Episode 44
2016-11-09
HostMelissa Erbacher
GuestsBruce Fordyce Dave Robbo Matt Raschke
Show notes
The parkrun adventurers explore the parkrun opportunities of South Africa, guided by parkrun South Africa Country Manager Bruce Fordyce. Dave ‘Robbo’ Robertson checks in to share his own recent SA adventures, and Matt Raschke joins us for Club Corner to chat about five30runners.
Enhanced transcript
Checked transcript — speakers named, sound described, segments marked.
Read the transcriptGuests
Bruce Fordyce
parkrun in South Africa: growth from 26 runners at Delta Park in Nov 2011 to ~88 events and half a million registrations; how Paul Sinton-Hewitt persuaded him to run Bushy Park in 2011; the deliberately slow ~2-events-a-month launch rate; North Beach Durban as the world's biggest event (1,800 the day before Comrades); the 50% who walk; small events like Summerfields and Springbok; his top overseas parkruns; and parkrun South Africa's 5th birthday that Saturday.
Dave Robbo
His three-week South African family holiday: Green Point parkrun in Cape Town in torrential rain (and his 2012 tweet proposing the course), Durbanville Hills parkrun at Meerendal Wine Estate, the 42km Otter African Trail Run on the Garden Route, safety for Australian travellers in South Africa, and the newly launched Nitro Athletics with Usain Bolt.
Matt Raschke
Club Corner: the history and philosophy of five30runners, membership numbers and geographic spread, the club's Facebook group and merchandise, how it uses parkrun, plus his own top three parkruns.
In this episode
Channel 5 News Crew
Scripted news bulletin read alternately by both hosts over a music bed: parkrunners at the New York Marathon warming up in Central Park; volunteers at the Perth 2016 World Masters Athletics Championships; a new member of the Peel Club at Burley Griffin; Brendan Peel reaching 100 different events (Cow Club) at the Karkarook launch; the Westerfoldians winning the team title at Run for Fireys. Cued by Scott at [00:00:49] "But before we do that, let's listen to some news" and picked up again at [00:03:02] "Also in the news..."
Global Adventures
The show's country-by-country feature. Cued at [00:06:27] "It's time to continue our global adventures. And we're heading to another country where parkrun is massive" — this week South Africa, with Bruce Fordyce.
Top three parkruns
Recurring set question put to guests. Scott at [00:23:11]: "one of the things we like to ask our guests is for their top three parkruns. But we have a disclaimer that they can't include their home parkrun." Bruce names Gdynia (Poland), Bushy, Mosman and a Ginninderra freedom run; the same question is put to Matt Raschke at [01:00:20], who picks Nambour, Albert Park and Taree.
Launches and anniversaries ("Where is the cake?")
One launch this weekend — Nepean River (NSW) on Saturday. Three anniversaries: Diamond Creek (3rd), Geographe Bay (2nd) and Launceston (4th). Scott uses the standing cake formula at [00:54:13]: "you may or may not find cake at..."
Club Corner
Running-club feature. Scott hands over at [00:54:40] "Let's go interstate for Club Corner!" and welcomes Matt Raschke of five30runners — the club's origin at Newy parkrun in September 2012 (Dave Robbo and Gary Wells), the 5k-in-30-minutes goal, ~1,718 members, the Facebook group and its "splinter groups", and how parkrun is "the glue that bonds this group together".