Episode 212 - Chris Murphy
2020-12-05
— open the full-size coverHostMelissa Erbacher
Guest co-hostScott Watkins
GuestChris Murphy
Show notes
From the Facebook post
Happy parkrunday adventurers! Episode 212 is HERE and we have BIG news!
Dr Scott Watkins is back on the co-host couch, and we bring you tales of real, actual parkrun. Plus Mel speaks to Chris Murphy, Airlie Beach (opens in a new tab) parkrunner and winner of the Aussie leg of the Big Dog’s World Championship!
Let the dogs out!
From the podcast feed
The parkrun adventurers have BIG news! We bring you tales of real, actual parkrun, and we hear all the latest about the donuts in Victoria as Dr Scott Watkins returns to co-host. And Mel speaks to Chris Murphy, Airlie Beach (opens in a new tab) parkrunner and winner of the Aussie leg of the Big Dog’s World Championship!
Listen
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Enhanced transcript
Speakers named, sound described and segments marked by the editing pass — not yet checked by a person.
Read the transcriptGuest
Chris Murphy
Pre-recorded interview about the Big Dog's World Championship backyard ultra: the last-one-standing format (a 6.7 km "yard" every hour on the hour, devised by Gary Cantrell / Lazarus Lake in Tennessee), the COVID-driven 2020 satellite format across 21 countries with 15-person national teams, and the Australian leg on the Oxley Common in Brisbane. Chris won it with a new Australian record of 46 laps, beating Barry Loveday on 45, finished 17th in the world of 315 runners, and posted the fastest time in the world for the 308.2 km distance. Also covers his sleep-every-lap strategy, his support crew (his wife and running friend Julie Stone), and his parkrun origin story, starting at Airlie Beach parkrun in 2016 after the Airlie Beach 5K, building to an 18 km run-in to parkrun and the UTA 100 km in May 2018. He has a golden ticket to Tennessee.
In this episode
Welcome starts at 0:22
Scott in Melbourne with Melissa Erbacher in Queensland. Scott explains Melbourne's 'doughnut days' of zero COVID cases (about 30 in a row) and the doughnut-buying that followed; Mel was back at her home event Kawana parkrun as a Barcode Scanner in Queensland's first weekend back, glad to see John Taylor (JT) finish his 350th, but felt subdued knowing so many others still have no parkrun. Five of eight states and territories are now back, with two to go after the coming weekend.
Launches and anniversaries starts at 8:47"Where is the cake?"
Anniversary talk, delimited by a music sting. Mel notes Kawana parkrun's eighth anniversary passed as "literally a non-event" because the event was suspended, then asks Scott Watkins about Albert Melbourne parkrun's ninth anniversary. He describes how they replicated their usual rainbow-themed celebration under lockdown: his wife and Co-Event Director Joanne ran a Facebook Live rainbow-cake cook-along during parkrun time, volunteers Daryl and Julie photographed themselves on the course, and Scott ran nine kilometres for nine years along the beach at St Kilda in a rainbow outfit with Run Director Sarah. Next year's tenth anniversary is flagged for a bigger celebration.
Co-host handover announcement starts at 36:13one-off
The episode's headline news, and a significant moment in the show's history. Melissa Erbacher announces she is stepping away from the parkrun adventurers podcast, effective at the end of 2020, "it is probably time for me to step away". The podcast continues: from 1 January 2021 it will be co-hosted by Melissa Ellis ("another Mel... her surname also begins with an E and she is a much loved and valued member of our Channel 5 News crew") alongside Oliver "Ollie" Spake, both of whom have guest co-hosted before. Mel also confirms Scott Trickett ("Scotty") left in August 2019 and that Channel 5 News crew members have rotated through the co-host seat in the 12+ months since. Scott Watkins thanks her on behalf of listeners; this is explicitly "our last one co-hosting together".
International Ugly Christmas Singlet Day starts at 42:14
Promo for International Ugly Christmas Singlet and Shirt Day 2020, always the third Saturday of December, this year Saturday 19 December. Mel points listeners to the instructional video on the event's Facebook page for making a singlet from things already around the house, and promises fresh 2020 designs before the end of the month. Discussion of the 2020 shirt: rainbow colours deliberately based on the gay pride flag, a large emu, pineapples again, and children's sizes for the first time ("the best decision I've made this entire year"). Orders ship in order of placement with international orders prioritised; Joanne Watkins ordered within the first five minutes. Mel explains the order-opening delay was caused by illustrator files too large for the supplier's designers. Reminder that a group of people wearing the shirts is collectively called "a tinsel".
Sign-off starts at 47:12
Mel reminded listeners once more to put the 19th of December in their diaries for Ugly Christmas Singlet and Shirt Day, then thanked Scott for joining her for another episode and for being there when she made the announcement that she is stepping down, which she had not been sure how she would cope with. Scott said this was their last one co-hosting together and thanked her for all the opportunities over the years, and they signed off by name - 'I've been Scott Watkins' / 'I'm always going to be Mel Erbacher' - pointing listeners to the next episode as 2020 and Ugly Christmas Singlet and Shirt Day approach.