Latimer Road R15 - 24APR - Start Time?

[Soup Dragon]

The results of the R15 were as follows:

1. 2:03:04 Kevin Brown & Steve Wilson (Bayswater)
1. 2:03:04 Al Brown & John Stark (Bayswater)
3. 2:06:47 Hassan Chagani (Holloway Rd)
4. 2:12:59 Tom Wood (Bayswater)
4. 2:12:59 Andi James (Bayswater)
6. 2:14:03 Peter Smyth (Vauxhall)
7. 2:20:32 Martin Hazel (Vauxhall)
8. 2:24:04 Adam (J) & Ian Jones (J) (Vauxhall)
9. 2:44:10 Joe Grocott-James (Temple)

[Going Underground]

I will list the stations later but first of all apologies for being a terrible subsitute BERC and in fact I didn't realise that Andi had applied to be The BERC for the day until too late...
I was an even bigger BERC than "THE" BERC as after waiting for Tangy to arrvived via a slight diversion to Walthamstow Central I got his time and then forgot to add it to the master list

I announced it was round 4 when it was rouund 5 and said there were 12 competitors in 8 teams when it was 12 competitors in 9 teams

So again sorry to eveyrone especially Tangy and I now that that beinga BERC isn't as easy as it looks

[Soup Dragon]

The stations to come out the 'bag' where;
Latimer Road
Gloucester Road
Angel
Tottenham Court Road
Chalk Farm
Temple
Tower Hill
Oxford Circus
Baker Street
Sloane Square
Cannon Street
Vauxhall
Holloway Road
Euston
Bayswater

[JoeGJ1984]

I came along for my second R15, which I came last again. However, I enjoyed the experience. I'll see how I do in the zone 1 challenge.

My day first started with the train journey to Marylebone. I walked from there to Edgware Road, then took a train to Latimer Road. At the start of the challenge I went with everybody on the first eastbound train from Latimer Road, changed at Paddington (H&C) to the other Paddington (this run was a bit of a killer! It's quite long, and I tried to run fast when I got off the train and I ended up slowing down halfway along the mainline concourse), got on a southbound Circle Line train through Bayswater, Gloucester Road and Sloane Square to Victoria, where I changed for the Victoria line. There was a train sitting at the platform when I got there, but it stood for a couple of minutes due to a defective train somewhere else on the line. Eventually, it moved off and I went to Vauxhall, then I doubled back to Oxford Circus. Got on a Central Line train to Tottenham Court Road, then doubled back to Oxford Circus, then to Baker Street on the Bakerloo Line. At that point I went eastbound on the Circle Line (just missing a Hammersmith and City line train; the indicators showed that I would have to wait longer for an eastbound Metropolitan Line train) to Euston Square, then a run to Euston (also a killer), then the Northern Line to Chalk Farm (I could see the indicator boards for all the platforms at Euston, so saw that the Charing Cross branch trains were going to Edgware and the Bank branch trains were going to High Barnet, so I went though Mornington Crescent on the way), then doubled back to Camden Town, where I changed for the Bank branch and I had a sexy change. Went to King's Cross, then the Piccadilly Line to Holloway Road, then doubled back to King's Cross. Then I went through Angel to Moorgate, then onto the subsurface line platforms. I took the first eastbound train to come along, which was a Metropolitan Line train to Aldgate, then finally changed at Aldgate onto the Circle Line, going through Tower Hill and Cannon Street to finish at Temple. I then stayed on the train to Embankment and took a Bakerloo line train to Oxford Circus to get to the Horse and Groom.

[Sam]

If those runs kill you then if you have ambitions to do a full network.... you're doomed

[Starkey7]

Joe, I'm surprised that you didn't double back from Baker Street to Oxford Circus, and head up to Euston that way - that would have saved using the Circle, and saved you a run.

[JoeGJ1984]

Joe, I'm surprised that you didn't double back from Baker Street to Oxford Circus, and head up to Euston that way - that would have saved using the Circle, and saved you a run.

I don't know if it would have been better. I think the more changes you make, the more risks you take, and if I had a bit of a wait at Oxford Circus, it could well wipe out the time saved on the run (and I'd still have to run through the tunnels at Oxford Circus). It's one of those ones that could work either way (I'd already gone from Oxford Circus to Tottenham Court Road and back, so I didn't want to double back to Oxford Circus yet again).

[mps247]

Here was my route:

At Latimer Road I had a quick look at the stations and decided that going Westbound to Wood Lane to knock out Bayswater would be the best start. So, I followed everybody else thinking they were doing the same thing. I realised my mistake once the train arrived at Ladbroke Grove, so decided to change my route - my initial mistake was probably a blessing in disguise.

So, I stayed on the Circle line train until Baker Street (I was tempted to run between the Paddingtons, to get to Bayswater, but decided against it), where I got off and ran onto a Southbound Bakerloo line train waiting at the platform with Andi, Steve and Kevin. Changed at Oxford Circus for an Eastbound Central line service, where I lost the aforementioned three tube challengers due to an old man cutting me up.

A very sexy double-back at Tottenham Court Road saw me into Queensway, from where I ran to Bayswater and waited quite a while for the Wimbledon service. As soon as the train arrived, the board showed a Circle line train close behind, so I decided to wait. Caught the Circle line service through Gloucester Road and Sloane Square to Victoria, from where I got a Southbound Victoria line train to Vauxhall.

I double-backed to Victoria and got an Upminster service to Tower Hill, through Temple and Cannon Street. A double-back at Tower Hill got me to Monument for a quick run to the Northern line platforms at Bank. I didn't realise the Northern line was split on the day, and I wasn't the only one, as an annoyed driver kept announcing to passengers on the platform that there were no Edgware trains from any of the stations we passed through. I changed at Camden Town, visiting Angel and Euston on the way, for an Edgware service for a double-back at Chalk Farm.

Catching a City branch train at Camden Town, I ended up in King's Cross St. Pancras to change onto an Eastbound Piccadilly line service. I finished in Holloway Road in 2:06:47, regretting having played my joker the previous round...