Episode 277 - Stumped

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HostsMelissa Ellis Oliver Spake

Roving reporterCameron Drake

Show notes

It’s a quieter week for the adventurers with Olly back at home at a soggy Shellharbour and Mel staying local enjoying a morning of Balloons at Studley (opens in a new tab) parkrun. Caveman Cam checks in from Applecross (opens in a new tab) parkrun over in WA, and our Informants make a sheepish return to the office. Meanwhile, who does prepare the envelope for the Obi? Mel is getting suspicious!

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Roving reports

In this episode

• Welcome starts at 0:23

  Ollie Spake on Dharawal Country and Melissa Ellis on Wurundjeri Country. Mel watched the Skywhales balloons launch at dawn over Fairfield with Eman, Christine and Juno before walking her fourth Studley parkrun (event 253, 190 finishers) and brunching at the boathouse with Suzanne Aquilina; Ollie timekept at a wet Shellharbour under RD Ralph, reading Dazza's posts from puddle-jumping Tail Walker Bec Bailey (25th volunteer) and Sam Schroder. They thank Abby's mum for filling in on last week's stats report when the informants failed to show (Greg Garner disliked her Navy Blues theme music), and announce the Mount Panorama Punish is back on Sunday 23 October with a Bathurst parkrun camping weekend planned.

• Roving reports & the Channel 5 News crew starts at 11:35

  Mel crosses to Cam (Cameron Drake) for a roving report from Applecross parkrun in WA, held over a week because it arrived too late for the previous episode. Cam describes the riverside course with views of the city, then interviews Peter (celebrating his 25th run), a group of women in pink llama shirts who call themselves the No Drama Llamas ("coffee drinkers with a running problem", visiting from Rockingham parkrun), and Run Director / Event Director Paul on the event's five-year history, its lack of shade, the 1K spur past the start line, ~130 attendance, and the return of international tourists. Ollie thanks him and notes Applecross has only 12 metres of elevation change.

• Dazza's starts at 18:22

  Mel and Ollie read the week's Dazza's cafe posts, themed on a few-days-late St Patrick's Day (Guinness chocolate puddings, soda bread, Irish stew with colcannon). Contributors: Bernadette Bennett at Northparkes Oval parkrun; Chris Fraser (private chauffeur to "the sunniest parkrun", two four-star sausage rolls, photo on the stump); Alison King walking 130 metres unaided at her NZ event after her cast came off; Val Warwick from north-west Tasmania, who forgot to film Steve's first RD briefing; Michael Scott volunteering at Lakeview, Newcastle, marking Pete Bartlett's 100th; Greg Garner tail-walking at Noosa with Brendan Peel; Geoff Glaab driving 280 miles to Mansfield, Ohio with dog Pepper; "naughties" from Lee Cabarita (two cancelled events in a row) and Brett Bailey (St Patrick's Day freedom run at Pegasus, then Timaru); Bruce Purdy at Mullum Mullum; Helen Rudder at Ancholme Valley Way, Brigg (prompting a digression on what a Quorn sausage butty is); and Patryk ("Paddy"/"Shimo") reporting from home with 48 parkrunners and celebrity tourists Sam and Luke Schroder. Also a running gag about the art department's poor shamrock artwork. Earlier in the episode Ollie also reads Bec Bailey's and Sam Schroder's Dazza's posts from a very wet Shellharbour.

• the Obi Award — Chris Fraser starts at 31:04

  Ollie fumbles for the envelope and awards this week's Obi to Chris Fraser for his Dazza's post, a private chauffeur to the sunniest parkrun, two four-star sausage rolls, and the selfie-frame photo on the stump (the episode's title, "Stumped"). Ollie says "it was very hard to say that with a straight face" and Mel immediately queries the process, "Did he vote?" / "Who actually works this out? Who prepares the envelope?", with Ollie noting whoever prepares it wasn't around to hand it over and there is no dispute procedure. Ollie extends the award by proxy to Chris's support crew and chauffeur, Tony O'Connell, and mentions a photo of Jackie, Tony and Chris around the stump. Mel notes he is the first multiple Obi winner, having also won "the week where he kidnapped you"; Ollie: "Let me just put this on record. I have not been coerced."

• the Informant starts at 33:43

  The Informants return to the office after last week's no-show, bickering about who was on leave and whose fault it was ("Ollie signed the form, but my fault he didn't check the dates properly"). Junior parkrun: 3 events, 263 juniors, 50 first-timers, 40 PBs, plus half-marathon, marathon and ultra wristband recipients. 5K: 396 runs down under (up 29), 382 in Australia and 14 in New Zealand, out of 1,638 worldwide; ANZ attendance down about 300 to 35,706; 197,852 worldwide; two launches (Pambula Wetlands NSW and a UK event); 4,582 PBs; 1,400 first-timers; milestone counts; 18 bingo calls (quickest John McShane on 180 runs, slowest on 302); 10 new statespeople; Robin Wishworth to equal fifth on 186 different parkruns; 80 people lifted their Windex, biggest mover Cindy Wu; one new Cow Club member, Matt Rashke. Ends with a squabble over who has to do the sign-off.

• Consolidated Club Report starts at 38:09

  Adventurers Club is up to 147 members. Last Saturday 110 members appeared on the Consolidated Club Report across 71 different events: nine in the UK (Worsley Woods, Burnage, Heywood, Tooting Common, Blackpool, Mallards Pike, Cusworth Hall, Alton Water, Ancholme Valley Way), one in New Zealand, one in South Africa, two in the USA, and one in France (Bois de Boulogne, Paris, Christine Imbert on a European trip). Domestically: 25 events in Victoria, 10 NSW, 12 Queensland, 5 WA, 2 SA, 2 ACT and 1 Tasmania. Fronds (three or more adventurers at one event) at Inverloch, Birds Land Reserve, the botanic gardens event and Shellharbour. Ollie and Mel note the CCR can only count runners, not volunteers, because of parkrun website limitations, and hope that changes. Mel apologises for omitting ACT adventurer Michael Charlton from last week's mention.

• Sign-off starts at 42:06

  Mel said she would be at Toolern Creek working on the Peel Ellis Cup, a challenge laid down by Sir Brendan Peel to be first to 100 events at their home parkrun, with Brendan sitting on about 68 at Albert Melbourne; Ollie said he would be at Shell Harbour in the vest. They went on to trail the Bathurst camping trip, saying registrations should be open and were capped at 1200, floated course-map trivia for next year's Palm, and noted Paul had bought new runners and was getting back into running. Ollie thanked everyone and Mel for their company ahead of a weekend at home for both, gave the Facebook and email contacts and closed for another week.

• Abby's report starts at 49:36

  Short post-outro junior segment, delivered after the sign-off. Hannah, Abby's big sister, fills in for Abby: "Today I will be reporting in instead of Abby. We have been busy practising for School Fun Run. Woohoo! We can't wait to run! Bye adventurers, keep running!"