Episode 335 - Soldier’s Five
2023-05-25
— open the full-size coverHostsMelissa Ellis Oliver Spake
Roving reportersLyndell Murray Paul Kitching Tony O'Connell
Show notes
From the Facebook post
A very newsy pod this week with Mel investigating the new Dixon Field (opens in a new tab) parkrun and Chanel 5 news crew reports from our international reporter, TOC, at Donaupark (opens in a new tab) Parkrun, Wien/Vienna, a Windex-hunting PK at Narooma Wetlands (opens in a new tab) parkrun, and Lyndell was investigating mysteries at Robelle Domain (opens in a new tab) parkrun.
We also have a swather of emails, interstate updates from the west side, and a 'soldier's five' from the Office Lady.
From the podcast feed
It’s a very newsy pod this week. Mel took her press pass to the new Dixon Field (opens in a new tab) parkrun and Chanel 5 news crew reports hit the presses from all over. Our international reporter, TOC, checked in from Donaupark (opens in a new tab) parkrun in Austria. PK was on a Windex-hunt at Narooma Wetlands (opens in a new tab). And Lyndell was investigating mysteries at Robelle Domain (opens in a new tab). We also have a swather of emails, interstate updates from the west side, and a ‘soldier’s five’ from the Office Lady.
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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
Dave
A post-outro bonus clip: a Western Australian parkrunner's top three WA parkruns, Shelley, Bibra Lake and Rockingham, and looking out for peacocks at his home event, Aveley.
Roving reports
In this episode
Welcome starts at 0:24
Ollie Spake on Dharawal Country and Melissa Ellis on Wurundjeri Country recap volunteer week: Mel marshalled at juniors in dry weather and Ollie RD'd Shellharbour with a touch of pink in memory of a past community member, previewing a packed episode of emails, roving reports from Austria, South Australia and Queensland, the Office Lady's recap of Dazza's and national news from Sarah. Mel stayed local for Dixon Field parkrun at Gisborne on Dja Dja Wurrung and Wurundjeri land (131 finishers, brunch at Jolly Miller with Irene Bommakanti and Cheryl and Mark Smith); they read Ryan Stoddart's post about pausing the Ultra Perth 50k to run Burswood Peninsula parkrun, Eman Vergara's fifth place at the Singapore Sundown Marathon and West Coast Park visit with Paul and Michaela Curtin, and Finland's Ascension Day extra events at Tampere and Tokoinranta, where Stephen and Helen Davis met Eurovision runner-up Käärijä.
Dazza's starts at 10:59
The Office Lady (Sam Schroder) delivers the week's Dazza's rundown as a "Soldier's Five", a short five-point brief, which is where the episode title comes from. Highlights: Anne Fry back RDing after appendix surgery; Dawn Branton and Parth Bommakanti meeting Fluffy at Nambour; a frond of six at Picnic Point Parklands; Caro Vos and Cherie Cottle becoming Greater Newcastle regionaires; Chantelle Hosking and Christine Imbert meeting at Tokoinranta in Finland; Heidedal parkrun's sixth birthday; a run of "zoomies" photos and TOC's question about left-arm-up zoomies in the Northern Hemisphere; and the week's most-reacted post, her own, about Vicky finishing Rundown Under at Picton.
Level 2 with a View starts at 11:19
Sam Schroder presents from her usual slot, "the comfy chair on level two with a view", but this week the slot carries the Dazza's recap rather than an interview.
Roving reports & the Channel 5 News crew starts at 15:51
Melissa hands over to the week's roving reporters: TOC from Donaupark parkrun in Vienna, PK from the new Narooma Wetlands parkrun near Murray Bridge, and Lyndell from Robelle Domain at Springfield. Ollie thanks all three.
Emails starts at 34:38
Three items: Johan's (AI-assisted) case for "swather" as the collective noun for parkrun adventurers; Stephen and Jen on Bathurst's 300th event, their son Joshua's 250th parkrun at 16 and a sub-20 PB, plus Punish entries; and Russ Johnson claiming a "Norman frame double" for 250 locations and 100 volunteer credits, which the hosts downgrade to a Frame plus a V100, with Melissa explaining the boring Norman and super Norman milestones named after Danny Norman.
Roving reports & the Channel 5 News crew starts at 40:25
Sarah Jefferson reports from "my office without a view" on the parkrun head office Insights and Q&A nights held in Perth. Covers the five-year plan to rebalance parkrun across APAC, the Americas, the UK and EMEA; landowner problems in Malaysia; the carbon-footprint question (only 5% of parkrunners tourist); Australian attendance back to about 68,000 a week; HQ's guarded support for the Challenger/5K/Running Achievement apps and the risk of challenges overwhelming small teams (the Nelson 777 example); the dogs-on-harnesses rule change; junior parkrun expansion on hold pending working-with-children legislation; a plea for RDs to keep logging incidents; and a Victorian government partnership to create 20 new events in two years.
Consolidated Club Report starts at 47:42
For Saturday 20 May 2023: of 427 members, 335 took part at 172 locations, matching the episode number, which delights Ollie. 22 events in the UK, four in the USA, two each in South Africa and Italy, one each in Singapore, Austria, Poland, Germany, Finland, Norway and Japan; locally 37 in Victoria, 32 in NSW, 31 in Queensland, nine each in SA, WA and ACT, seven in the North Island, two in Tasmania and one in the Northern Territory, with the South Island missing.
the Frond — Picnic Point Parklands and San Remo parkruns (fronds of six); Philips Park, UK (frond of four) starts at 49:04
Fronds of six at two Australian events, Picnic Point Parklands (Cherie Martin, Ian and Catherine Greenstreet, Barbara Luther, Belinda Taylor and Carmel Roll) and San Remo (Buzz Dayton, Susan Frederick, Dexter Roddick, Sally Gutierrez and Richard), plus a special shout-out to a UK frond of four at Philips Park with Pippa White, Christine Imbert, Cass Castleton and Karen Hurrell, where Cass completed his 500th run and 250th unique event, a super Norman.
Sign-off starts at 49:58
Ollie said the recapping was done and it was time to look forward, noting National Reconciliation Week was coming: Mel said she had a very early Friday flight and would be somewhere in South Australia, location yet to be determined, and Ollie said he would be somewhere in Sydney after going up to Vivid with Kathy the night before, undecided between a new event out of the city and a handy inner-city one. He confirmed Sydney's longest run for Sunday 11 June, they agreed to recap the longest runs the following week, and Mel gave the Facebook and email contacts before signing off.