Episode 312 - parkrun party

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HostsMelissa Ellis Oliver Spake

Roving reportersLyndell Murray Tracey Wood

Show notes

From the Facebook post

This week it's all about common themes!

Mel time travelled to Peppertree (opens in a new tab) parkrun for a parklimp and Olly put a Q in his pocket at Queens Domain (opens in a new tab) parkrun before summiting Kunanyi in Point to Pinnacle for Carrie's Beanies 4 Brain Cancer Foundation.

It was Ladies Day in the Channel 5 News Crew with Tracey in a rainbow tutu at Albert Melbourne (opens in a new tab) parkrun and Lyndell the Legendary at Mudjimba Beach (opens in a new tab) parkrun.

Meanwhile the Obi envelope turns up somewhere unexpected.

From the podcast feed

This week it’s all about common themes! Mel time travelled to Peppertree (opens in a new tab) parkrun for a parklimp and Olly put a Q in his pocket at Queens Domain (opens in a new tab) parkrun before summiting Kunanyi in Point to Pinnacle for Carrie’s Beanies 4 Brain Cancer. It was Ladies Day in the Channel 5 News Crew with Tracey in a rainbow tutu at Albert Melbourne (opens in a new tab) parkrun and Lyndell the Legendary at Mudjimba Beach (opens in a new tab) parkrun. Meanwhile the Obi envelope turns up somewhere unexpected.

Roving reports

1Albert Melbourne2Mudjimba Beach

In this episode

• Welcome starts at 0:24

  Melissa Ellis on Wurundjeri Country and Ollie Spake on Dharawal Country, Ollie just off the plane from a Tasmanian weekend with Cathy: Queens Domain parkrun in nipaluna/Hobart on muwinina Country (262 finishers), where he met adventurer Andrea, the Gordons of Lower Hutt and Westerfolds parkrunner Chris Pittock, then Point to Pinnacle the next day in 2:11:30, raising about $1,350 for Carrie's Beanies for Brain Cancer. Mel's ankle turned out to be a fractured fibula, so in a moon boot she got a lift from Donna in her hot pink car to Peppertree parkrun, hobbled round with the Tail Walker and brunched with daughter Olivia, then sat out a music festival at Werribee Mansion with Tracey in a Tutu and Renee Jackson, where the crowd sang You're the Voice for John Farnham. Feedback opens with thanks for the snoods and Sneetches discussion.

• Roving reports & the Channel 5 News crew starts at 19:07

  "Ladies Day" in the crew, as the show notes put it. Oliver Spake crosses over, "I'll tell you who else isn't stepping down as roving reporters. Gracie [Tracey] and Lyndell". Tracey Wood reports from Albert Melbourne parkrun's rainbow-themed 11th anniversary, guiding Casey around the course and interviewing Monica the lead bike volunteer, the Eukanuba team (Gemma and Holly) handing out dog goodie bags, and Event Director Joanne Watkins. Lyndell Murray then reports from Mudjimba Beach parkrun on the Sunshine Coast, the replacement event for the closed Town of Seaside parkrun, interviewing first-time solo Run Director Jo and Co-Event Director Vibka. Hosts recap both reports from 00:34:05.

• Dazza's starts at 36:16

  Oliver Spake: "we should also thank Dazza because it's time to catch up on our good company from Dazza's." The week's theme is International Men's Day. Posts read out from Darren DeGroote (Foster parkrun in the pouring rain after Broad Park was cancelled), first-timers Ian and Lydia Knox (Campbelltown, Lydia's 29th Sydney location), Tony O'Connell ("150 different event today on my 300th run"), Roberta Winters (Jitindira [Ginninderra] parkrun's 500th event), Jack Corkill (Roma, plus a Zoomie Day date suggestion), Paddy Oshimo (marshalling at Shellharbour), Michael Gentle (Tuggeranong, completing all eight ACT events), Liz Currie (first aiders performing CPR at Goulburn parkrun), Graeme Wilkinson (inaugural Erskine Waterfront parkrun in Scotland, Fibonacci Challenge), Christine Imbert (Toyen parkrun, Oslo), Johan Duvenhage (an all-male Loxton parkrun in South Africa after Priska [Prieska] was cancelled) and Tracy May (a muddy Welsh parkrun). Followed by a milestones round-up: Gordon Turner's bingo after 361 runs, Michael Gentle's ACT Territorian, Minky Lee's Peel Club, Monty Slade's V350 and Tracey Wood's V300 at junior parkrun.

• the Obi Award — Tony O'Connell starts at 44:38

  Melissa Ellis: "the Obi [Obi] envelope, Ollie, it's on tour... It's like pass the parcel. We just don't know where it's going to be", then "let the listeners work it out for themselves", the presenter is deliberately not named. The unnamed presenter awards it to Tony O'Connell: "He is the founder of Inverloch parkrun, the godfather of parkrun in the Gippsland area. He's been a Run Director, Event Director, territory director, ambassador, all-round legend, Tony Toc O'Connell." It lands the same week the hosts read out his announcement that he has stepped down after eight years as Territory Director, Event Ambassador and Regional Ambassador.

• parkrun Party starts at 47:26song by John Linsall

  The bit the episode is named for. Oliver Spake introduces it, "we've got something a little different next", explaining that the song, released in October 2022, was written and produced by a Kiwana [Kawana] parkrunner named John Linsall, and that the show has permission to play it. The full song runs 00:48:37-00:51:30 ("It's Saturday morning, parkrun's calling, get out of bed... Join the parkrun party all around the world, it's free, it's free, it's free"). Melissa Ellis afterwards thanks John and says they hope to interview him soon.

• Emails starts at 51:55

  "We've got some mail. You've got mail." Two letters. Jenny Leslie writes about Achilles Melbourne partnering with Kirkdale parkrun on 3 December, International Day of People with Disability, aiming to fill every volunteer role with people with a disability. Then Alison Fraser, the Channel 5 News Crew's New Zealand correspondent, sends NZ news: founding Lower Hutt ED Richard McChesney returning from overseas for his 500th parkrun at Lower Hutt (only the second 500 milestone recorded in NZ, with current ED Mark Malone likely next on 1 January); Poirua [Porirua] parkrun closing in favour of Ara Harakeke ("meaning flax path") from 10 December because of wastewater works; and Victorian parkrunner Ricky Thackray first finishing while in Rotorua for orienteering.

• Consolidated Club Report starts at 55:33

  For 19 November 2022: 336 club members, 264 of whom took part that day at 144 locations. Overseas, 20 events in the UK, two in South Africa, two in the USA, and one each in Canada, Ireland and Norway (Melissa Ellis misreads Ireland as a second Canada, and Oliver Spake looks it up mid-segment). Locally, Victoria 32 events, Queensland 26, New South Wales 25, South Australia nine, Western Australia eight, Tasmania seven, North Island six, ACT four.

• the Frond — Prince of Wales parkrun starts at 56:50

  "Our largest frond this week, Ollie, was in the Greater State with the inaugural of Prince of Wales parkrun", the relocation event for Ballarat parkrun, so event number one but with an experienced team. The 13 attendees named: Thomas Martin, Jordan Fuessel, Robin Rishworth, John Bradshaw, Nadine Crawford, Larry April, Dan O'Connell, Cheryl Smit, Tanya Pollard, Michael Charlton, Kevin Green, Wendy Glen and Kirstie Ganji.

• Sign-off starts at 1:00:01

  Ollie turned to looking ahead and said he was at home run directing, then asked whether Mel would make a parkrun: she hoped to get out to Ballarat's relocated event, Prince of Wales parkrun, for event two, though she had a busy Saturday and a limb that needed recovery. Ollie hoped she had a nice parkrun day, thanked her for her kind words and support, listed the Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts and the email address, and said that was it for another week.