Sub-surface Challenge 2016

[greatkingrat]

I thought we had to start at Amersham. Unless you mean your route is Amersham - Chalfont which really is crazy!

[DrainBrain]

I tried several route plans, including one finishing at Watford, but my intended route does finish at Upminster.

I doubt I can go to the pub afterwards. It's an early start for parkrun and it'll be late by the time I get home again.

[xcooler123]

Attending Sub-Surface Challenge:
Josh Nichols-Ageros (JBA)
GU
DrainBrain
The Orange One
greatkingrat
xcooler123

Pre Challenge parkrun; Finsbury
GU
DrainBrain

Post parkrun /pre Challenge Spoons; The Sir John Oldcastle, Farringdon
GU
DrainBrain
greatkingrat

Very impromptu visit down to London for the weekend so I will be able to attend Is there a consensus on start location or wherever we have planned individually? Not sure about post challenge meet up as I am due to be meeting a friend in the evening

[Going Underground]

I thought we had to start at Amersham. Unless you mean your route is Amersham - Chalfont which really is crazy!

Twas thinking the same

[The Orange One]

None of you understood the string of numbers!!

Josh has messaged me to say unfortunately he cannot make it. As people have already got plans to come into London, I have asked if we can take over this event.

This does seem a little cruel though, so alternatively, we could run our own event since we're all here. I'm thinking the 128 Snake, since this has experienced a resurgence?

[The Orange One]

Leaving this message specifically for xcooler123, if you receive it before you are on the Met Line, check your PMs - I've sent you my number. Call me any time from 10am tomorrow (Saturday) and I should have figured out what is happening.

[Going Underground]

I already have my Z1-9 ticket in advance and spent several hours route planning / door positions etc.....

[greatkingrat]

Well I will be doing the challenge anyway tomorrow. I'll see Kevin in the pub then we can head up to Amersham together.

[The Orange One]

I've spoken to Kevin and got hold of the other guy, so I think we'll all be in the pub together tomorrow.

[DrainBrain]

Well I will be doing the challenge anyway tomorrow. I'll see Kevin in the pub then we can head up to Amersham together.

This.

[Going Underground]

crypto, you were spotted several times what's going on

[greatkingrat]

My route was

Amersham Chalfont Amersham run to Chesham Moor Park Watford Finchley Road Uxbridge Ickenham run to West Ruislip North Acton Ealing Broadway Turnham Green Richmond Tower Hill Hammersmith via KX run to Olympia High Street Kensington Paddington Wimbledon SWT to Waterloo Bank run to Cannon Street Upminster

Time of 7:35:10 from Amersham, or 7:26:02 from Chalfont

[Tube Geek]

Hammersmith Olympia run? Blimey!

[Going Underground]

7:39:13 at Wimbledon

A slow train along the bottom of the Circle line cost me 10 mins at Richmond and ended up with 7 mins to run from Shepherd's Bush to Ken Oly which also involves having to get across that crazy busy road...
I bust my balls and just made it but the barriers wouldn't take my ticket and there were a couple of people with the same issue and no staff too be seen, I thought about trying to clamber over and in desperation tried the wide access barrier which worked, as I started to run down the platform the train then pulled away so was sat for 20 mins for the next one...

A bit gutting to say the least as not sure if 20 mins less (say 7:19) would have been good enough to come first on the day as waiting for Hugo and Nick to post results (I think Hugo may have all them all?)

[The Orange One]

Ain't no party like an S Stock Party. New and exciting levels of boredom await those who attempt this challenge. Be warned.

I had your two, but I was unable to get hold of Nick last night. Anyway, my time was 07:30:44, finishing at Uxbridge, and my route:

Amershambles Chalfont and Latimer Chesham Moor Park Watford North Harrow Rayners Lane Aldgate Aldgate East Barking Upminster London Fenchurch Street Tower Hill Hammersmith (D&P) Hammersmith (CHC) Edgware Road (CHC) High Street Kensington Kensington Olympia West Brompton Wimbledon East Putney Putney Richmond Ravenscourt Park Ealing Broadway North Ealing Uxbridge

So, like all the other challengers (except, perhaps, crypto), I started at Amersham on the 1246 Met Line. Went down to Chalfont and Latimer for the horrible long wait for the train up to Chesham. At Chalfont and Latimer, Peter took the train back to Amersham - he'd decided to do the Amersham to Chesham run just to knock 9 minutes off (for the world record). The rest of us waited for the train to Chesham, then waited at Chesham for the train to go back down. Peter rejoined us here.

Heading down to Moor Park, we missed the -1 minute connection by quite a way (possibly due to bridge strengthening works between Rickmansworth and Chorleywood - looking at Google Maps this was just west of where the line crosses the M25). I went to have a look at the Sandy Lodge Exit at Moor Park during our long wait, before returning to get the train up to Watford, where we waited for the train to turn around and go back. The North West Corner is BORING, guys.

Finally, we were on our way down to North Harrow, where Kev, Nick and I bailed for the run H9 bus to Rayners Lane (Peter was going off to do the Wembley Park doubleback - actually the Finchley Road doubleback it turned out). The three of us parted at Rayners Lane - Kev and Nick to get the Met west to Uxbridge, while I boarded an eastbound train for the long haul down to Aldgate. And heck, it was a very long haul, screaming baby, inexplicable pauses between Finchley Road and King's Cross St Pancras - I ended up at Aldgate 3 minutes down on schedule. Sprinted down to Aldgate East (perhaps faster than I'd ever done), dive onto the waiting train to find out it was a Hammersmith and City Line train - which thankfully rushed down to Barking. At Barking, a 3 minute wait or so for the next District Line train out to Upminster. I knew I'd missed the 1615 c2c back into town (it came past as we left Upminster Bridge), but the 1621 was still up for grabs, and whisked me off back into town within 2 minutes of my arrival at Upminster. Ah, a train that's not an S Stock. Bliss.

At Fenchurch Street, I arrived 6 minutes down on schedule - but this was quickly cut to 5 due to the service frequencies on the District Line with a D Stock (yes!) to take me west to Hammersmith. Quick calculations told me I'd be 5 minutes down all the way round to High Street Kensington, where I'd have 11 minutes instead of 16 minutes to get from HSK to Kensington Olympia - a bit more tricky, but doable! As expected, I was precisely one train and 5 minutes down at Hammersmith - but I arrived at Edgware Road to find my Circle Line train (the 1741) had vanished! Discussion told me that yes, it was cancelled. Now I had precisely 6 minutes to get from HSK to Kensington Olympia when I got down there - which is most likely beyond me. Change of tactics put me on the 1801 District departure from HSK to Kensington Olympia, which arrived at 1807 - happily dropping me onto the 1810 London Overground to Clapham Junction, which deposited me with a 1 minute change onto the 1813 District Line from West Brompton down to Wimbledon, and 10 minutes down on schedule.

10 minutes down cut my run from East Putney to Putney from 12 minutes to 2 minutes. I reached Putney in 2½ minutes to see the Windsor and Eton Riverside (nonstop) train pulling out. Waiting for the stopping service 6 minutes later, I took the train down to Richmond, where due to the District Line timetabling I was still 10 minutes down. No chance to gain this time back as I went up to Ravenscourt Park then across to Ealing Broadway by 1938, where the possible 30 second connection back out pulled away just before I arrived, one minute late. Never mind - throwing in the run to North Ealing would get me there in time to make my train, even if it was just the Rayners Lane terminator and I'd finish on the Met Line more than 10 minutes down.

The run to North Ealing, as I recalled, is just another long residential road and a dash across the North Circular, followed by the length of the car park. I knew I had 13 minutes to do it in (doing it in 3 minutes was out of the question), but I resolved to run it faster, just in case it was early. I arrived at North Ealing 8 minutes later at 1947 to some brilliant news - the Piccadilly Line was in tatters, and the direct Uxbridge train I was aiming for was a rather spectacular 8 minutes late, meaning I made it after all! During its journey up to Uxbridge, it gained back another 3 minutes, bringing me to the finish at Uxbridge 5 minutes down on schedule (but with 1 minute gained at Amersham before leaving) for an 07:30:44 finish time. Not too shabby.

Known crypto sightings:
- Kev saw him at Chalfont and Latimer northbound platform, as the four of us were heading up to the start
- Nick and I saw him at Chalfont and Latimer on a southbound train, as the three of us were waiting for the train up to Chesham
- I saw him at Croxley on a southbound train, as the four of us were headed up to Watford
- I *think* I saw him at Rayners Lane eastbound platform, as I was heading to the finish at Uxbridge

Still, as I made my way back to Harrow-on-the-Hill, I decided I'd had enough of S Stocks for the day and was not going to crawl back home on one, so I bailed there for the Chiltern service into Marylebone, which was much better.