Finish your Tube Challenge on foot as opposed to on a train?

[The Orange One]

I've got a Tube Challenge route, but I've got a little problem for the timings. I was planning to end it up in the north west corner - my train would make it into Amersham at 23:21. Amersham is however number 269/270, and the fastest way to get to Chesham would actually be to run the 2.3 miles between the two stations, as opposed to waiting for the next train back to C&L. However, if I do this, I'm not sure when I'd finish timing. Would I stop the clock as I came through the barriers at Chesham? Perhaps when I set foot on a southbound train? Or when the doors close and this train moves off? Maybe even when the doors open at Chalfont and Latimer? Am I actually stuck with 269/270 because I did not exit the train at the last station?

I've tried to find an answer, but nobody's this unconventional. Hoping you can help.

[The Raven]

If you ran from Amersham to Chesham the clock would stop when you placed your foot on the platform at Chalfont and Latimer.

[The Orange One]

Well, better find a new route then.

[tubeguru]

I'm fairly certain you can't end the challenge on foot. You have to arrive at the final station by train, surely?

[The Raven]

Well, better find a new route then.

With Chesham and Amersham only having 2 and 4 trains per hour respectively it can be a right royal pain in the arse!

[The Orange One]

You've pretty much either got to start or end there. I was going to start at Heathrow and knock Olympia off the list as I came into town. It was a beautiful start, I could knock off MHE with a direct train as well (that's a perfect two out of three in the first few hours, and it works on non-Olympia days too). Have to find some other way to take Olympia into account as I have to start in Chesham/Amersham, or this happens!

[geofftech]

trains

[greatkingrat]

But the rules specifically say that the time stops when you set foot on the platform at your final station so the first opportunity to set foot on a platform is when you arrive at Chalfont.

[tubeguru]

But surely that is overridden somewhere by the need to arrive at your final station by train.

The challenge is to visit all 270 stations by train. Although you are indeed allowed to run TO stations, you can't run to a station and then not take a train from it, as it's not really in the spirit of the challenge.

The final station MUST be one that has to be arrived at by train. Whether Guinness have made that clear, or whether they can be arsed to make it clear, is another matter ...

[tractakid]

Both the "arrive or depart by train" and "set foot on a platform" criteria need to be met. Therefore the challenge ends at Chalfont.

[GuyBarry]

I'm a complete novice and don't normally comment on stuff here. But, interpreting the rules entirely literally, I see things like this:

Assuming that Chesham is the final station, you need to arrive and/or depart Chesham by an underground train in normal public service, and the clock stops the moment you set foot on the platform at Chesham.

So you run to Chesham, put your foot on the platform, and immediately stop the clock. You then wait for the next underground train in normal public service and depart. You've fulfilled both the rules - the time spent waiting for the train doesn't count. The fact that the train is going on to Chalfont and Latimer is irrelevant, as you've already visited it.

Maybe this is outside the spirit of the rules but I think it's entirely within the letter!

[tubeguru]

You've fulfilled both the rules - the time spent waiting for the train doesn't count.

If departing on the train doesn't count, when why bother waiting for it? Surely only things that you do while the clock is running are the things that count?

[GuyBarry]

Surely only things that you do while the clock is running are the things that count?

The rules don't say that! They only say that you have to arrive at and/or depart from the last station by Underground train, and that the clock stops when you set foot on the platform at the last station. Both those criteria have been fulfilled. It clearly wasn't the intention when the rules were drawn up, but to me it looks like an obvious loophole.

[Nigel]

It clearly wasn't the intention when the rules were drawn up, but to me it looks like an obvious loophole.

Ultimately, if you want an official record it is GWR which interpret the rules. While you may argue your interpretation, you would get short shrift from GWR. The rules have some other anomalies - for example, they say that a record cannot be set at a weekend because some stations are shut. Yet there have been weekends when all stations are open, yet Guinness have ruled such attempts invalid for a record because it would be unfair on the existing record holders, as the attempt would not have been made under identical conditions. Eh?

[tubeguru]

Yeah, we can argue over loopholes all day. Guinness will only accept a record time if you arrive at the 270th station by train.

But feel free to try ...