R15 Championship 2012/13: Round 3

[Sam]

I'll be at Weybridge at 1129, lucky me...!

[hopeful traveller]

I will be there.

Good luck all.

Is it Rising Sun afterwards? I might have to rush off after I get the results.

[tractakid]

Sigh. I'll be singing.

[Going Underground]

Is it Rising Sun afterwards? I might have to rush off after I get the results.

It sure is

[Rhys1995]

When we're winning.

[hopeful traveller]

That trespasser messed up Tangy, Andi, Glen, and Kev!

Upon opening the envelopes at Denmark Hill, Rhys and I decided to team up (as "The Rhyses"). Peter and The Rhyses decided to aim for New Cross Gate rather than Imperial Wharf, which (at the time) was the right decision as the train came to them first. Undeterred, Peter bailed out at Queens Road Peckham to try to run the 1.5 miles to New Cross Gate. Rhys and I went to Surrey Quays and back. We lost Peter and weren't quite sure if he had worked or not. We went up to Whitechapel, to West Ham, to Stratford, then to Homerton. 3/15 in 1:09:07 never looks promising.

Two sexy changes at Highbury and Islington and Finsbury Park put us back on track when we were able to do Arsenal and Holloway Road. We stayed on until King's Cross St. Pancras, where we decided to fanny about to sort out all the lines here, as from Old Street we needed to get to Goodge Street. Simple? Not if you have to go via the drain. And so - to Moorgate, to King's Cross St. Pancras (again), to Holborn, to Bank, to Waterloo, then a very humorous moment.

We arrive at the Northbound Waterloo on the Northern Line to be greeted by:

1 Kennington
2 High Barnet
3 Edgware

That's brilliant. One friendly staff message later and it changes to "Edgware". Spiffing, as it meant we were able to take out five stations all in close proximity to one another: Goodge Street, Warren Street, Euston, Mornington Crescent, Hampstead. At Hampstead, we ran to Hampstead Heath, with two occurances of "Rhys' Random Person" - "Excuse me sir/ma'am, how can we get to Hampstead Heath?". It was, though, a seven minute wait (whereupon Rhys bought some Cokes - they were brilliant). We then took the overground to Willesden Junction, where we had a sexy change (again). Down to Edgware Road, and ran to the other Edgware Road.

Which is where we cocked up. We were looking for a Circle line train to Wood Lane, but the train that came in was a Hammersmith & City line train. No good to us. We waited for 10+ minutes, before we decided to hop on a District line instead to reach White City a different way. We could have cut this down, though, as a Circle went and left (in the direction of HSK) when we got there. We ran to Wood Lane, took the circle to Hammersmith, ran to the other Hammersmith, where Tube Motor Racing commenced.

The doors closed together and the Piccadilly, predictably, had a much better acceleration than the District but could it hold it round the outside of the bend? Yes, yes, yes! It could! And after Barons Court, it lead by 9 seconds.

Earl's Court, and Rhys was looking for the Starkey Stairs™­­, when I shouted, "THEY'RE BEHIND YOU!", and, predictably, he... missed them. Nonetheless, we still made the train (in the platform) and a super-sexy change at West Brompton put us just 54 seconds outside the podium. Drat.

[greatkingrat]

Did anyone else see Santas everywhere? I think I saw 5 different groups of people dressed up as Santa at various points during the day. Was there some kind of event going on, like a world record attempt for most people dressed as Santa or something?

[tractakid]

Did anyone else see Santas everywhere? I think I saw 5 different groups of people dressed up as Santa at various points during the day. Was there some kind of event going on, like a world record attempt for most people dressed as Santa or something?

I have friends that have been in London today, they commented on this too...

[tangy]

Here are the results of round 3 of the 2012/13 Random 15 Chamionship.

This event included the London Overground network as well as all lines having to be used. Everyone did complete in the five hours (or would have done). There was 7 challengers split into 6 teams.

So in reverse order:

6th: DSQ Andi James (came in and out of NXG by SN from London Bridge and return, so didn't use ELL or shared tracks south of NXG)
5th: Tangy 04:20:29 (finishing NXG)
4th: Rhys Jackson and Rhys Benjamin 04:13:42 (finishing Imperial Wharf)
3rd: Glen Bryant 04:12:48 (finishing NXG)
2nd: Kevin Brown 04:08:05 (finishing NXG)
1st: Peter Smyth 03:44:32 (finishing Imperial Wharf)

Thanks to everyone for taking part the network held up well apart from a trespass incident at NXG which did impact upon times of those teams finishing there.

See you all for the next event which will be in February 2013.

[hopeful traveller]

Yes, we saw Santas and we shouted "Merry Christmas!" as we went past.

[palkanetoijala31]

There were some really sexy santa,s woman wise who i wouldnt mind sitting on their knee and telling them i been a bad boy!surfice to say the suspension really cost me as it happened just right at the time i was on ell going down only a couple of stations away.

i got off but had no information on if trains were going down so i improvised and went and did the w&c which i hadnt done at that point but it certainly was an interesting set of stations my mistake was to go west instead of east i should have done the run at the start and the trespasser wouldnt have been a problem!

[The Raven]

My Route

Denmark Hill Clapham Junction Shepherd's Bush White City Notting Hill Gate Edgware Road (Cir) Edgware Road (Bak) Willesden Juction Finchley Road & Frognal Hampstead Goodge Street Warren Street Euston Square Moorgate King's Cross Finsbury Park Holloway Road Highbury & Islington Stratford Mile End Monument Bank Waterloo Canada Water New Cross Gate

It would have been a good idea to go for New Cross Gate at the beginning and do the route backwards. That meant no waiting at Clapham Junction and doing Hampstead downhill!

[palkanetoijala31]

It was interesting to see a possible new tube challenge team forming as well THE RHYS CREW!perhaps this is the start of a new era!

[Going Underground]

Did anyone else see Santas everywhere? I think I saw 5 different groups of people dressed up as Santa at various points during the day. Was there some kind of event going on, like a world record attempt for most people dressed as Santa or something?

Quite possibly as not sure of the exact date but last year on a R15 I met a load of Santa's heading up to Trafalgar Square (I think) for a big get together

[Going Underground]

A good one this with the all lines twist and of course no station anywhere near the drain

I decided to go West and was merrily sitting outside the pub that adjoins the station plotting my route when I realised it was 1205, I ran into the station onto the wrong platform that I had arrived on and saw the train I needed was already in, dashed around and just dived through the doors as they closed

Anyway after a slow start where we ticked off 1 station and 1 line being the one we had started on my route went as follows

Denmark Hill Clapham Junction Imperial Wharf Shepherds Bush White City (Central) run to Wood Lane Edgware Rd (H & C, Barking terminator) Paddington (District) Willesden Junction (Bakerloo) Finchley Road & Frognal ran up Mount Everest making the very silly schoolboy error of catching a bus one stop which took ages turned right while I sat looking at the station and eventually stopped just as far down the road some 5 mins after I boarded to Hamsptead Waterloo (Northern) Bank (W & C) Liverpool Street Barbican (Circle) where running around I met Glen who had let the Met I needed go and just missed go as he wanted an H & C Moorgate (Met) where I just missed train by a fraction so 5 min wait then Kings X Finsbury Park (Picc) very crowded just missed train to H & I (Victoria) where again due to crowds just missed LO to Stratford (Glen was on this as he saw my red t-shirt rushing and not making) Canada Water (Jub) where the platform was about six deep due to aforementioned problems but eventually the 3rd LO train in showed West Croydon allowing my finish at New Cross Gate.

Had I not gone for the bus and made the Northern at Moorgate or LO at H & I I may have run Peter a bit closer.....

Still a good event some neat darts in the evening and thanks to Matt for drawing the stations and a smooth ride from Clapham to Denmark Hill and for Martin for sub BERC duties