tubechallenge.com

Let's do the anti-tube challenge.

We have to arrive and depart a pub, having spent a good long time in it getting pissed.

Good plan. What's the world record, and who is the current world record holder? And what are the rules?

If the map gets cut in two, then naturally, you will have to do the missing links on foot or via some other form of public transport.

Actually, that's another idea altogether - divide the map in two.

You have two teams, and they each have to get round their half as quickly as possible. There couldn't be an exact divide, so each team would be assigned 134 stations to cover. This would leave one station over, so there could be a possible extension to this challenge by having that station as the finishing station, and the teams racing to that one having covered their initial 134 stations.
This also has the potential to feature more than two teams...

This is a good idea. However, the teams would have to then swap halves, as the two "halves" would obviously not take the same time to complete.

Or, divide it into 4, have 4 teams and have 4 heats...

Cut out pre-determined shapes, place them at random over a tube map and the stations showing through are the ones you have to go to.

That's an astonishingly bad idea!

Rubbish - get a tube roundel cut out and drop it on a map!

OK, how about The National Lottery Tube Challenge?

Let me think about how that works and get back to you ...

You try arriving at or departing from West Kensington, without stopping at any Piccadilly Line stations!

Obviously you have to start the challenge by arriving at West Kensington or end it by departing from it (and connect on foot to the rest...)

His point is that you can't actually do West Kensington (or Olympia for that matter) because it order to do so requires you to leave or arrive at a station which connects with the Piccadilly line.

So it's impossible.

And a train has to come into it somewhere ...

Excatly, except that it is possible!

* Go to Earl's court.
* Take the train to K(O).
* Challenge STARTS when you disembark the train at K(O).
* Do the rest of the stations. Run from West Brompton to WK.
* Get on a train.
* When the train leaves challenge ENDS and you're done!

This way you have NOT visited any Pic station DURING THE CHALLENGE. How you make your way to the start and from the finish of the challenge is NOT RELEVANT.

The only problem is that you can't do Highbury & Islington either and as there are three isolated stations and only two start/finish points it is in fact impossible. Chiswick Park might be difficult as well if you count Turnham Green as a Piccadilly station.

I've heard some dubious ideas for alternative challenges before, but this is just ridiculous!

Tubeguru - the Lottery Tube Challenge would be great but it would only account for 49 stations ... unless you take into account all the Lottery draws on one night and derive a larger set of stations from those.

The only problem is that you can't do Highbury & Islington either and as there are three isolated stations and only two start/finish points it is in fact impossible. Chiswick Park might be difficult as well if you count Turnham Green as a Piccadilly station.

Point taken. You' right - I just read Tubeguru's comment - and assumed it was the whole story...