The clock started when the event commenced. However, there might be two results at the finish line. If you moved without delay, elapse and moving time are the same. If you take breaks or stop, elapse and moving time are no longer correlated. Thru-hikers complete the entire route without stopping except to re-supply. Section thru-hikers complete the trail in segments, taking multiple years to move from end to end. It may take both groups the same number of weeks to finish; one user contained within a season, and the other spread across years.
It might be helpful to uncouple elapse and moving time when discussing our progress. Not all conditions are right to move continuously on our projects, and therefore, pausing may be the best decision even when it means the timer at the finish line continues to count upwards.