Episode 270 - The only way is up
2022-01-27
— open the full-size coverHostsMelissa Ellis Oliver Spake
Roving reportersAlistair Cameron Drake Melissa Ellis
Show notes
This week there have been adventures in all directions! Olly took to the road for the second week heading south west to Braidwood Showgrounds parkrun, while Mel trekked north west to Murray Bridge (opens in a new tab). There’s also roving reports from Western Australia with Cam at Pioneer (opens in a new tab) parkrun, western Victoria with Adrian at Peppertree (opens in a new tab) parkrun and New South Wales with a guerilla report from Alistair at Riverbank (opens in a new tab) parkrun. The inbox was overflowing this week, Dazza’s was a biosphere of geographical chaos and the Intern returns to upset order in the office.
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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
Ollie Spake on Dharawal Country and Melissa Ellis on Wurundjeri Country, Mel recording on a sweltering Melbourne night over her husband's phone hotspot after server problems. On his Lake Conjola family holiday Ollie drove to Braidwood Showground parkrun on Walbanga Country of the Yuin Nation for event 31, a bingo number and the Staying Alive Challenge, bumping into Derek and Linda from Westerfolds again; Mel drove 616 km with Zoe to Murray Bridge, her NENDY, on Ngarrindjeri Country, visited the bunyip and chatted with RD Todd for a later roving report. Also David Crook of On Every Saturday appearing on the Free Weekly Timed podcast with Helen Williams, and New Zealand back at code red with no parkrun decision yet.
Roving reports & the Channel 5 News crew starts at 12:49
Four roving reports back to back after Mel's cue "time to move on to our roving reports": Cameron Drake from Pioneer parkrun on New Year's Day (interviewing Emma, Michaela, Jen and Run Director Greg about their New Year's resolutions and the maze-like course); Adrian from Peppertree parkrun with tourist Tyson; Alistair's guerilla report from Riverbank parkrun with Victorian tourist Rachel Axton; and Melissa Ellis from Murray Bridge, South Australia, with Run Director Todd. Hosts cross back at 00:30:08 to thank all four.
Emails starts at 31:56
"We've got mail... bagfuls of mail", a record four emails: Faye from Canberra proposing East Richmond rename itself XRH to create the world's only X event; Peter Pohlman announcing two new invented clubs (the Golf Club, four events with four-letter names; the Famous Five Club, five events with five-letter names) which sends the hosts into an Enid Blyton tangent; Bec Bailey confirming she can attend palm22 and firmly ruling out a wedding milestone; and a listener from South Toowoomba congratulating co-ED Margie Bryant on her 250th volunteer milestone.
Dazza's starts at 39:54
"Welcome to Dazza's geography lesson. Today, we are learning our compass points." A very long directional-themed round of listener check-ins, Bruce Purdy, Chris Fraser, Michael Gentle, Chantal Hosking, Val and Steve Warwick, Richard, Brett/Tanya/Bec Bailey, Bernadette Bennett, Joe Richards, Greta Wilkinson, Mandy Oliver, Simon Mackley (marking 10 years since his first parkrun), Greg Garner, Alison King, Sam Schroder, Tony O'Connell, Lyndell Murray, Tracy Wood, Jack Corkill, Pippa White, Shirley Dell, Nadine Crawford, Ingrid Botha, Janet Reid (flooded out of Yeldulknie at Cleve), Lynette Ann and Phil Olson. Running gag: an implausible number of entries mention Shellharbour, which Mel calls "a conspiracy".
the Obi Award — Ingrid Botha starts at 54:54
Mel: "But we need to award an Obi winner this week, Ollie. So have you got the envelope?" Ollie announces Ingrid as the winner, "Somewhat fittingly being on the 22-22 day wearing the tutu and with a very impressive jump shot", for the photo accompanying her Dazza's entry celebrating her 100 milestone at Dolls Point.
the Informant starts at 55:45
Weekly unofficial stats for parkrun day 22 January 2022: 437 events down under (403 Australia, 34 New Zealand) out of 1,733 worldwide; attendance 40,666 against a post-COVID record 224,000 worldwide; four launches including Lewis Park Reserve, Victoria; 4,087 PBs and 1,990 first-timers; milestone counts; 17 bingo calls; four new statespeople; Errol Poole claiming outright fifth on the most-events list with 182; Linda Doty the biggest Wilson Index mover, up 28 to 36.
the Intern starts at 58:08
Office-skit bit that hijacks the end of the Informant's segment: the Intern barges in mid-sign-off ("Yeah, and now I'm recording in here... Give me stats back"), claims Mel authorised it, drives "Harry Highpants" out to his "vintage Nissan Pulsar", then delivers the junior parkrun stats from "Level 2 with a view", five junior events, 212 junior parkies, 28 PBs, 32 first-timers, wristband milestones for Alexander Blake, Dylan Reid, Elsie Moyler, Isla Reid, Ruby Hanley, Eva Jenkins and Amy Simons. The hosts confirm it is a returning bit: "it was nice to hear from the intern" / "I've missed her. She's so cheeky", and it is called back at 01:07:56 ("Look, it must have been the intern").
Consolidated Club Report starts at 1:00:52
Club numbers rundown: the Adventurers Club is up to 97 this week, seven more than last week and three short of the magical 100-shirt mark; 79 members appeared on the Consolidated Club Report, including five in the UK (Southampton, Haigh Woodland, Sittingbourne, Bicester and Horspath), three in New Zealand (University of Waikato, Owairaka, Trentham Memorial), two in South Africa (Homestead Lake, Lichtenburg Raceway) and one in America (Joe Creason), plus 19 "notties" recorded.
Sign-off starts at 1:07:02
Ollie said they would preview more of Palm closer to the time and asked Mel about her plans for the coming week; after her big trip to South Australia she was staying close to home and doing some local volunteering, while Ollie said there had been clues in Dazza's as to his own plans - Mel called out all the Shellharbour references, which Ollie blamed on the intern. He then gave the Facebook and parkrunadventures@gmail.com contacts and signed off with "that's it for another week".