Random 15 Championship 2016/17: Round 4

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roblo97
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Re: Random 15 Championship 2016/17: Round 4

Post by roblo97 »

Attending: GU
RJS
crypto
Elsie
alexmcmotor +1
xcooler123
Nozzacook
roblo97

parkrun: @ Finsbury; GU, xcooler123, Nozzacook

Spoons: @ The White Swan, H & I (unless anyone can think of something easier to get to?)
GU, xcooler123, Nozzacook

I had a few of questions as this is my first go at this. Firstly, is using android pay instead of a paper ticket allowed? Secondly, What time is the spoons meet up and thirdly, will I have needed to do a parkrun prior to spoons?
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Park: 8:29:35
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al
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Re: Random 15 Championship 2016/17: Round 4

Post by al »

I'll answer your third question for you - parkrun first is only for nutters and is definitely voluntary! :P
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Re: Random 15 Championship 2016/17: Round 4

Post by RJSRdg »

Yes, definitely voluntary - I've never really seen the point in wearing myself out before the main event! (Especially having managed to tie for first place in one R15 with GU and Nozza who had done the park run beforehand!).

Yes, any form of payment/ticketing is allowed. Personally as someone coming up for the day from outside London I find the paper Travelcard most cost-effective (provided I don't lose it...).
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DrainBrain
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Re: Random 15 Championship 2016/17: Round 4

Post by DrainBrain »

Attending: GU
RJS
crypto
Elsie
alexmcmotor +1
xcooler123
Nozzacook
roblo97
DrainBrain

parkrun: @ Finsbury; GU, xcooler123, Nozzacook, DrainBrain
(Looking forward to that hill!)

Spoons: @ The White Swan, H & I (unless anyone can think of something easier to get to?)
GU, xcooler123, Nozzacook, DrainBrain
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Re: Random 15 Championship 2016/17: Round 4

Post by michael_churchill »

roblo97 wrote:Firstly, is using android pay instead of a paper ticket allowed?
It's allowed, in that there are no rules of the Random 15 Championship that forbid it. However, with Oyster and contactless (which includes Apple / Android pay), there is a maximum allowed journey time. If you exceed the maximum time, then touch-in and touch-out will be treated as TWO incomplete journeys and you will be charged TWO maximum fares, which are not counted against any daily or weekly capping.

For the Random 15, on a Saturday, the maximum journey time is at least 100 minutes. For a journey between zones 1 and 2, it is 110 minutes. (http://www.oyster-rail.org.uk/maximum-journey-times/)

So, you have to remember to occasionally exit a station to end a journey within the maximum time. You can re-enter immediately to start a new journey. Of course, this could affect your finishing time.

You may have a convenient interchange where you exit one station, run to another and enter, which would normally end your journey. In this case, you will have to bear in mind Out of Station Interchanges (OSIs). OSIs are allowed at many mainline stations where you interchange between National Rail and Underground. There are other OSIs between separate but nearby stations where it is a sensible place to change lines. For example, between the two Edgware Roads, the two Hammersmiths, Wood Lane and White City. Apparently, there is a new one between Euston Square and Warren Street! For normal travellers, these can be useful because they allow you to change lines where you have to go through the ticket gatelines and be charged for one journey and not two. However, an OSI is included in the maximum time calculation, and you can't use an OSI to avoid exceeding the maximum time. (http://www.oyster-rail.org.uk/osi-list/)
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Re: Random 15 Championship 2016/17: Round 4

Post by Going Underground »

Spoons will be around 1000hrs.... Basically as long as the slowest runner takes (normally me) to finish and get from Finsbury Park parkrun to H & I spoons....
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roblo97
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Re: Random 15 Championship 2016/17: Round 4

Post by roblo97 »

Thanks for answering the questions. Unfortunately, I have come down with flu and won't be able to participate.
R15 PB: 2:23.23
DLR PB: 2:00:50
Bottle PB: 02:30:30
Tramlink PB: 1:55.37 (Cheers David!)
Triple Crown: 7:00.13
FNC: 18:42:50 (Cheers Andi and Josh!)
Park: 8:29:35
Z1: 02:45:54
2018 Z1 winner!
Parkrun PB: 26 minutes something
xcooler123
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Re: Random 15 Championship 2016/17: Round 4

Post by xcooler123 »

As I'm on the train back I thought I would start the write ups.

We all rushed down to the platforms at Kennington to discover the first train in was out of service. No matter, the next train via the Bank branch was next and I headed up to do the Bank/Monument change to cover off Blackfriars. Once I did that I head up to Bow Road where TOO joined me at Tower Hill and we would stay together for the rest of the journey. Once arriving, we headed back into the City via Mile End and Liverpool Street and onto the sub-surface to complete Barbican. The first fiddly bit of the day was visiting Russell Square via a double back but the changes were sweet so we headed north.

The first Northern train was towards High Barnet so we headed there to cover off Tufnell Park. Again, another sweet change to head back down to the hell that is Camden Town. We needed to cross over to the Edgware branch which involved wading through many peoples. Once that was negotiated I looked up and could see the familiar red front of a train pass in front of me which prompted a very loud "TRAIN" :lol: . We headed up to Hampstead (covering off Belsize Park)where we were greeted with a TfL man by the unconventional exit. The following events occurred:-

TfL Man:- "Sorry but can you please use the other exit"
Me:- "But we want to catch that train there!" (train on opposite platform doors open waiting to leave)
HUSTLE ALARM SOUNDS
Me:- Some screaming noises and jumping into tube carriage occurs
TfL Man:- Looks quizzically why we have done what we have just done

Anyhoo we head down to Euston to catch a Victoria line up to Finsbury Park. Arrived there to find a train waiting for us so we head down to Oxford Circus where we find yet another train waiting for us. Quick dash down to White City, knocking off Holland Park on the way, and then a run to Wood Lane. This is where things start to go slightly wrong... We knew we had about 15 mins to get to Hammersmith (H&C) and bus to Kensington (Olympia) but a train had broken down in the platform at Hammersmith (H&C) which meant a crawl into there. With that idea out the window we took a train to Earl's Court and got there with 2 minutes to spare for the next train to Olympia. Once arriving we headed onto the next Overground train to West Brompton where we were greeted with an 8 mins wait for the next District train south :cry: After taking in some rays we finally finished at Parsons Green.

As always, I shall wait for the official results to be published to reveal the final time :D
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Re: Random 15 Championship 2016/17: Round 4

Post by RJSRdg »

I wasn't aware of the OOS train!

I rushed down onto the platforms with everybody else - startling a young lady with a dog who suddenly found herself being overtaken on both sides by a crowd of challengers! Up to Moorgate, jump of the train and pass said lady with dog again. Up onto the Subsurface (train in platform) and find myself in a carriage with Clive. Lady with dog sits a bit further along and I begin to wonder if they've entered the Challenge as well....

Through Barbican, up to KXSP, where Clive headed for Finsbury Park, while I headed to Russell Square (having taken the Victoria Line escalator by mistake then found my way through to the Picc). Contemplated doing the Goodge Street run to get the Northern (simply because I've never done it before!) but return to KXSP instead. First Northern is bound for Edgware, so I knock off Belsize Park and Hampstead, back down to Camden Town then up to Tufnell Park. Run along Tufnell Park Road (buses are one-way the other way, owing to a diversion!), originally intending to head for Holloway, but a glance at a map on Holloway Road shows Finsbury Park isn't much further. Hop on a 91 Boris. Someone gets stuck in the middle doors. Doors reopen and another crowd of people suddenly arrive to get on. Doors close. Bus moves about its own length when a little old lady sticks her walking stick out. Driver stops to let her on. Off we go again. Next stop goes OK but at the following one someone tries getting on with a pushchair. As there's already one in the space, quite a bit of shuffling has to go on before the second pushchair can board. Meanwhile several other people have got on without swiping their Oysters. Driver says she won't go until they have swiped. They make no move to do so, I decide enough is enough, jump off and run the rest of the way to Finsbury Park. Just miss a southbound Vic but there's another one along almost straight away. Down to Highbury & Islington, where I remember the Whitechapel line is closed but there's a very crowded Stratford train going in two minutes. Most of the crowd get out at Dalston Kingsland, presumably to catch the replacement bus to Whitechapel. At Stratford I intend to catch the DLR to Bow Church, but notice an eastbound Central in the platform and take that instead (just as well as that part of the DLR was also closed!). Double back from Mile End to Bow Road, back to Mile End and back onto the Central to Bank and a quick nip down the hill to Cannon Street. Another train in platform and round through Blackfriars on a Richmond to Earl's Court where I can either (a) carry on to Hammersmith, (b) catch a Wimbledon or (c) wait for an Olympia. Hop off the train and look at the DMI, which shows a "See front of train" in two minutes. Turn to look at the arrow board and it is indeed an Olympia, which turns out to contain Elsie, TOO and Xcooler. At Kensington Olympia, TOO persuades Elsie that he's better off crossing to the southbound platform and catching the 14:10 to West Brompton, then Parson's Green. I instead head north on the 14:11 to Shepherd's Bush, double back at Holland Park, then White City/Wood Lane (very long "1 minute" wait here!) and down to Hammersmith H&C, with a slight hold at Goldhawk Road waiting for a platform at Hammersmith. Over the road, Picc back to Earl's Court, but get stuck on the stairs behind a lady walking slowly hand-in-hand with a child and subsequently miss a Wimbledon. Fortunately there's another one right behind to take me to the finish at Parson's Green but still enough to lose me two places and valuable points.

Apart from those that I have mentioned as missing a train or long waits, all other changes went very well.
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Elsie
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Re: Random 15 Championship 2016/17: Round 4

Post by Elsie »

What a long, tiring but ultimately, fun day!

Mine started at 06:40, leaving at 07:30 and driving the 52 miles to Tamworth Station so I can ride the 08:38 Virgin Pendolino to Euston; I love these trains! I arrived at 09:50 and after a wee break, I decided to knock off some more stations that I've never actually entered/exited; been through but never visited 'properly'. I knocked off Angel, Old St, Moorgate and finally Russell Square, via Liverpool St & Holborn. At Russell Sq, I used the lift on the way up but took (very long!) spiral stairs down. After this I made my way to Westminster and walked over the bridge to Waterloo. Why? because after what happened last week I wanted to as an 'Up Yours' to those that want to bring our society down. Anyway, into Waterloo (remembering the scenes from one of the Bourne movies) and got the Northern Line to meet up with you guys at Kennington, ticking off another station!

I didn't have a mini map when the stations started to be read out so had to nip into the station to get one :oops: and to make matters worse I'm such a novice that I don't know the locations of all the stations, particularly those in Zone 2. I marked off what I could, started my stopwatch and headed off with the rest of you. I'll be perfectly honest and admit I didn't know which way I was going to go but I knew I needed to go north. I figured I'd get Blackfriars out of the way so at Elephant & Castle, I jumped off and headed to a Bakerloo train ... which sat in the station for AGES!. This however, gave me a chance to find the stations I didn't know (Bow Road, Parsons Green, Hampstead) and added them to the map.

Changed at Embankment to the District and ticked off Blackfriars, staying onto head out to Bow Road. Whilst sitting on this train I was still trying to work out a route and what door I needed to get off this S8 train at Bow Road. Realizing I needed to be further forward, I walked through the train and encountered Kev & Nozza. Because we were talking, I stopped walking forward so when we got off, we were too far away from the exit to get over and catch the return train! Oh well! All of us went back to Mile End and we changed to a Central Line but this was held for about 5 mins due to an issue at Bank. Got to Liverpool St and all of us changed to the H&C and up to Barbican. I left them here and doubled back to Moorgate and then went down to get a Northern City Line train. Luckily, it was only a 3 min wait for one to leave and this took me out to Finsbury Park. I had looked at the Overground options from Highbury & Islington to get to the Northern Line stops but wasn't confident enough. Onto the Victoria Line and changed at Euston, heading out to tick off Tuffnell Park before doubling back to Camden Town. Much like Xcooler, I found Camden Town to be a pain! The tunnel I needed to get to the Edgeware Branch was teeming with a zombie horde of hipsters. Arrrrgh! Fought my way through and onto a train to do Belsize Park and Hampstead.

Back down to Camden Town to change onto the NL Bank Branch to get to KXSP, onto the Piccadilly to go through Russell Square and down to Earls Court, where I managed to jump straight onto an Olympia train ... and RJSRdg came from one way, with TOO and xcooler coming from the other. :) We discussed what we had left to do and xcooler suggested catching the overground to West Brompton and then down to Parsons Green. I decided to do that so I wasn't following Richard around! So that was Olympia done, (almost) straight onto an Overground for West Brompton and then a long wait for the 3 of us to get to Parsons Green - where Too and Xcooler were finishing their challenge. I went down and back up to get a train straight back to Earls Court and a District train to Hammersmith. Straight off and over the road to get on to a H&C at Hammersmith ... where I bumped into Tangy who also had the same two stations to complete. We changed at Wood Lane onto the Central Line and both of us hopped off the the train at Holland Park to stop the watches.

After a (needed!) break at the pub, I visited Temple, Blackfriars (again!) and Mansion House before heading back to Euston and the 20:31 back up north. Of all the Zone 1 stations, the only ones I need to enter/exit from are Lancaster Gate (closed), Lambeth North (only just re-opened) and Southwark.

Thanks for letting me join in with the fun; it's an enjoyable, tiring and brain taxing challenge! I do have to get myself a cheap IOS device for this so I can use the Station Master app on the move, it has the best exit door positions. Some of the Android ones put me at the wrong end of the platform!

I'm knackered! :lol: :lol:
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Re: Random 15 Championship 2016/17: Round 4

Post by The Orange One »

Writeups time...

Like every other challenger, I started at Kennington. Quickly rushing down the emergency stairs, I reached the northbound platforms to see a Charing Cross branch train arrive, decide to be a Not In Service, then leave. No matter, thought I, to get to Blackfriars, the next station on the list for me, I can take the Bank branch instead, so boarded a Bank branch train. Somewhere between Kennington and Elephant and Castle, I added up the number of stops it would take to go via Monument and compared it with the number it would take to take the Bakerloo Line and go via Embankment. Bakerloo route's 5 beat the Monument route's 6, so straight down the stairs and through the closing doors of a waiting Bakerloo Line train, which whisked me up to Embankment. At Embankment, I surfaced to find myself on a Circle Line train - rats. I need the District Line.

Stayed on to Tower Hill. Upon leaving Blackfriars, I noticed an xcooler123 about to get off the westbound District - so I figured I'd be on the same train as him come Tower Hill. Dropping back, I joined him and Nick on the District Line out to Bow Road. Quick turnaround and onto the District back to Mile End (where Nick stayed on the train back into town), and at Mile End we missed a Central Line train by seconds (thanks, Mile End, much appreciated). Onto the next train and down to Liverpool Street, then onto a Circle Line to King's Cross St Pancras via Barbican. It was at this point that I realised that my route and xcooler's route were exactly the same, so we formed a sort of alliance which saw us together all the way to the end. Onto the Piccadilly Line, doubleback Russell Square, then through onto the Northern Line, where the High Barnet branch was first, so up to Tufnell Park. Good change back south to Camden Town, where as detailed in xcooler's report, it was very much "excuse me, excuse me, excuse me, excuse me, TRAIN!!!". Up to Hampstead via Belsize Park, where the TfL man provided the day's comedy to a backdrop of a sexy change, as described.

Once clear of Hampstead, we went down to Euston, where we switched onto the Victoria Line up to Finsbury Park (with another sexy change at Euston). The change at Finsbury Park onto the southbound Victoria Line had me trip on a staircase and fall flying forward - but I had enough time to decide how I was going to fall, so I was able to jump straight back up and continue down onto yet another waiting train. Down to Oxford Circus, change onto the Central Line (yet another sexy change!) out to White City via Holland Park.

Departing White City, we ran down to Wood Lane (via the construction work) to be greeted with a 4 minute wait, which was later compounded by a dead slow crawl with extra long Shepherd's Bush Market and Goldhawk Road waits to Hammersmith (H&C). Doublechecking the Olympia trains, we realised our Hammersmith :arrow: Olympia bus would now not be fast enough to get us there on time, so back to the bogstandard option of Districting - or Piccadillying as it were to Earl's Court. A 2 minute wait for the District Line up to Kensington (Olympia), which brought with it a RJSRdg and an Elsie! We all rode up to Olympia together, then myself, xcooler123 and Elsie switched over onto the Overground, then down to West Brompton for an 8 minute wait in the sunshine to get to Parsons Green.
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Re: Random 15 Championship 2016/17: Round 4

Post by crypto »

Amazing how tight the packs are getting this season. I think the one or two routing mistakes of mine cost me about half the field. The winner (from my finish of 9th) was only up about half an hour.

My route:

Kennington -> Wwaterloo -> SWT to Putney -> East Putney -> Earl's Court -> Kensington Olympia -> Run/bus to Hammersmith H/C -> Wood Lane -> White City -> Holborn -> KXSP -> Barbican -> KXSP -> Finsbury Park -> Euston -> Hampstead -> Camden Town -> Tufnell Park -> Embankment -> Bow Road

Couple of slip-ups. I've found that knowledge of shortcuts leads to obsession over building them into your route. In hindsight, the correct route to Parson's Green was to go up to Embankment and follow the District Line down (adding in another opportunity to catch the Olypmia train in the process), rather than getting the SWT service from Waterloo to Putney and running over.

I arrived at Earl's Court knowing I had two opportunities to get to Olympia (the station announcer at Earl's Court being very enthusiastic about saying "Ideal Home Show guests, your next train is in twwwenty minutes,") but I decided to cut the losses and give myself an eight minute wait, in case I just missed a later one the second time round. Decided to half-run, half-wait for a bus between Olympia and Hammersmith. The full run would've been quicker, but wasn't quite sure how long it was. Turns out not much.

After a million back-and-forths around the north of the map and a brief meetup with Alex and Mingke, my next idea was to run from Tufnell Park to Kentish Town and get Thameslink down to Blackfriars. I unfortunately learned the hard way that these services are every half hour, and even with the next in 12 minutes, it was too long for me, so I bailed to the Northern line.
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Re: Random 15 Championship 2016/17: Round 4

Post by tractakid »

Loved this spread of stations- gave so many route options.

I managed to tie with Clive having shared the route he used for all of the last two stations!

I was unaware of the 'not in service' train having got my platforms at Kennington confused. I therefore boarded the next train up to Embankment and then double-backed Blackfriars. I took the district all the way to Earls Court where I spotted it was a single minute for an Olympia. Ideally I would liked to have done Parsons Green at that point, but the chance to do Olympia without waiting was too good an opportunity to miss.

Having failed to research Overground train times (despite trying), I was prepared to run to Shepherds Bush, but would have taken an Overground in either direction should the wait have been OK. Turns out we (Alex, Mingke and A2 were also on this Olympia) just missed the southbound train, but a Northbound was just pulling in so we all hopped on.

Down to the Central, we all double backed Holland Park, and headed to White City. The run to Wood Lane was made interesting by the diversion and ramp and we all just missed a train to Hammersmith.

At Hammersmith Alex, Mingke and I all headed on the Picc to Earls Court, and just missed a District to Wimbledon. Had I had the correct door position I would have made it. :( This allowed A2, who waited for the District at Hammersmith, to catch us up.

At Parsons Green we all made a lax double back and separated for different door positions. I alighted at Victoria, and headed up to Euston. The correct branch turned up and I headed to Hampstead. Back to Camden Town and up to Tufnell Park, where I wasted a couple of minutes surfacing to find a closed bus stop- so headed back to Euston (Via Mornington Crescent, it so happened). Up to Finsbury Park, and back to Kings Cross on the Victoria, before swapping to the Picc to pick up Russell Square. Back to Kings Cross and I caught the sub surface to Liverpool Street, went down to the Central to get to Mile End and finished on the train ahead of the one I alighted at Liverpool Street.

Not unhappy with third place but I am well out of the running for this year's championship, especially as I miss round 6. :(
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Re: Random 15 Championship 2016/17: Round 4

Post by Going Underground »

I had to dash off and was unable to make the post-challenge pub meet up and await the results with interest...
It was a really good spread of stations which would have lead to many route options....

Just to confirm that team Nozza, Junior Nozza and Kev finished at Parsons Green on a "D" stock with a time 3 seconds different to Peter who also finished there... We stayed on the train to East Putney so I hope this cleared up any confusion...

Looked to be a good turn out for this one as well :)
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Re: Random 15 Championship 2016/17: Round 4

Post by greatkingrat »

Can we have the full results?
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