Random 15 Championship 2014/15: Round 1

[Going Underground]

Any word on whether we can have banned stations in advance

I thought about bringing my bucket along tomorrow and the challengers present after the Cannon Street run will pick out the banned stations.

What the panalties etc if we visit a banned Station.

Should you find yourself accidentally having to visit a banned station (due to the previous station being suddenly closed, due to a security alert or similar) are you allowed to backtrack via the SAME route to an unbanned station and re-routeing from there. The penalty will come in the form of an increase to your overall time due to you having to double back and re-route.

That all sound fine to me

[nozzacook]

Will they then be posted otherwise that gives a huge advantage to those who are there tomorrow. As some of us will be at the mercy of a national express overnight coach.

[tangy]

What I may do is allow whoever is at the Cannon Street run to pick out the stations, then I keep them separate, to be read out at the start of the challenge on Saturday, so everyone gets the banned stations at the same time. Then once the banned stations are read out, the draw will begin to pick the 14 stations needed to be visited.

Or I can once I am back at home to post the post stations up on here (but then some who may turn up on the day without reading here first) will miss the banned stations.

I believe the former is more fairer to all challengers.

[greatkingrat]

I would suggest you just pick 10 stations now and post them tonight, then everyone has a chance to see them.

[The Orange One]

Last time, we made doctored tube maps with the banned sections blacked out with permanent marker - if the banned 10 stations are not being released until the draw at Padd H&C, I suggest everyone brings a marker along - with certain stations (Aldgate East was a major offender for me) it is quite easy to forget their banned status.

Note to all challengers: If, due to a combination of banned stations and line closures, you entertain the idea of running from Canada Water to Limehouse through the Rotherhithe Tunnel, don't. You will be asphyxiated and your future will be ruined.

[Going Underground]

I would suggest you just pick 10 stations now and post them tonight, then everyone has a chance to see them.

Arrrr that be a fine plan Peg Leg Pete

[Tube_b]

I might come along bt probably not

[mrredrunner100]

Tom is planning to do a video log of the day and I think he's planning to do the start and finish and the stuff at the end, he will probably stick with me and Alex, it will probably end up on his YouTube channel or something, but is everyone happy with this? If anyone has a problem drop me a PM and let me know

[tangy]

The results of the opening round of the 2014/15 Random 15 Championship are as follows:

As usual for round 1 of the championship, this was a "twist" round and again it has been a totally new twist that was nominated. The twist being that 10 stations would be banned, and these 10 stations were (in random order):
--Tottenham Court Road
--Ladbroke Grove
--Marylebone
--Willesden Green
--Old Street
--Baker Street
--Clapham Common
--South Kensington
--Temple
--Hampstead

So therefore whilst avoiding these banned stations, all challengers had to visit the following 15 stations (again in random order):
--Paddington H&C (start)
--West Brompton
--Stockwell
--Earl's Court
--Marble Arch
--Mile End
--Elephant & Castle (LU)
--Tufnell Park
--Great Portland Street
--Canary Wharf (LU)
--Leicester Square
--Edgware Road (Circle)
--Covent Garden
--Gloucester Road
--White City

The challenge was attended by 13 challengers who grouped into 10 teams. The order in which they finished is below (in ascending order):

10th: Sam Inman, Tom Lock and Alex Stares-Tate finishing at Canary Wharf in a time of 03:38:15
9th: Peter Smyth finishing at Canary Wharf in a time of 03:18:14
8th: Andrew Baker finishing at Stockwell in a time of 03:02:28
7th: Andi James finishing at Gloucester Road in a time of 02:59:25
=5th: Nick Gardner finishing at Mile End in a time of 02:56:30
=5th: Andrew Chilcraft finishing at Mile End in a time of 02:56:30
4th: Kevin Brown and Damian Cook finishing at Stockwell in a time of 02:53:55
3rd: The Orange One finishing at Bow Road in a time of 02:50:42
=1st: Glen Bryant finishing at Tufnell Park in a time of 02:42:12
=1st: Tangy finishing at Tufnell Park in a time of 02:42:12

The league table, after round 1, looks like this:

=1st: Tangy: 12 points
=1st: Glen Bryant 12 points
3rd: The Orange One: 8 points
=4th: Kevin Brown: 7 points
=4th: Damian Cook: 7 points
=6th: Andrew Chilcraft: 6 points
=6th: Nick Gardner: 6 points
7th: Andi James: 4 points
8th: Andrew Baker: 3 points
9th: Peter Smyth: 2 points
=10th: Sam Inman: 1 point
=10th: Tom: 1 point
=10th: Alex: 1 point

Thankyou all for attending. Round 2 will be a "normal" no twists challenge and will be held on the 15th November 2014.

Tangy
(The BERC).

[The Orange One]

Well, route reveal time I guess.

My route:
Paddington (H&C) Edgware Road (C/D/H&C) Gloucester Road Earl's Court West Brompton Shepherd's Bush (LO) White City Oxford Circus (via Marble Arch) Regent's Park Great Portland Street Euston Square Euston Camden Town Tufnell Park Camden Town Euston Oxford Circus Piccadilly Circus Holborn (via Leicester Square and Covent Garden) Leicester Square Kennington Stockwell London Bridge (via Elephant and Castle) Canary Wharf Mile End (on the 277 bus) Bow Road.

Started with everyone at Paddington, think due to the Ladbroke Grove and Baker Street bans everyone went east one stop to Edgware Road. Switched to a Circle on platform 2 - a few people took a Circle from platform 4, which I didn't know was actually going to HSK, not Royal Oak. Anyway, got round to Gloucester Road with The Raven and tractakid, where we waited around 10 minutes for a westbound District (to Ealing Broadway, figures). Luckily at Earl's Court we had only 2 minutes to wait for a Wimbleware to West Brompton. Here the 1308 LO service to Willesden Junction was still on the platform (yay!) so the three of us piled onto it to meet GU, Nozza, DrainBrain and Tangy who had all caught the platform 4 Circle. I held the door for tractakid, which cost GU, Nozza, DrainBrain (and tractakid I guess, but he would have missed the LO otherwise) later on at Shepherd's Bush, as only Tangy, The Raven and myself were able to board a westbound Central line service to White City.

Out to White City, across and back into town. I got my door positions messed up, but was able to rectify things before Oxford Circus, where we all got onto a Bakerloo Line train to Regent's Park, then ran across to Great Portland Street for another Circle Line service. At Euston Square I parted ways with Tangy and the Raven, which was probably my eventual downfall, to run to Euston and head up to Tufnell Park. At Euston, dodging past the crazy football fans (where on earth were they going?), I missed two High Barnet trains (one on each northbound Northern platform), but using an Edgware branch train via Bank I was able to catch up with the Charing Cross branch HB. Up to Tufnell Park and back to Euston (Bank branch), where I switched to the Victoria. Oxford Circus, Piccadilly Circus and then off to Covent Garden (to do it in the correct direction). Back to Leicester Square and down to Stockwell, where I met Tangy (who had evidently gone via Mile End) who reminded me that the D7 also goes between Canary Wharf and Mile End.

Up the Northern Line to London Bridge, quick change onto the JLE to Canary Wharf. At Canary Wharf, I must have spent three minutes running through the giant shopping centre like a headless chicken, looking for the way out, but eventually just made a 277 bus up towards Mile End. After letting on several prams and old ladies, we finally arrived and I went down to the Eastbound platforms (the Westbounds were devoid of trains at the time) to hop on a District line service to Bow Road (I declined a Central line on the opposite platform because Stratford takes a long time to get to), stopping my watch there for a time of 02:50:42.