Skipping down the left hand side of the escalator, wearing capri tights and an ultra vest with a bottle of Evian tucked into the pocket, I’m going for the “Urban Adventure Jogger” look; instead, I’m probably coming across as one of those people who bounce up and down at traffic lights.

Crowds of people flow slowly through Euston station. I feel as if I’m at the beginning of a big city marathon and I’ve got the start time wrong. I reach the platform as a train arrives, unloading passengers. Awkwardly, I wait for them to clear before I snap a “selfie” by the underground sign, tap the yellow line with my foot, and scamper back up the stairs. An announcement asks passengers to report any suspicious behaviour; if I don’t fall into that category, I’m not sure what does. An hour later, I’ve repeated this six more times and covered a grand total of three miles. This could be a long day.

The concept comes from coach Rory Coleman: an “anytime” marathon challenge covering more than 42km around Zone 1, visiting the platforms (and stairs) of 42 underground stations along the way. A friend of a friend completed the “UnderRound” in February and the idea had been lurking ever since. I’d got in touch with her, floating the idea that I’d try it when I’d got a bit more time in the summer. “I would 100% recommend this,” she gushes, but adds: “Don’t wait until the summer, it’ll be too hot!” I fire off an email to Coleman, who sells his custom route maps for a tenner, and send out a message to my London running friends; they’re not as gullible as me, but offer to hand me some snacks if I’m near their offices.

With a huge booklet of maps in my hands on Monday night, I call Coleman to ask him a few questions. He says that the challenge came about when a London-based client wanted to know how to incorporate some hill training into his routes. “If he had lived in the Lake District, he could have run the Bob Graham Round,” he explains, “so, instead of going up, I suggested he run down into the underground.” “How many times have you run it?” I ask. “Once was enough.” He completed it in 2008 in five hours, 24 minutes and, since then, a leaderboard has evolved on his website to chart challengers’ times. He assures me that, if I go under seven hours, he’ll include my name in the rankings.

He finishes with some words of advice: “The hardest thing really is not getting run over when you leave the station, and finding water, and somewhere to go to the loo.” Heading down Euston Road, I’m reassured that central London can help me with two of those; I find a fast-food restaurant to use its facilities, only to discover that I have to run down two flights of stairs to get to them.

I reach a low point at Edgware Road. Literally. Having weaved my way under the subway, only to realise the station is four lanes of traffic away on the same side of road that I started, I circle my way down a set of stairs that takes me so close to the centre of the Earth that I wonder whether it’s a train or magma approaching on the Bakerloo line. A sign on the wall warns that 125 stairs stand between me and daylight: “Do not use the stairs except in an emergency.”

By the time I reach the West End, I’m looking forward to some company. A friend is waiting outside Covent Garden station with a concerned look. He has good news and bad news. The bad news is that the tube station is closed; the good news is that you can still access the station platform by actually getting on the train. We hatch a cunning plan to sprint down to Leicester Square, return to Covent Garden on the tube, letting me reach the platform, conquer the stairs and, hopefully, still meet the rules of the challenge.

Emerging from the station at the same entrance proves tricky and, as I wave at my friend from the other side of the road, I see a guy in running kit, carrying a camera and a sheaf of printed maps like mine. He must be doing the UnderRound, too. I ask how many stations he has visited. “The same number as you,” he answers to my silly question. I’m clearly getting tired.

The past two miles have gone really quickly, thanks to my friend; having someone who knows the route well proves to be a big advantage. I don’t live in London so, left to my own devices again, I’m back to navigating by myself. My progress slows significantly when I head in totally the wrong direction from Sloane Square. After 15 minutes running into Chelsea, a woman jogs past me in a pair of Crocs and we both get the sense that we shouldn’t be there.

I reach the City at around 4.30pm, and it is already busy with people leaving work. I run past the window of an office with a man asleep at his desk and I smile at the thought that I’ve ended up spending a day off doing this instead. Bank station is busy and confusing; I marvel at how, with all these people, the guy at the top of Coleman’s leaderboard could manage four hours, 36 minutes for the UnderRound.

I emerge from the station, slightly flustered, when a man stops me to ask if I’m OK. “You just had that look on your face,” he says, smiling. He thinks I look confused. I explain that I’ve looked like that all day but I’m grateful for his help. We establish where we are on my map and he cheers me on: “You’re going in the right direction! Keep going that way into the sunset!” I’ve always been led to believe that Londoners are in such a hurry; the kindness of this man, and the countless other people I’ve stopped for directions today, suggests otherwise.

Reaching King’s Cross station at the end of my adventure, I encounter larger crowds of commuters, yet I seem to be the only one who is really in a rush: my friend is meeting me from her train and taking me to the nearest pub. I pose for a photo with a pint and a slightly sorry looking travelcard (using your Oyster for this challenge will apparently destroy the Underground and Londoners won’t thank you for that); I’ve clutched this ticket like a soggy key to the city all day and it’ll have to take the place of a medal.

I consider what I’ll tell people if they ask why I’ve done this; I genuinely don’t have an answer, but I’m still glad I did it. I haven’t made Coleman’s seven-hour standard, but I’ve had fun along the way. Despite my best efforts to hurry, I’ve seen some beautiful parts of London in probably the slowest way possible, and my GPS shows nearly 26 miles, suggesting I’ve just about made the target of 42 stations in 42km.

Katie tweets at @cakeofgoodhope

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