Photo by Amberture
Last week we reported that Stephen Ander, a 31-year-old government research consultant, was to attempt a feat that few have accomplished: To visit every Metro station in a single day.
On Saturday, Ander awoke early, packed enough snacks and supplies to last him through the day, and entered the Franconia station early in the morning. So, was he successful? Unfortunately, no.
“Weekend work definitely killed the plan,” Ander told DCist via email. “I probably could have covered more on a weekday, but with the rules being as they were, it would have been difficult even on Fridays.” All in all, Ander visited 66 of Metro’s 86 stations. Ander says he had to sacrifice parts of the Green, Orange, and Blue lines due to the scheduled track work, which caused delays.
Last year, 23-year-old Andrew Baker timed himself as he attempted to visit all stations in one day. He did it in seven hours and 27 minutes. But Baker was not the first. On a website he created for people who have attempted this feat, four others have supposedly done the Metrothon challenge: Monica Li did it in six hours and 37 minutes on April 12, 2012; John Teneyck did it in seven hours and nine minutes on April 11, 2012, Alan Sussman did it in seven hours and 48 minutes in January of 2001; and a group calling themselves the Red Line Ramblers did it in six hours and 26 minutes on April 20, 2012.
Beyond that, several DCist readers wrote in claims of completing the Metrothon challenge in response of the article we ran last week. Kjersten Priddy claims to have done it in 2008 in about nine hours. (She and a friend stopped for bathroom breaks and Chipotle.) And in November of last year, Lyssa White did it in only seven-and-a-half hours (and blogged about the experience).
Although Ander didn’t conquer the Metrothon challenge, he says his failure wasn’t in vain. “I did see more of the Metro in one day than probably most people have seen ever. The system is overwhelming and complex, it really brings people’s individual gripes into perspective when the magnitude of it is so vast; it demands respect.”
