Episode 24 - Rochelle Vaisanen

2016-06-15

In this episode

• Roving Adventurer report — Launceston event team powwow

  Scott crosses to Ben Brockman (ED at Devonport parkrun) reporting from the parkrun event-team powwow in Launceston, Tasmania. Ben covers the weekend format (dinner, Launceston parkrun, a Q&A with Tim Oberg, the Launceston 10 road race) and the recent northern Tasmanian flooding, then does four short on-location interviews: Elkie (ED, Lakeview parkrun, Belmont/Lake Macquarie) with her travelling group of six; Tim Oberg on his first official run at Launceston; and Allan (ED, Shepparton) and Pete (ED, Coburg). Ends with a running gag about chalking "Trickett's bridge" on the Launceston 10 course. Mel and Scott sign it off at 00:14:13, with Scott noting Ben's "radio voice" and predicting he'll be on the pod soon.

• Adventurer interview — Rochelle Vaisanen

  In-studio ("virtual studio") interview with Queensland parkrunner Rochelle Vaisanen, who had just completed the Cairns 70.3 half Ironman in torrential rain. She talks about crocodile jokes at the open-water swim start, being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2013 a month after signing up for her first 70.3, using parkrun as motivation through treatment, founding Ipswich (Queensland) parkrun after clicking the "start your own parkrun" link, her 75 volunteer credits, handing the event to Kay Sherlock, comparing Highbury Fields (London) to the hilly Ipswich course, and her favourite Queensland events. Scott plugs her blog, cancertriathlon.com.

• Event Director interview — Phil Ackland, Mount Gambier

  Scott dubs Phil Ackland "the King of the Mount" (a nickname he invents on the spot and which neither Phil nor Mel will accept). They cover the Mount Gambier course around the Blue Lake, why it's an out-and-back rather than a loop, the lake's seasonal colour change, Phil's ultrarunning (his DNF at UTA, his second attempt at the You Yangs 100-miler, his wife Nikki crewing him at aid stations), the growing habit of measuring ultras in "number of parkruns", and his recent appointment as a parkrun Australia Territory Director for a region that straddles the SA/Victoria border.

• parkrun adventure challenge (listener challenge)

  Follow-up on challenges set in earlier episodes: Brad Beer (Main Beach, challenged in episode 8 to run a parkrun slower than 25 minutes) reported back that he did it while pacing someone to a goal — "Adventure challenge completed"; and Brendan at Shell Harbour accepted last week's challenge to deliver his run briefing entirely in pirate voice, though no audio was captured. Leads into a new self-imposed challenge: Scott and Mel to record an entire podcast in pirate accents for International Talk Like a Pirate Day in September.

• Social Adventurers

  Round-up of listener social posts: the Nisbet family's three-generation milestone at Capalaba; Peter Pohlman on the Goondiwindi launch (sparking a long tangent about the spelling/pronunciation of Goondiwindi vs Gundagai, and Goondiwindi as the newest star in the Southern Cross Circuit); Melissa Ellis taking three Berwick Springs parkrunners to Shepparton; then Instagram — Cara Voss at Rhodes on WWF onesie week, Bunyaville's flooded creek crossing, TJ at Balyang, Dirty Cheetahs at Crissy Field (San Francisco), Run Jo Run's PB at Wyndham Vale, Will B 1981 in freezing Canberra, Tanya RR at Newy's fourth anniversary, Heather's Happy Snaps (#BroomeNeedsAparkrun), Ray Macy's sunrise, Nod Lightyear at Keilor, Miss Spelt at frosty Stanthorpe, Tesla Fox's Highlands/Frog Hollow anniversary double, and Dr Scott Watkins photographing a bridge from a bridge in Dusseldorf while listening to the podcast.

• Puns and dad jokes segment

  After Mel's "park onesie" pun lands badly, Scott announces a forthcoming segment: "We're going to save that for our puns and dad jokes segment coming up." He tells listeners to start building up their dad jokes and puns, "particularly if you're going to be a guest on the program because that's going to be our opening question."

• Strava Club update

  Weekly check on the podcast's Strava Club. New member Brendan Davies has joined and immediately smashed out 120km at 4:28 pace while on holiday overseas; Scott predicts he'll top the leaderboard most weeks. Mel ("Rebel Rouser") is missing from the top 100 because she has become separated from her watch, iPod and car keys at the end of a Darwin trip, so none of her recent runs have synced.

• Launches and anniversaries ("Where is the cake?")

  The weekly launches-and-anniversaries calendar, cued by Mel's "So, this week, where's the cake, Scotty?" Covers the Burley Griffin launch in the ACT; Carine Glades' second anniversary (tutus and ties); North Shore in Queensland's third anniversary ("fluoro rage", which Mel concedes she probably meant to type as "fluoro rave"); Town of Seaside's first anniversary (blue theme), which Mel will attend in costume; and Wangaratta's first anniversary (superhero theme), with good luck passed to Laura and her team. Rolls into Mel's costume history, including running Noosa parkrun as a deflated Slimer.