Episode 317 - The Office Lady Option

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HostsLyndell Murray Sarah Jefferson Tony O'Connell

Roving reporterSam Schroder

Show notes

While Mel and Olly enjoy a well-earned break, the Office Lady drops in to bring you a summer lite version of the pod. She shares week 1 details of the 14 parkruns in 14 days road trip she and Luke are currently on, tells us some interesting stats from the festive season, and delves into the Dazza’s content. And we hear from a whole bunch of the news crew who share their 2023 parkrun goals.

The podcast feed and the Facebook post carry the same notes.

Roving reports

1·2 +4Coffs Harbour, Yamba, Brightwater and Golden Beach6Ipswich

In this episode

• Welcome starts at 0:24

  A summer-lite holiday special hosted solo by Sam Schroder, The Office Lady, on Bundjalung Country while Mel and Ollie take their two-week break. She is on holiday herself in a Tweed Heads motel after a road trip north with Luke: a run for her and a walk for Luke at Shellharbour on Christmas Eve, then back there on Christmas Day with Sam as Run Director and Luke handing out finish tokens for the first time, before an early Boxing Day drive north.

• Dazza's starts at 10:09

  Sam runs the Dazza's read solo. She notes Dazza opened at special times over the festive season (Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day for two adventurers in Poland, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day) and that the Monday-night Facebook albums return on 9 January. Posts read out: the Bailey family in New Zealand (Brett, Tanya and Bec, Bec at Broad Park and then Pegasus on Christmas Day); "M", who wore blue at Kirra parkrun for two police colleagues killed on duty before Christmas, with the show adding its own thanks to serving officers; Claire Stutchbury and Jack Corkhill's 2.45am start for Queen Elizabeth parkrun at Casino then Lismore; the hosts themselves (Ollie RD at Shellharbour on Christmas Eve, Mel at Lake Wallace and Toolern Creek); Carmel Roll (Bargara, then the southbound tilt train from Bundaberg); Andrea Booth (Ovens River Trail at Myrtleford, Rosebud, photographer at Dawson Recreation Reserve); Jackie (Shiraz Trail and Torrens in SA); TOC (two events in SA with Jackie and Mel, plus post-parkrun faff at the Lochiel Park "mothership" with Janet); and Michael Sharp's handstand-in-a-wave photo from The Beaches.

• Consolidated Club Report starts at 15:50

  An abridged festive-season CCR covering five dates. Sat 24 Dec: 289 club members at 150 locations (19 UK, 2 South Africa, 1 Ireland, 1 Singapore; 33 Victoria, 30 NSW, 29 Queensland, 10 WA, 7 SA, 5 Tasmania, 4 ACT, 3 South Island). Sun 25 Dec: 251 members at 114 locations (18 UK; 24 Victoria, 22 Queensland, 20 NSW, 8 SA, 7 WA, 5 Tasmania, 5 North Island, 3 South Island, 2 ACT). Mon 26 Dec: two adventurers at two events in Poland. Sat 31 Dec: 298 adventurers at 165 locations (17 UK, 2 South Africa, 2 USA, 2 Singapore, 1 Ireland; 38 Victoria, 34 NSW, 27 Queensland, 14 SA, 10 WA, 6 ACT, 5 North Island, 2 South Island). Sun 1 Jan 2023: 275 members across 130 locations (17 UK, 3 South Africa, 1 Germany, 1 Ireland, 1 Singapore, 1 USA; 30 Victoria, 25 NSW, 23 Queensland, 9 SA, 6 WA, 5 Tasmania, 4 North Island, 3 South Island, 1 ACT).

• the Frond starts at 16:33

  Largest fronds reported inside the abridged CCR for each festive date: Christmas Eve at Shellharbour and The Ponds (Sam: "Hey, I was at Shellharbour!"); Christmas Day at The Ponds and Lewis Park Reserve; New Year's Eve at Ginninderra (ACT), Scribbly Gums Conservation (Queensland) and The Ponds again (NSW); New Year's Day at Jerrabomberra, where Sam gets stuck on the pronunciation and ad-libs "Don't edit this out, boss."

• Roving reports & the Channel 5 News crew starts at 19:30

  Sam invites the news crew to record their 2023 parkrun resolutions, and the montage runs 00:19:53-00:27:10. Alison Fraser: complete Couch to 5k and run a whole parkrun again, lift her p-index from five to seven, and finish the "university challenge" of all four parkruns starting with "university" at PALM. Tracey Wood: no goals at all beyond turning up every week and enjoying it. Lyndell Murray: 250 events, 50 volunteers, the Cowell Club, p-index to 10, and volunteering at least once at each of her p-index events. Tony O'Connell: a parkrun every week, and ten new countries on a planned big trip. Paul Kitching: more parkruns now Saturday sport is over, sub-28 average, and more roving reports. David: an event every weekend, the Date Bingo Challenge, and staying "a dot" on Charlie Pierce's chart. Mark Scarborough: sub-25 at Wagga Bridge, 250 parkruns, overseas events, and finishing the Compass Challenge, complicated by the westernmost parkrun having changed. An unidentified South African contributor: hold a complete set in Namibia, Eswatini, the Free State, the Northern Cape and the Eastern Cape, land an elusive Q, cover the last four of 22 South African regions, and complete both compass challenges. Sarah Jefferson: alphabeteer status (only O to go), interviews at parkruns A to Z, stopwatch bingo, three new countries, and showing off the West Coast at PALM.

• Sign-off starts at 27:19

  Presenting the holiday episode alone so Mel and Ollie could take a break, the Office Lady rounded off the Channel 5 News crew's 2023 goals and gave her own with Luke: spending one weekend a month in non-participation volunteer roles to give regular volunteers a break, visiting 20 new events, and joining the Peel Club at Palm in April. Before her goodbyes she asked whether listeners had seen the Christmas gift on the Facebook page, plugged the paid "Office Lady Special" printed challenge card with logo stickers and orders closing Sunday night 8 January, hoped they had enjoyed the summer light episode, gave the Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and email contacts and wished everyone fun wherever they were parkrunning.