Episode 294 - the new U
2022-07-21
— open the full-size coverHostsMelissa Ellis Scott Trickett
Roving reportersLyndell Murray Mark Scarborough Paul Kitching Pippa White
Show notes
This week on the parkrun adventurers podcast, Mel shares the news of her visit to You Yangs (opens in a new tab) parkrun, while we hear Roving Reports from Mark at the trial of the new Umbagong District (opens in a new tab) parkrun, Lyndell at New Farm (opens in a new tab) parkrun, Pippa at Rendlesham Forest (opens in a new tab) parkrun and PK at Glenoma (opens in a new tab) parkrun. And we celebrate the return of some familiar and favourite items, including Dazza’s, our Informant and the Consolidated Club report.
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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
Scott Trickett
Scott's return to the podcast after roughly four years away, why he could not come back while employed by parkrun, his five years as "the voice of parkrun in Australia", leaving that job, and what comes next.
Roving reports
In this episode
Welcome starts at 0:17
Melissa Ellis and guest co-host Scotty Trickett, both on Wurundjeri Country, with Scott saying he still loves the intro music after all these years.
Poem Zone starts at 8:11
Not run this week - reminisced about. Scott recounts a parkrunner at Castlemaine recognising him from the podcast days and remembering the Poem Zone: "he remembered the poem zone"... "Chris said he sent in an entry and it just warmed my heart to know that a little part of the Poem Zone is still living on in the parkrun universe."
Launches and anniversaries starts at 13:23"Where is the cake?"
New events this week: three in the USA - Cooler (Collar) Mountain Bike Preserve, Little Sugar Creek Greenway and Osborne Metro Park - plus the ACT launch of Umbagong District parkrun, which the whole episode is built around (the show's new "U" for alphabet chasers). Also flagged: a 500th-parkrun milestone at New Farm and a 250-different-parkruns (Freyne) milestone at Rendlesham Forest.
Roving reports & the Channel 5 News crew starts at 15:30
Four back-to-back roving reports run uninterrupted from 00:15:30 to 00:39:48, then back-announced by the hosts "Heaps of roving reports this week, Scott": Mark Scarborough at the Umbagong District parkrun trial (Canberra), Lyndell Murray at New Farm (Brisbane), Pippa at Rendlesham Forest (Suffolk, UK) and PK at Glenoma (Cairns).
Club Corner starts at 42:03
Not run this week - invoked in passing after PK's Ernie Run Club interview. Scott "Club Corner", Melissa "Maybe Club Corner needs to come back", Scott "That was another great segment."
Dazza's starts at 42:35
Returns after being cut from last week's episode. This week's prompt: "Dazza double dares you to do good deeds today" - share your most angelic, kind-hearted, fine-avoiding moves at parkrun. Contributions read out from Rebecca (Bec) Bailey (PB and first female), Sonja Pohlman (kept home by a migraine, sent a photo of her cat Neville Longbottom), Michael Sharp at The Beaches, Samantha O'Connor (RD at Avondale, with a Photoshopped koala), Carol Pryle (250th at Hamilton with cake and cupcakes), Johan Duvenhage (RD in South Africa), Tim Robbins (Irish debut at Malahide), Chloe Bravos (Applecross, WA), Helen Davis (Bushy Park), Kath Atkins (Marlborough Common, UK), Christine Imbert (her Freyne at Rendlesham Forest), Graeme Wilkinson (Fort William) and Bernadette Bennett (staying home post-isolation).
the Obi Award — Chloe Bravos starts at 52:38
Awarded to Chloe Bravos for her photo from Applecross parkrun in Western Australia - "it was a lovely shot with the city in the background across the Swan River, the Derbal Yerrigan." Melissa has to open the envelope herself because Oliver Spake, who normally holds it, is away this week.
the Informant starts at 54:45
Weekly unofficial stats, back after the running "industrial action" gag. 455 events down under (37 NZ, 418 Australia) out of 1,749 worldwide; 34,594 Aussie/NZ participants out of almost 189,000; seven launches including Umbagong District in the ACT; 3,852 PBs; 1,391 first-timers; milestone counts including one person becoming the third Australian to reach 500. Simon Maxwell quickest and Gary Steffen slowest to bingo; Philip Coldwell the biggest overall mover; Heather Gee the biggest Wilson Index mover; Marge Sinclair joins the Peel Club and Arno Panichi and Vivian Henderson the Cow Club.
Consolidated Club Report starts at 57:48
241 club members, 188 of whom took part at 100 different locations. Fifteen UK events read out in full (Rendlesham Forest, Southend, Bushy, Carlisle Park, South Shields, Wythenshawe, Fort William, Hastings, Homewood, Southampton, Swanley, Lardyard, Marlborough Common, Ruthen Memorial playing fields, Pontefract), two in the USA, one in Ireland, one in the Netherlands; then state totals for Australia and New Zealand. Melissa flags that the 188 figure exceeds the 153 names listed and concludes the difference of 35 must be volunteers the report does not itemise.
the Frond starts at 59:12
Largest frond of the week was at You Yangs - Geoff Wiffen, Kevin Green, Nicola Wright, Damon Young and Melissa herself (plus listener Andrea Booth, who joined the club afterwards and so is not counted). Melissa also nominates a likely largest volunteering frond of seven at Eynesbury Heritage Trail junior parkrun, noting volunteer fronds cannot be counted properly.
International Ugly Christmas Singlet Day starts at 1:02:53
Trailed for next Saturday, the last Saturday in July. Scott claims the concept was his idea and credits Melissa with running with it and organising the buffs, which should be hitting letterboxes this week; the Christmas singlet also still counts.
Streaky September starts at 1:04:02
Trailed rather than run. Scott, who says the idea was to get people outdoors more ahead of summer, commits to streaking; Melissa says she will too, despite editing eating into her running time. Walking counts, 2K minimum.
Sign-off starts at 1:09:45
Asked where she was going for the next parkrun day, Mel said she would return to Puckapunyal, which she can enter as a military member with the appropriate pass, and they talked over how good a course it is and the case for a future parkrun at Seymour. Scott said that a few days out he had no idea, but might head to Parkville to catch up with a former colleague in town, recounting that he had met the original founder and measured the course that is still used, and promising to report back. Mel thanked him for stepping into Ollie's shoes for the night; he said he had loved it, would gladly fill in again, and read the outro with the Facebook and email contacts, adding afterwards that it had indeed been scripted.
Abby's outro starts at 1:15:59
The show's closing character bit, restored after being accidentally deleted last week. Abby complains about the office: "you guys didn't have my almond milk and you deleted my recording. Not happy, Jan. You guys need to up your game. Bye, adventurers. Stay safe."