Episode 134 - Tim Oberg

Episode 134 — open the full-size artworkShow artwork, January 2018

HostsMelissa Erbacher Scott Trickett

GuestTim Oberg

Show notes

The parkrun adventurers have a walk-off and discover another new event. The Big Cheese, parkrun Australia CEO Tim Oberg is back for a natter about life as an Event Director and the latest on parkrun in Japan. Plus we announce Mel’s new Co-Host for next week, all on Scotty’s birthday!

From the podcast feed. No Facebook post text is recorded for this episode.

Guest

In this episode

• Welcome starts at 0:07

  Melissa Erbacher on a rainy Sunshine Coast with Scott Trickett in Victoria. Scott spent Melbourne Marathon Sunday running around the course cheering mates, acting as a windbreak for his friend Chris up St Kilda Road on the way to a 2:59:58, and on the Saturday hosted the Zoolanders' walk-off at Westerfolds with Matty Trent and friends. Mel ran Underwood Park with some Zoolanders, her fourth new event in four weeks (Yamba, St Lucia, Underwood Park and Ballina Coast, an anagram of BUSY), noted Queensland's wet-weather cancellations, and took Wes to the Thunderwood Park playground and its swings afterwards.

• Tim Oberg monthly Q&A starts at 9:44segment not given a name on air

  Tim Oberg (parkrun Australia CEO) returns for a wide-ranging chat: how Airlie Beach parkrun has grown to 80-90 a week and how he participates as a family (double pram, kids Jack, Evie and Archie, wife Nikki); why he deliberately avoids volunteering at his home event; being recognised on the road and at the recent parkrun at The Ponds; becoming an Event Director for the first time at Cannonvale junior parkrun and the volunteer-recruitment reality of 12 volunteers for ~20 kids; and an update on launching parkrun in Japan (targeting April 2019 at the earliest, Rugby World Cup / Tokyo Olympics context, translators, and the need for Japanese-speaking staff). Ends with Tim agreeing to co-host episode 135 with Mel while Scott is away.

• Launches and anniversaries starts at 32:47"Where is the cake?"

  Zero launches this week, but eight anniversaries: Brightwater (Qld, turning four - Mel's former event), Grafton (NSW), Gungahlin (ACT), Hamilton (Vic), Kingscliff (NSW), Murray Bridge (SA), North Lakes (Qld) and Paradise Point (Qld).

• Hotline starts at 33:47

  Listener phone-in question segment with its own theme music. This week's question, credited to "Dorothy Dix": when attempting a new freedom run, do you prefer a local guide or to tough it out yourself? Scott goes it alone and enjoys misreading the map; Mel prefers a spoken run brief from a local because verbal instructions stick better than a map.

• The Perlustration starts at 43:13annual listener survey

  The annual listener survey is finished and about to go live on the Facebook page, running for one month from release, with a TomTom watch given away as a prize (as in the previous year). Tim Oberg's suggested question, a poll on whether Scott really is "the dry, serious one", was added at the last minute during his interview.

• Sign-off starts at 46:23

  Scott said he would not be on the podcast next week and was heading down to Eastern Gardens that weekend to get his E, admitting he was focusing on the alphabet more than he was willing to admit. Mel said the one 2018 goal she would not reach was a new parkrun PB, which led to Scott's own abandoned marathon goal and Mel's offer of a wine marathon in France with Team Trickett. Scott then wrapped up - "Episode 134 is in the books" - said he would see Mel again for 136, and Mel wished him a good week off, with Tim under "a lot of pressure" to deliver in his place.