Episode 140 - An Early Xmas

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HostsMelissa Erbacher Scott Trickett

Roving reportersLyndell Murray Paul Kitching

GuestVanessa "Ness" Gibson

Show notes

The parkrun adventurers are in a festive mood and decide it’s not too early to celebrate the most wonderful time of the year! Sandgate (opens in a new tab) parkrun Co-Event Director and Christmas Podding podcast Co-host Ness Gibson stops by to help us get in the spirit. Plus Lyndell and PK are back representing the Channel 5 News Crew at New Farm (opens in a new tab) parkrun and Mount Barker (opens in a new tab) parkrun respectively. Jingle all the way!

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Guest

Roving reports

1Mount Barker2New Farm

In this episode

• Welcome starts at 0:14

  Mel Erbacher and Scotty Trickett bring the Christmas episode forward to launch the limited-edition 2018 Adventurers Ugly Christmas Singlet, locally made with design nods to past episodes and a one-week ordering window; Scotty recalls learning the Event Director of Moormead juniors he lectured about the app in the UK was one of the original 13 parkrunners. Mel ran Kawana and drew finish token 149 on her 149th parkrun plus a bingo time; Scotty got a bingo time too and, travelling in Sydney, added Kamay, an out-and-back by the beach past a cemetery near Botany Bay where locals are fighting a proposed cruise terminal. Ian missed recording after a Christmas party while already sick, as his wife Michelle noted, and is promised for next week; downloads jumped after the Andy and Laura interview, credited to UK listeners.

• Roving reports & the Channel 5 News crew starts at 32:25

  Two back-to-back roving reports from the Channel 5 News Crew. Paul Kitching (PK) reports from Mount Barker parkrun's 250th event in South Australia, interviewing founder and Co-Event Director Ros Lowe on her own 250th parkrun, and Wes from sponsor The Athlete's Foot. Lyndell Murray then reports from New Farm parkrun in Brisbane on her parkrun birthday (six years to the day since her first parkrun, at the same event), interviewing new parkrunners, token sorters Andrew and Bella, a parkrunner whose surname is literally Happy, and Run Director Karen. The hosts cross back to thank both and to call for fresh roving reports from New South Wales.

• Launches and anniversaries starts at 52:40"Where is the cake?"

  Upcoming launch and anniversary rundown: the Rouse Hill launch in New South Wales (which Scott talks up as having "a party feel" and asks listeners to file a roving report from), plus anniversaries at Airlie Beach and Bunyaville in Queensland, Kahuna [Cohuna] in Victoria, Lakeview in New South Wales, Mount Gambier and Torrens in South Australia, and St George in Queensland. Sidetracks into Scott saying "SA" with a South African accent after a Stats Geeks Facebook group mix-up.

• Top Threes starts at 55:15

  Listener top-three lists read out and discussed. Bruce Purdy's parkrun to-do list (watch great Run Directors at work - naming Gareth Saunders, Matt Fullerton and Scott and Joanne Watkins; share coffee with tourists; visit as diverse a range of parkruns as possible, plus a cheeky fourth the hosts keep to themselves). Then top three Chrome extension stats from Melissa Ellis (Wilson Index, Stopwatch Bingo, p-index) and from Caroline Southwell (number of different parkruns - 29; tourist quotient - 71.79%; total distinct volunteer roles - 16). Scott then shares his top three goals for 2019: fit back into his parkrun shirts, be funnier on the podcast, and run the best-ever parkrun adventurers Listener Meetup at The Beaches in April.

• Christmas park dog selfie competition — Bruce Purdy starts at 1:07:19

  Last week's photo competition - take a selfie with a park dog, as wacky as possible, with automatic disqualification if the animal appears under any duress - is extended, because the episode went out late on Thursday night and listeners only had one day to enter. Two entries were received and both win a book prize; winners are asked to send their postal addresses.

• Sign-off starts at 1:08:48

  Scott said that wrapped up their Christmas theme and he would see Mel next week, and Mel added that by then ordering for the singlets would be closed and they would be in production. They then set up the Christmas instrumental they would play out on, arguing over whether Andre Rieu was Italian, French, Austrian or German and distinguishing him from the blind opera singer Andrea Bocelli, Scott inviting listeners to sing along to the instrumentals and Mel closing with "Talk to you next week, Scotty."