Episode 95
2017-12-21
HostsMelissa Erbacher Scott Trickett
Roving reportersGreta — roving reporter (surname not stated) Lyndell Murray
GuestsAshni Millis Christine Timms Denise Clark Fiona Edmonds Glen Turner John Lang Mark Connolly Tim Oberg
Show notes
The parkrun adventurers kick off the 2017 finale festivities with a special intro by our Channel 5 News Crew. We buzz Netflix HQ to discuss ‘parkrun adventurers: The Netflix Original’, and parkrun AU CEO Tim Oberg stops in to share his highlights for 2017. Glen Turner, Press & Media Manager for parkrun UK & Ireland, brings us some heart-warming stories. And we wrap up the fun with another EPIC State of the Nation - eight parkrun AU Event Ambassadors give us all the latest and upcoming news for their State or Territory!
Enhanced transcript
Checked transcript — speakers named, sound described, segments marked.
Read the transcriptGuests
Tim Oberg
Annual Christmas 'bring the boss back' interview: his Fast 5K for Christmas training block with Eloise Wellings, 2017 highlights (Parliament House promotion, staff growth, 66 events launched), why junior parkrun is delayed behind a safeguarding policy, and his one Christmas wish for parkrunners.
Glen Turner
An Australian working inside parkrun UK: handling ~50 press articles a week, sourcing newsletter stories, the African refugee runner who broke a course record in southeast London, founding Gladstone parkrun, and the first prison parkrun (Black Combe at HMP Haverigg) with a second due in Northern Ireland.
Ashni Millis
State of the Nation - Victoria: 16 launches in 2017 taking the state to 58 events, recent Marriott Waters/Sunbury/Bannockburn Bush launches, 2018 prospects including Gardiners Creek and Birdsland, and Port Fairy's first anniversary.
Christine Timms
State of the Nation - Tasmania: doubling from three to six events, George Town/Railton/Windsor Precinct launches, a Physical Activity Award and a Healthy Tasmania grant, Queens Domain launching as a new southern compass point, and meeting original 2004 parkrunner Andrew Lane.
Mark Connolly
State of the Nation - Northern Territory: Palmerston turning one and Darwin four, the new Nightcliff parkrun launching in February as a new northern compass point, and stalled prospects at Katherine and Alice Springs.
Denise Clark
State of the Nation - ACT: Christmas Day and New Year's Day doubles at Tuggeranong and Gungahlin, Goulburn launching 10 February and Coombs (the ACT's first off-road trail event) on 17 March, and growth past 20,000 registered parkrunners across five events.
Fiona Edmonds
State of the Nation - Queensland: launches at Redcliffe, Oakey, Cloncurry, Lota, Miles, North Harbour and St George; Zilmere launching 20 January as Australia's first Z event; Bargara on 27 January in turtle season; and prospects including Victory Heights, Forest Lake and Oxley Creek Common.
John Lang
State of the Nation - South Australia: ten launches doubling the state's events, a state government grant, Reynella East as the year's last launch, Edithburgh and Port Broughton (4.5km on sand) coming in 2018, Christmas and New Year double options, and his own first year as Cleland's Event Director.
Roving reports
Lota parkrun
In this episode
Channel 5 News Crew
The crew's biggest showing to date: they sing a bespoke parkrun Christmas carol as the episode's intro music, then supply Christmas cracker jokes and sign-offs through the episode (PK from South Australia at 00:28:39, Lyndell at 01:04:09, TOC at 01:33:42, Greta at 01:33:57), plus two full roving reports. Mel at [00:04:32]: "that was our Channel 5 News crew wishing everybody a Merry Christmas through song". At the close, Gary Murphy is formally admitted to the crew for singing the carol.
parkrun news bulletin
Revived for the year-ender after being dropped: Scott at [00:01:31] "You know one thing I've missed, Mel? I've missed the news. Remember when we used to do the news?" ... [00:01:45] "It's time for the news." A joke news read of 2017 by the numbers — 45 episodes, 2,471 minutes of audio, 113 guests, 57 roving reports, four millionth global registration.
Christmas bonbon jokes
Annual Christmas-episode bit: cracker/bonbon jokes from the hosts and from nearly every guest. Scott notes it's a returning tradition at [00:05:57] "last year, Mel, I cracked open a bonbon in our Christmas episode", and Mel cracks a recycled bonbon on air. Jokes come from Scott, Mel, Tim Oberg, Glen Turner, PK, Lyndell, TOC and Greta.
Netflix sponsorship call (running gag)
Staged comedy sketch built on the show's running Netflix joke — the hosts phone "Netflix HQ" to ask why their sponsorship of 'parkrun adventurers: The Netflix Original' hasn't come through. The receptionist is voiced by Tim Oberg, revealed when Tim answers his own guest call at [00:13:55] with "Hello, Netflix."
State of the Nation
State-by-state round-up from parkrun Australia event ambassadors, revived for the year-ender: Mel at [01:05:12] "Earlier in the year, we did a little bit of a segment called State of the Nation ... we're bringing it back." Covers VIC (Ashni Millis), TAS (Christine Timms), NT (Mark Connolly), ACT (Denise Clark), QLD (Fiona Edmonds), SA (John Lang) and WA (read by the intern in Matty Trent's absence).
parkrun Adventurers intern
"parkrun Adventurer intern number one" — introduced the previous week — is called in at [01:31:48] to read the WA state-of-the-nation report because the WA ambassador is ill. The intern is never named and signs off "Thanks for my opportunity, Matty."
Launches and anniversaries ("Where is the cake?")
Forward calendar covering the three-week hiatus: launches on 6 Jan (Margaret River), 13 Jan (Huskisson) and 20 Jan (Edithburgh SA, Gardiners Creek VIC, Queens Domain TAS, Zilmere QLD — four states in one day, including Australia's first Z event); anniversaries at Underwood Park, then Lawson, Rocks Riverside, Tannum Sands, Pioneer, Shepparton, Wondai, Lithgow, Point Cook and St Peters.