provides mental health and suicide prevention support. “You know, no matter how bad you feel, no matter how much it sucks, you can always keep moving forward, there’s always something you can do about it. There’s always people around you that can help and support you,” he said in the TikTok video.
- DAY 3
Davies ran along the District line on day three, knocking out another 45 miles. He started in Upminster before running through London. On TikTok, Davies continued to mention how the heat affected him. “The sun’s up now, and it’s going to be a scorching hot day today, [90 degrees] in London. We’re gonna be out here for at least 10 to 12 hours in the heat.” Davies said he was focused on covering as much distance as possible before the heat rose further.
Five and a half hours down, Davies reached Earls Court station, where the District line veers off into several branches. Davies said: “It is like [90], it’s a hot one today.” With just under four miles to go, Davies noted the conditions were starting to test him. “The heat is catching up with us now, we’re going to get this one done today,” he said. Despite the high temps, he finished the 45 miles in 12 hours.
- DAY 4
Day four saw Davies attempt the Victoria line— a relatively short 15-mile run.
“I’m genuinely amazed at the support we’ve had. We’ve had so many people come out today to support, to join in, to run with us. It’s honestly incredible,” he said in the video. At the end of the run, outside Brixton Underground Station, he again remarked on the growing crowds. “The vibes were electric today, London showed up.”
- DAY 5
The fifth day would be Davies’ longest run, covering 53 miles across the Piccadilly line. He began at Heathrow Terminal 5, traveling to Acton Town before returning to Uxbridge, then making the run from Acton to Cockfosters. “My stomach’s in bits today, the legs are sore, the feet are sore, it’s all sore, but it’s all good,” he said in the video, still determined to finish.
- DAY 6
Davies ran the Hammersmith & City Line on day six, covering another 18.5 miles. The problems continued to mount for Davies. “Yesterday was the hardest day of the challenge so far, and today we’re dealing with some shoe and feet issues. We’re going to change things up, changing the drop on the inside of the shoe,” he commented on the video before adding, “challenges every day, but we overcome it.”
- DAY 7
Next up was day seven and the Metropolitan Line, nearly another 50 miles to cover. The run began at Aldgate down to Uxbridge, with Davies then looping back around to cover the rest of the line, finishing at Chesham station.
- DAY 8
Another relatively short run came on day eight while running the Bakerloo Line, just over 16 miles. Starting the journey at Harrow and Wealdstone, Davies took the relatively straight, downhill run to Elephant and Castle station.
- DAY 9
Day nine was the Jubilee Line. Foot issues continued to plague Davies during the 35-mile run, but once again stressed to viewers that having his support—both physically and mentally—was the key to his success on the day.
- DAY 10
Day 10 saw Davies enter the home stretch by running the Waterloo & City Line, a mere 1.8 miles, which he ran with a large crowd of nearly 300 supporters.
- DAY 11
On his final day, Davies completed the run with a 57-mile jaunt through the last line, which he began running at midnight. At the end of the run, he was surrounded by friends and family and even more supporters as they celebrated the achievement, which ultimately raised more than $27,000 for his charity.
“Don’t ever let anyone tell you that you can’t do the the things in life that you want to do,” he wrote on Instagram. “You are capable of so much more than you think you are capable of. Just go out and get it.”