NEW YORK (CBS/AP) -- Some might call it a test of endurance; others might call it kind of "out there." On Thursday morning, two college buddies beat a riding record time for traveling the entire the New York City subway system.
In their last communication before crossing the finish line, the self-described "infrastructure nerds" were running a bit behind schedule as they tried to break the speed record of passing through all 468 subway stations in less than 25 hours, 11 minutes.
They apparently missed the Franklin Avenue Shuttle in Brooklyn by five seconds, and that added 10 minutes to the trip.
When CBS 2 spoke with Subway Challenge mastermind Don Badaczewski at the start of the journey Wednesday morning, the Michigan law student said that he knew his fate was in the hands of the subway gods.
"In the end, if a train stalls, if there's an unplanned service diversion, it's 50-50. That's what I figured. Crossing our fingers," Badaczewski said.
The two intrepid travelers apparently had to cross their legs a lot as well. Their planned diet of Beef Jerky and bottled water may not be working out as planned.
On their Web site, friends say the pair asked for more bottled water -- and some Imodium because they were having trouble finding working men's rooms. They say that many are under construction -- like one at their starting-off point at Rockaway Park Wednesday.
Badaczewski and his former University of Virginia roommate Matt Green spent five months studying train maps and schedules, and scoping out stations to plan their route. They even tried sprinting through stations for those all-important transfers.
On Wednesday Green was philosophical about breaking the record.
"We kind of have a history of putting ourselves in these horrible, painful positions for long periods of time and the subway is particularly near and dear to our hearts," he said.
The two men who currently hold the record said they would come out of retirement if their record is broken.
Here's the Subway Challenge route:
Start: Rockaway Park at 6 a.m. Wednesday S to Broad Channel A to Far Rockaway A to Rockaway Blvd A to Lefferts Blvd A to High St A to Broadway Junction L to Canarsie L to 14th St/8th Ave A to Inwood A to 168th St 1 to Van Cortlandt Park 1 to Times Square 7 to Queensboro Plaza N to Ditmars Blvd N to Queensboro Plaza 7 to Flushing 7 to 74th St/Broadway V to 23rd St/Ely Ave G to Hoyt-Schermerhorn C to Franklin Ave S to Botanic Garden 3 to New Lots Ave 3 to Franklin Ave 2 to Flatbush Ave 2 to Fulton St J to Broad St J to Fulton St 4/5 to Bowling Green 4/5 to Fulton St 2/3 to Chambers St 1 to South Ferry 1 to Chambers St 3 to 148th St 3 to 110th St 2 to Wakefield 2 to E 180th St 5 to Dyre Ave 5 to 125th St 4 to Woodlawn 4 to Yankee Stadium D to Norwood D to Grand St D to Rockefeller Ctr F to Jamaica F to Kew Gardens E to Jamaica Ctr J to Myrtle Ave M to Middle Village M to Myrtle Ave J to Chambers St 4/6 to 59th St/Lexington Ave N to 59th St Brooklyn R to 95th St R to 36th St D to Coney Island N to Pacific St Q to West 8th St F to West 4th St A/E to Canal St E to 51st St 6 to Pelham Bay Park End (Thursday)
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