Episode 282 - Cass Castleton
2022-04-28
— open the full-size coverHostsMelissa Ellis Oliver Spake
Roving reportersCameron Drake Sarah Jefferson
GuestCass Castleton
Show notes
From the Facebook post
This week we hear from international parkrun tourist extraordinaire, Cass Castleston, who joins Sam for a chat before his upcoming Aussie parkrun tourism adventure.
Mel recaps a visit by #teamellis and a frond of adventurers to Warrandyte River Reserve (opens in a new tab) parkrun, while things also have a distinctly western feel with roving reports from
Cam at Mundy Regional (opens in a new tab) parkrun and
Sarah at Lake Claremont (opens in a new tab) parkrun!
With our
Informant (light),
Dazza's, and a
mailbag featuring both song and poetry, there's something for everyone!
From the podcast feed
This week we hear from international parkrun tourism extraordinaire, Cass Castleston, who joins Sam for a chat before his upcoming Aussie parkrun tourism. Mel recaps a visit by #teamellis and a frond of adventurers to Warrandyte River Reserve (opens in a new tab), while things also have a distinctly western feel with roving reports from Cam at Mundy Regional (opens in a new tab) and Sarah at Lake Claremont (opens in a new tab)! With our Informant (light), Dazza’s, and a mailbag featuring both song and poetry, there’s something for everyone!
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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
Cass Castleton
International parkrun tourism, 440 parkruns at 209 events across every country parkrun runs in (21 at the time); how he found parkrun after a diabetes diagnosis, Brighton & Hove and Hove Prom, 302 volunteer occasions and his love of guide running, the Run Director who ran with his late son's barcode, mishaps in eSwatini, Finland and Moscow, and his upcoming Australian trip to complete his fifth and sixth parkrun alphabets at Yarrabilba and Yowie.
Roving reports
In this episode
Welcome starts at 0:23
Melissa Ellis on Wurundjeri Country and Ollie Spake on Dharawal Country. Mel ran Warrandyte River Reserve's event five with Brendan Peel, Jodie Maisie, Irene and Paul, dodging off-leash dogs on the Yarra trail, then hosted Mossman co-ED Dorota and family at Eynesbury Heritage Trail juniors; Ollie timekept at a muddy Shellharbour and was thrown by a visiting Melbourne cyclist called Steve. Graham Wilkinson corrected Ayr to Scotland and offered Rogiet pronunciation tips; Mel invited everyone to the Festival of Mel at Toolern Creek on 14 May, ten adventurers are registered for City to Surf in August, and Mel floated crowdfunding petty cash for the pod.
Fine system starts at 15:14podcast swear jar
Mel proposes crowdfunding "petty cash" for the podcast with a fine system, a dollar in the jar for talking over each other, clapping into the mic, posting in Dazza's without joining the Adventurers Club, or posting a photo with the parkrun flag back-to-front. Listeners are invited to suggest more fines in the comments. The running gag then recurs through the rest of the episode (,).
Emails starts at 35:58
Two items. An anonymous listener emails a long rhyming poem pitching Western Australia to host Palm 2023, read on air by an unnamed reader; the hosts note WA is the only state with a bid in. Patrick ("Paddy") asks where the podcast theme music comes from, the hosts went back to original host Scotty, who confirms the intro/outro music was purchased from a music website while the stings come from his mates Yeo and "a guy in Miami".
Dazza's starts at 41:46
Anzac Day edition of the listener milestone shout-outs. Posts from Brett Bailey (Pegasus, NZ, with Brunner the dog), Sonja Pohlman (Roads/Rhodes in Sydney, four Ps together), Rebecca "Bec" Bailey (Shellharbour, fastest time this year, housemate Lance Zelt's PB), Bernadette Bennett (300th parkrun at Muswellbrook, regained Hunter Regionaire), Bruce Purdy (alphabet V at Goolwa, dawn service at Victor Harbor), Steve Warwick (isolating with COVID; Luke and Sam streaked for him), Heather Morgan (Cascades on Clyde), Adrian Homburg (Aurora, PB by 45 seconds), Phil Olson (150th event at Brundle, UK), Geoff Glaab (Joe Creason, USA, 4th birthday and his 50th), and the mystery "Steve's bike" acrostic poem hinting he is heading north.
the Obi Award — Geoff Glaab starts at 51:01
Mel finds the envelope in her pigeonhole and awards this week's Obi to Geoff Glaab, for his Dazza's post from Joe Creason parkrun in the USA, their fourth birthday celebration and first since 2019, 26 finishers, his own 50th parkrun with daughter Charlotte as Run Director and wife Sarah as Tail Walker, plus the photo of the team with the parkrun flag and a red shirt. Ollie claps and is immediately fined.
Roving reports & the Channel 5 News crew starts at 52:43
A strongly Western Australian week. Cam reports from Mundy Regional parkrun in the Perth Hills, arguing it is Australia's toughest parkrun on vertical gain and picking a bone with the name of the gardens where it starts; he interviews Tail Walker Cassie, Shellharbour visitor Bradley Holland and Run Director Ian. Sarah reports from Lake Claremont parkrun, interviewing Cameron Storey on his 400th parkrun and Terence Chia on his 25th volunteer. The hosts debrief both afterwards and concede Cam's toughest-parkrun claim.
the Informant starts at 1:04:12
A deliberately short "light" edition answering fan mail from Bruce Purdy on which state has the most alphabeteers: 358 runners have completed the alphabet, Queensland 212, Victoria 61, NSW 58, ACT 9, SA 8, Tasmania 4, NT 3, WA 3. Six parkrunners got it first at the launch of Zillmere (Greg McLaughlin, Russell Johnson, Carolyn McLaughlin, Samuel Hardy, Aaron Hardy, Michael Schultz), with Neil Barnett a week later and Brendan Peel the week after. Nobody has done it in the minimum 25 runs or in alphabetical order; the quickest is 27 runs, by Victorians Eric and Christina De Silva. The hosts note afterwards the report was oddly truncated and wonder if he is off his game.
Consolidated Club Report starts at 1:10:46
For Saturday 23 April: 141 of 172 Adventurers Club members took part at 96 different locations, 14 UK events, 4 in New Zealand (both islands), 2 in South Africa, 2 in the USA, plus 31 in Victoria, 17 NSW, 13 Queensland, 5 SA, 2 Tasmania, 1 ACT and 1 NT for another clean Australian strike. 96 locations for the second week running, with no growth on the previous week.
Sign-off starts at 1:12:39
Mel noted the week's biggest frond was six adventurers at Warrandyte River Reserve and said that next week she was heading Ollie's way to Picton for a shindig with Sam Schroder, who had lined up her 100th parkrun, her 100th volunteer and her 100th time at Picton with the event's fourth birthday. Ollie said Picton was his NENDY and he looked forward to ticking it off, and both expected the frond numbers to be blown off the table. Ollie then wrapped up so Mel could get on a plane, gave the Facebook and email contacts and closed for another week.
the Frond starts at 1:12:47
The week's biggest gathering of adventurers at a single event went to Warrandyte River Reserve parkrun, where Mel was one of six adventurers. The hosts expect it to be beaten next week at Picton, where Sam Schroder is celebrating a triple milestone (100th parkrun, 100th volunteer and 100th time at Picton) on the event's fourth birthday.