Episode 75

2017-08-03

Roving reporterTim Oberg

Show notes

Winter is here and it's time to get excited. Canons Park parkrun Run Director Sean Southerland-Kirby stops by to give us a wheelchair athlete’s perspective on parkrunning. Tanya Rong warms up our parkrun appetite for a trip around Traralgon parkrun and we receive a Roving Report from Airlie Beach parkrun.

Enhanced transcript

Checked transcript — speakers named, sound described, segments marked.

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Guests

Sean Sutherland-Kirby

Run Director / wheelchair participant, Canons Park parkrun (Harrow, London, UK)

A wheelchair athlete's perspective on parkrun: he was volunteered into volunteering by his husband Andrew via Chris (a fellow Aussie who set up Canons Park), volunteered for months before completing his first parkrun in his new 8kg wheelchair in 45:09 on the day after the anniversary of his motorbike accident; spina bifida and functional neurological disorder; how pushing a course compares to running it; the diverse Canons Park community (Eid run, backwards April Fools run, autistic and partially sighted runners); and his upcoming Parallel London 5K for Headway East London.

Interviewed by Melissa Erbacher, Scott Trickett

Tanya Rong

Event Director, Traralgon parkrun (Latrobe Valley, Gippsland, Victoria)

Traralgon parkrun: 4-degree frosty winter mornings still drawing ~100 participants, the flat two-lap out-and-back PB course starting at the footbridge by the netball and tennis courts, its crossover with the Traralgon Harriers and triathlon club, how she came up through run director to co-ED (sharing the role with Paul Rowlandon) after founder "Sarge" moved to Brisbane, managing course congestion and safety around a wheelchair participant, and the post-parkrun cafe Foodco on Franklin.

Interviewed by Melissa Erbacher, Scott Trickett

Roving reports

Airlie Beach

Reported by Tim Oberg

In this episode

Roving Adventurers (roving reporter crossovers)
Scott crosses to "a new roving reporter... by the name of Timothy" — Tim Oberg, unsolicited, reporting from Airlie Beach parkrun, where he interviews Nicole Sanday about her 100th parkrun (50 at home, 50 away) and her alphabet-tourism quest. Melissa follows up at [00:44:41] asking listeners, including international ones, to send in their own unsolicited roving reports.
Launches and anniversaries ("Where is the cake?")
Melissa cues it verbatim at [00:45:31] "Now, where is the cake this week, Scotty?" Anniversaries: Blackbutt (Region of Runners, back after a month of cancellations), Chelsea Bicentennial in Victoria (first anniversary), Claisebrook Cove in WA, and Victor Harbor in SA. Launch: Greenbank in Brisbane this weekend. Rolls into a short discussion of events cancelled for lack of volunteers.