Episode 208 - We Heart the NT

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HostMelissa Erbacher

Guest co-hostScott Watkins

Show notes

From the Facebook post

It's TOPS

at the Top End and we tell you all about it this week in Episode 208 of the parkrun adventurers podcast, OUT NOW!

Keeping with the theme of streaking, Dr Scott Watkins is back! And we hear some highlights of the month thus far from some of our streakers themselves.

We

the NT, find out why here!

From the podcast feed

The parkrun adventurers continue the co-host streak with Dr Scott Watkins back for another crack. Following the announcement of the return to parkrun in the Northern Territory, we reminisce about past adventures to the Top End. Plus we share the highlights of #streakyseptember thus far, from some of our streakers!

In this episode

• Welcome starts at 0:23

  Scott Watkins from Melbourne, back for a second week, with Mel Erbacher in Queensland for her 201st hosting episode. The big news is Northern Territory parkruns reopening on 19 September and a target for England before the end of October; Scott runs through the stats for Darwin (launched 2013, the same day as Westerfolds and a year after Kawana), Palmerston and Nightcliff, and relays Mark Connolly's idea of participants dressing as Australian events. Mel recounts her two NT trips, Darwin for the Peel Club and the Compass Club she created with Christine Timms (losing her wallet, keys and Garmin and turning up a day late for her flight), then Nightcliff on 26 May 2018 as the new northernmost event; Scott did Darwin where Joanne restarted her parkrunning, and holds Statesperson status in California.

• Streaky September starts at 17:59

  The month-long streaking challenge, in its first-week check-in for 2020. Scott Watkins introduces it ("the last few days, Mel, have been dominated by Streaky September, which we introduced last week"). Mel reports her streak intact (minimum 2km a day, one 5k not-parkrun, ~20 seconds faster than the week before) while "all the boys broke their streaks" and the dogs lasted three days; Adam is still going. Scott has filled his one permitted hour outside three times, done a 2km "blocky" before the 8pm curfew, and inadvertently ticked off a Streaky Bingo challenge by running with a friend (Ben). They discuss the Streaky Bingoe card (DFYB, running with a friend, Sign Me Up, flannelette pyjamas) and the streaky Strava heart, including Scott's idea of mapping an anatomically correct heart onto the Melbourne CBD grid. From they read out first-week highlights posted by members of the (deliberately misspelled) "Streaky Septmeber" Facebook group: Janet Llewellyn-Reed (reconnecting with old friends), Alison King (got her out of the house instead of scrolling; bumped into an old friend during hill repeats), Lou Bray (talked a magpie out of swooping her), Craig Ryan (eighth consecutive day, 40km for the month, never previously run two days in a row), Paris Lawrence (a returning streaker), Sally Heppleston (saw a koala in Westerfolds Park), Michael Gentle (first attempt at streaking; found a baffling no-parking sign), Birgit Rainbird (got Casey Hyde and her guide dog Bridget involved) and Pippa White (streaking with the group since 2019, to be heard from next week).

• Sign-off starts at 37:54

  Mel said that pretty much brought them to the end of another episode and that it had been great having Scott back two weeks in a row, almost like catching up with friends at your home event. At Scott's prompting she reminded listeners that the 19th of December, the third Saturday in December, is International Ugly Christmas Singlet and or Shirt Day, with the 2020 release out before the end of September, and Scott thanked her and told everyone to stay safe, keep streaking and enjoy theirparkruns.