Episode 168 - #fluffyfactor

Episode 168 — open the full-size artworkShow artwork, 20 February 2019

HostsLyndell Murray Melissa Erbacher

Roving reporterTony O'Connell

Show notes

The parkrun adventurers have a surprise in store, and reveal the outcome of the ugly Christmas singlet poll. Plus TOC files a Roving Report from Grand Ridge Rail Trail (opens in a new tab) parkrun, Mirboo North.

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

Roving reports

In this episode

• Welcome starts at 0:21

  Lyndell Murray returns as co-host alongside Melissa Erbacher after Scotty's decision to step away from the podcast. Lyndell was at Nambour, where Fluffy the emu walked to the start line with the field, and she plans to make Nambour a P-index event (she is on five). Mel broke her adventure drought at Baringa on the Sunshine Coast, her second-nearest event not done, finishing 48th of about 50 while pushing Emmett on his first parkrun, followed by a much-praised cafe breakfast; it did nothing for her Wilson Index and she still has two bingo numbers to collect.

• Roving reports & the Channel 5 News crew starts at 18:58

  TOC (Tony O'Connell) files a self-contained roving report from Grand Ridge Rail Trail parkrun at Mirboo North, Victoria, running 00:18:58-00:20:00. He interviews a local parkrunner, Helen, who is wearing an Ugly Christmas Singlet in August ("Christmas in July being August"), tying the report to the episode's singlet theme. Helen praises the course as a sheltered out-and-back on a beautiful track, and reveals she is running the 13k back to Boolarra afterwards as training for the New York Marathon. TOC signs off still professing not to understand the ugly-singlet phenomenon. Host Mel picks it up immediately afterwards as "a sighting in the wild of the Ugly Christmas Singlet".

• Ugly Christmas Singlet poll result starts at 23:53

  The hosts reveal the outcome of the Facebook poll flagged in the show notes, asking listeners about a 2019 Ugly Christmas Singlet re-release. The post pictured Will Barlow modelling the singlet, with two options: "hell yes, count me in, I want to be like Will" and "I'm only buying one if they're uglier than ever". Result: approximately 68% chose "hell yeah, count me in" and 32% "only if they're uglier". Mel notes she was surprised, that "only if they're uglier" led early polling before the comeback, and that men were in the majority among the uglier-is-better voters, so "on a whole, women thought the singlets in 2018 were ugly enough". They promise a new design before spring so overseas listeners can order in time for Christmas.

• Sign-off starts at 36:43

  Mel said it had been another adventure having Lyndell on the podcast and thanked her for co-hosting once again; Lyndell thanked her for thinking of her and having her back. Mel closed by saying they would see whether Scotty wanted to show his voice again next week.