I'm in agreement... There have been a couple of times where I've gone out to start a route plan, but haven't. I have only really done two routes - one which was really shit and missed a station out, although with a bit of tweaking it could be usable, and the other the one that was used for Andi's team for CiN, where me and Andi sat in a pub doing the route (the pizza stop was my idea
). I think it is the kind of person Andi is that he will willingly give old routes away - the other two times I've been out have been ex-Andi routes, both of which failed due to the service problems on the day.
My aim is to complete, not to get the record. Since my charity attempt for Tearfund a couple of years back, I've looked at the full network challenge akin to a marathon - knowing I'm not going to 'win', but want to complete. It still hasn't happened, and I'm going to go out until I do (although might end up missing Kenny O). I also want to do my own route, although I will admit that I came here to, wihle not specifically ask for a route, to get a few tips which is what I have done. I have also looked at other ways of doing things and getting places, even though they didn't, and probably won't, really work. For instance, my first route started at Upminster and went right down to Richmond and changing at Turnham Green to the Picc. That is a crap idea, but I had the idea and went to see if I could do it. I'm also wondering if it's plausible to do Watford - Watford High Street. It probably isn't, but it's a thought I've had on my own, even if other people have thought about it in the past.
I will admit that some of the bits I've picked up from going out with people, my first trip out to support Kev and co a while ago (can't remember who else was out) taught me a few things that I didn't realise, and although I could've thought about it I hadn't. Some of those may end up in my route, others not. I've not gone out asking specifically for a route, and if I end up on somebody's team for whatever reason I will withdraw if I feel that I'm holding them back while they're on a record-breaking time.
Any Challenger MUST go out onto the network to sort stuff out themselves. The R15 challenges or Zone 1 are quite a good way of doing this; there have been things I've found out on the last R15 that I would not have thought of for a FNC. Again, they probably won't work, or might be well known amongst seasoned challengers, but I've actually gone out and found out, even if only by accident (my 15 second train-to-next-platform interchange at KXSP for instance, purely by accident but exceptionally useful to know as I try and avoid changing at KXSP and now might think about it a bit more).
I'm not entirely certain whether publishing a route is worthwhile or not. I don't see that it is, as it could well become the 'definitive route'. But I do see how it could be as, as has been said, people doing a charity challenge could do it. Then again, my first time out was for charity, and I did feel that because I was using somebody else's route, I was cheating slightly as I hadn't put the work in (hence why I really want to go out on a route that I've done).
My routes are run-minimum as it happens, which is why I don't think I'll get a record. I'm not saying that running is essential to get a record as I know it's not, but I just think that it might help.
Any new challengers, take it from me: Create your own route. It doesn't matter if it's shit. Go out onto the network, try bits out. Some bits might work better than you think, some bits look good on paper but aren't practical - ie, buses that always run late on a certain route, an interchange that isn't as good as it looks (ie, a Green Park interchange), or things like that. Get your own door positions, find your own 'secret passageways' that speed up interchanges, and above all have good luck. A completion / record / whatever is down to luck as well.
Cockfosters I devoted hours, days and weeks planning and trying to get the fastest possible route even though it was never going to be anywhere near GWR... I think I had around 99 permatations a couple of weeks prior to the date and several contingengy plans for the day itself (As Glen and Nozza will confirm 
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)