Episode 268 - Geoff Glaab
2022-01-12
— open the full-size coverHostsMelissa Ellis Oliver Spake
Roving reportersAdrian Hillyer Alison Fraser (King) Lyndell Murray
GuestGeoff Glaab
Show notes
We’re back after our week off and hitting the ground running. Mel chats to Geoff Glaab @ Joe Creason (opens in a new tab) parkrun in the USA. And we present Dazza’s Summer Series (a reduced overs version). We’ve got roving reports from Lyndell @ Zillmere (opens in a new tab), Adrian @ Peppertree (opens in a new tab) & Alison pops in from across the ditch from the launch of Otaki parkrun. Plus the Informant makes his triumphant?? return. Aside from all the cricket references (and cicadas) … there are ideas a plenty!!
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Enhanced transcript
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Geoff Glaab
A pre-recorded one-on-one interview: how Geoff found parkrun (event five at Joe Creason, then Himmel parkrun in Tucson on New Year's Day 2019, where being roped into volunteering made it click); rebuilding the Joe Creason volunteer core after the COVID pause with his daughter Charlotte; the hilly two-and-a-half-lap course where nobody gets a PB; the event's origin via founding ED Natalie, a UK expat who started it in memory of her mother; running the event's Twitter and Instagram rather than Facebook, and his admiration for the Russian parkruns' social media; touring ambitions in the US and a wish list of New Zealand and Australian events; and, following up his own email to the show, a discussion of Australia's Acknowledgement of Country and whether US events could adopt a land acknowledgement.
Roving reports
In this episode
Welcome starts at 0:23
First episode of 2022, Melissa Ellis with Ollie Spake, newly dubbed parkrun poster boy after his photo landed on the parkrun Australia page. Mel camped with Abby's mum for McLean Beach parkrun in Deniliquin on New Year's Day, got locked in the toilet before the start and declared it the top of her 135 events, then went to Warringal Parklands for Brendan Peel's 250th unique event (Freyne Club) with Chris and Kerry Fraser, Lynn Hewson and others; Ollie timekept and briefed at Shellharbour's farewell to its original course, welcoming Eman, Christine and baby Juno and Derek and Linda Allen from Westerfolds, then RD'd the new course with Patrick Shymitzek stepping in as Timekeeper. Coming up: Mel's interview with Geoff Glaab, RD of Joe Creason parkrun in the USA, Dazza's highlights, roving reports and the Adventurers Club, plus news of Elizabeth Sheridan becoming a US countryman at Lillie parkrun and John Taylor's 400th at Brightwater.
Dazza's starts at 33:28
A condensed "summer series" edition covering two weeks of listener Facebook posts, with Ollie and Mel each picking a top five and running a sustained cricket metaphor ("the reduced overs of Dazza's", "the big bash version", "five overs", "second innings", "the last ball", "a six off the final ball", "finishing with a century"). Ollie's five: Chris Fraser (the pod's artistic director, back in the Statesman Club after finding an event he lost on 6 February); Isaac Hill (six-hour round trip with his dad to run the original Shellharbour course); Val Warwick (2022 outfit on a hot Devonport morning); Abigail's mum from Deniliquin (ribbing Mel for locking herself in the loo at McLean Beach); Janet Reid (250 milestone with cape, tiara, cupcakes and pizza). Mel's five: Ingrid Botha (RD at Dolls Point); Pippa White (Newbury parkrun on Greenham Common); Sam Schroder (tail walking at The Beaches with the Pohlmans, with Luke running); Roberta Winters (newcomer to Dazza's, Lota parkrun); Mark Scarborough, and Nick and Nicole leading the procession across Wagga Bridge.
Roving reports & the Channel 5 News crew starts at 42:09
Ollie crosses over with a loose "new" theme (new course, new parkruns, new approaches) tying three reports together. Lyndell Murray from Zillmere on New Year's Day, interviewing ED Mark (300th parkrun that morning) and RD Tim about the event's new two-lap all-grass course away from the soccer club. Adrian, Event Director of Peppertree, inverting the format by interviewing a visiting tourist at his own event - Brendan Peel, there for Wilson number 32. Alison Fraser from the launch of Otaki River parkrun on New Zealand's Kapiti Coast, interviewing co-ED Mark O'Sullivan, with 111 finishers. Both Lyndell and Alison sign off "for the Channel 5 News crew". Hosts recap all three-.
the Informant starts at 52:55
Return after a holiday break ("The spreadsheet has rested and we're glad to be back"), with stats blended across the last three weekends. Ten runners worldwide ran a time of 20:22 on 1 January 2022 (8 UK, 2 Australia). For 8 January: 418 events down under out of 1,566 worldwide; attendance 34,132 of 164,700; five launches. Feature stat: Australia now holds the three longest parkrun names - Glasshouse Mountains Conservation (34 letters), Leighton Sport and Recreation Precinct (36), and now Frankston Nature Conservation Reserve (37). 2,743 PBs, 1,622 first-timers, milestone counts, 13 bingo calls (Caroline Kramer quickest on 181, Jeff Cooper slowest on 314), six new statespeople, and 293 people lifting their Wilson Index. Ollie apologises for forgetting to introduce him.
Consolidated Club Report starts at 59:31
71 club members recorded. Adventurers at five UK events, Silksworth, Lloyd in Croydon, Newbury, three in New Zealand (Pegasus, Cambridge, Greytown Woodside Trail), and Johan Duvenhage in South Africa, who drops in himself to supply the pronunciation. Immediately preceded by the Adventurers Club membership update - up to 84 members, with 210 named as the target to make the Australian Biggest Clubs list and a black shirt mooted for member number 100.
Sign-off starts at 1:11:33
Mel said where she was headed next Saturday - event 2 of Frankston Nature Conservation Reserve parkrun - noting she was being good and not going to launches; Ollie hoped it would be a fantastic morning and thanked her for catching up after the break. He then issued a retraction of their assumption that Australia had won the fourth Ashes test, congratulating England on holding out for a draw, gave the Facebook and parkrunadventurers@gmail.com contacts for Palm suggestions and questions, pointed listeners to the event page on Facebook, and signed off with "that's it for another week".