25 hours 11
minutes - Passing all Stations
The
subway circuit contest began in 1966 with Peter Samson's ride and
gung-ho riders have since shaved hours and minutes of his
benchmark, including a mark set in 1998 by Michael Falsetta and
Salvatore Babones.
Falsetta and Babones
claimed a ride of 25 hours 11 minutes in January 1998, using the
guideline that they ride past all stations, but not stop at every
one. They also did not leave the system over the course of
their ride.
Instinct, not
planning, worked for Falsetta, a Bensonhurst native whose only
preparation for his 1998 record run was a lifetime of riding the
trains. 1
In August 2006,when
Matt Green and Don Badaczewski set out to challenge their mark,
several papers found Falsetta and Babones to find out their
thoughts.
Falsetta, an
executive at a real estate firm, remembers drinking just one liter
of water and eating three Power Bars. Babones, a sociology
professor at the University of Pittsburgh, said, "We took 10
minutes off and missed a transfer at Jamaica station so that we
could use the restrooms there." Babones doubted their
record would be broken, but his partner said they "would come
out of retirement and issue a challenge" if their record
fell. 2
Falsetta and Babones, who've held
the record for over eight years, may be coming out of retirement
to reclaim the unofficial world championship in competitive subway riding. Falsetta said, "Everybody told me I have
to, the answer is probably. We certainly aren't going to do
right away. We'll wait till October."
Falsetta took a subtle dig at the
new champs saying, "These guys are not real New Yorkers. We
have have hometown pride. Maybe we have to do it
again." He could have a larger team of six this time
around and he says everybody he knows wants to come along. 3
(1)
from the Daily
News
(2)
from the Metro
NY
(3)
from the amNY
Subway Tracker
Photo by Jefferson
Siegel from the amNY
Subway Tracker
