Episode 265 - Advance to Go
2021-12-16
— open the full-size coverHostsMelissa Ellis Oliver Spake
Roving reportersAlison Fraser (King) Cameron Drake Tony O'Connell
Show notes
From the Facebook post
and Mel gets nostalgic about playgrounds
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We’ve got Caveman Cam at South Beach Recreation Reserve (opens in a new tab) parkrun , TOC at Dorset Recreation Reserve (opens in a new tab) parkrun and Alison pops in with an update from across the ditch
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Plus, all the usual fun at Dazza’s, the Obi recipient creates some interesting discussion and the Informant brings all the stats to the yard.
Woot Woot!
From the podcast feed
Join Mel and Olly this week as Olly recounts his camping adventure and Mel gets nostalgic about playgrounds. We’ve got Caveman Cam at South Beach Recreation Reserve (opens in a new tab), TOC at Dorset Recreation Reserve (opens in a new tab) and Alison pops in for an update from across the ditch. Plus, all the usual fun at Dazza’s, the Obi recipient creates some interesting discussion and the Informant brings all the stats to the yard.
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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 transcriptRoving reports
In this episode
Welcome starts at 0:23
Melissa Ellis hosting with Ollie Spake, back from a wet camping trip with a broken tent pole and a jump-started car and no run, his lastparkrun weekend before New South Wales returns. Mel and Zoe went overnight to the second Nathalia Showgrounds parkrun (29 finishers) with Helen and Steve Davis, Brendan Peel and Jodie, Rhianna Wick Gamble, Sam Esmore and Nathan Castle, brunched at Three Bells Cafe and revisited the caravan park playground of her childhood; Eynesbury juniors had 20 kids, Mel leading the warm-up with Jemima the puddle duck still needed. Listener feedback: Tracey Wood counted 18 Shellharbour mentions last week, Steve Johnston sent Burpee Man photos, and Chantelle Hosking suggested chihuahua footsteps as the Obi Award sound.
parkrun news bulletin starts at 13:47
Melissa Ellis reports the announcement that Nick Pearson is leaving parkrun after seven years as CEO, with Russ Jeffries (head of communications since 2015) overseeing a three-month transition and expected to be appointed permanently. Both hosts reflect that Pearson's tenure spans almost exactly their own parkrun lifetimes.
Roving reports & the Channel 5 News crew starts at 15:32
Olly hands over to the week's roving reporters ("A few other people to say thank you to, Mel, are our roving reporters and crew checking in for the week"). Three reports follow back to back: Cameron Drake at South Beach Recreation Reserve parkrun in WA, Tony O'Connell at Dorset Recreation Reserve in Melbourne, and Alison King with a New Zealand update. Hosts recap all three.
Roving reports & the Channel 5 News crew starts at 22:50
Two of this week's reports are filed explicitly under the Channel 5 News Crew banner: Tony O'Connell from Dorset Recreation Reserve parkrun, interviewing Co-Event Directors Manny and Elle in the "meet me in the middle" cafe about the fifth event of the new Melbourne event; and Alison King from New Zealand, reporting 18 Saturdays without parkrun under the new traffic-light system.
Dazza's starts at 30:54
Dazza's message is about self-care at a busy time of year ("you can't pour from an empty cup"). Check-ins read out from Richard (Ginninderra), Michael Scott (Coombs, Fibonacci 144), Alison King, Patrick Shymitzek (Port Kembla), Bernadette Bennett (a Monopoly run around Newcastle), Simon Mackley (Manly and the Mosman course), Sam Schroder, Ingrid Botha, Chris Fraser, Mark Scarborough (birthday), Claire Stutchbury and Jack Corkill (52 events in a row), Abigail's mum, Val and Stephen Warwick (Windsor Precinct, Tasmania), Tracy Wood (Kedron), Janet Reid (Lochiel), Rebecca Scott (Mount Gambier), Brett and Tanya Bailey, Lynette (Euroa), Greta Wilkinson (Mount Barker), Nadine Crawford (Grand Ridge Rail Trail), Jeff Whiffen (Torquay), Jodie Maisie (25th parkrun at Nathalia), Joe Richards, Bruce Purdy (Peppertree), Pippa White, Natasha Littler and Melissa Taylor.
the Obi Award — Bernadette Bennett starts at 48:20
Awarded "for festive cheer, some wooters, and a whole lot of board game fun on the run", Bernadette Bennett's Monopoly-themed not parkrun around Newcastle, photographed in front of the Newcastle Art Gallery (a.k.a. Trafalgar Square on the board). The win sets off an extended riff on what a parkrun edition of Monopoly would look like (tokens: a cone, a tree, a finish token, a dog; Bushy as Mayfair; "no barcode, no result" as jail). Preceded by discussion of listener Chantelle Hosking's suggestion that the award's sound effect be chihuahua footsteps on wooden floors.
the Informant starts at 52:27
Weekly unofficial stats: post-COVID records for global runs held and global 100 and 250 milestones. 308 runs in Australia (up 5) out of 1,574 worldwide; three launches (one Germany, two Russia); Aussie attendance 25,640 out of 150,158 worldwide; 2,534 PBs and 735 first-timers. 17 people called bingo. Seven new statespeople across the ACT, NT and SA. Brian Hardy debuts at equal 20th on the most-events list after his 139th different event at Murray Bridge; Anne Rayner the biggest overall mover; Wilson Index movers Jane Luke and Sue Wilkes.
Consolidated Club Report starts at 55:53
Adventurers Club stats: membership steady at 72, with 44 members on the Consolidated Club Report (up four) and 19 not parkruns (down six). Australian not parkrun table led by Campbelltown with 23, Albert Melbourne 12, and one at Toolern Creek. New Zealand not parkruns: Whangarei 45, Anderson 40, Pegasus 38, plus eight at Alison King's home event.
International Ugly Christmas Singlet Day starts at 59:22
The event lands next week and both hosts flag it repeatedly, singlets already spotted at Nathalia (Melissa Ellis and Helen in this year's version, Rhiannon in last year's), Alison King promising to wear hers at aparkrun, and a closing call-out to share photos on the Facebook page. Also a running gag about whether The Informant would wear a beige, sepia-toned one.
Sign-off starts at 1:05:55
Ollie said he would be wearing his Ugly Christmas Singlet and volunteering at Shellharbour for its return on 18 December, and Mel said she was having a family weekend away on a farm stay with Paul and Zoe, visiting an event within reach to pick up a Wilson number rather than a new event. They then reminded Wilson Index chasers to check the Christmas compendium for Christmas Day and New Year's Day cancellations, and Mel signed off with the Facebook and parkrunadventures@gmail.com contacts, a reminder to share Ugly Christmas Singlet or Shirt Day pictures on the event's Facebook page, and "that's it for another week".