Episode 342 - 26
2023-07-20
— open the full-size coverHostsMelissa Ellis Oliver Spake
Roving reportersAlison Fraser (King) Sarah Jefferson
GuestPhil Gore
Show notes
From the Facebook post
Mel and Olly are back with a bumper edition of the podcast and they have LOTS to talk about, from parkrun COO's open letter on number challenges to all the upcoming excuses to party.
The Office Lady brings us an interview with world record ultra-runner, Phil Gore, and we hear roving reports from Sarah and Alison. Sarah calls in from Presint 18 (opens in a new tab) parkrun, Putrajaya, 青梅丘陵parkrun - Ome Kyuryo (opens in a new tab) parkrun and Baxter (opens in a new tab) parkrun, while Alison shared her catch up with Tom Williams at Lake2Lake Trail (opens in a new tab) parkrun in New Zealand.
And, of course, we share the CCR and empty the in-tray!
link to listen is in the comments
Mel and Sarah zooming over the 26th parallel
From the podcast feed
Mel and Olly are back with a bumper edition of the podcast and they have LOTS to talk about, from parkrun COO’s open letter on number challenges to all the upcoming excuses to party. The Office Lady brings us an interview with world record ultra-runner, Phil Gore, and we hear roving reports from Sarah and Alison. Sarah calls in from Presint 18 (opens in a new tab), Ome Kyuryo (opens in a new tab), Japan and Baxter (opens in a new tab) parkrun, while Alison shared her catch up with Tom Williams at Lake2Lake Trail (opens in a new tab) in New Zealand. And, of course, we share the CCR and empty the in-tray!
Listen
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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
Phil Gore
Breaking the Backyard Ultra world record at the Dead Cow Gully Backyard Masters, how the format works, planning every hour out to 143 hours, sleeping and showering in 15-20 minute gaps, running alongside assist Sam Harvey to lap 101, and looking ahead to Big's Backyard in Tennessee in October.
Roving reports
In this episode
Welcome starts at 0:23
Melissa Ellis on Wurundjeri Country and Ollie Spake on Dharawal Country, back after a week off for Mel's birthday. Mel flew to Perth and road-tripped with Sarah Jefferson and Matt Stevens 900 km up the west coast, over the 26th parallel, to Baxter parkrun in Carnarvon on Yinggarda Country (event 30, 29 finishers, Dan Baldwin volunteering), then the Fruit Loop Trail, the Space and Technology Museum and a night at Wooramel Station, 1,860 km all up; Ollie volunteered locally with his barcode-scanning buddy Ava. They also discuss parkrun's 10 July open letter from Tom Williams on number challenges, saying they will no longer read out comments relating to Fibonacci and Nelson events, and point listeners to With Me Now's coverage.
Roving reports & the Channel 5 News crew starts at 12:45
Ollie: "Yes, that's right. We do have some roving reports as promised to catch up... picking up from our last podcast, episode 341 from Sarah from the West Side over in Malaysia, and then a swather of roving reports to follow. So let's have a listen." Four reports run back to back, Sarah Jefferson at Presint 18 (Malaysia, interviewing Helen and Steve Davis and local host Harry), Sarah at Ome Kyuryo (Japan, interviewing Tony Jennings), Alison Fraser (King) at Lake2Lake Trail (Te Anau, NZ, interviewing parkrun COO Tom Williams) and Sarah at Baxter (Carnarvon, WA, interviewing RD Renee Williamson). Mel recaps the whole block: "what a great lot of roving reports featuring Sarah, Sarah, Sarah and Alison."
Emails starts at 36:28
Mel: "But, Ollie, we've got mail." Four items: Johan (Duvenhage) settling on "the Adventeering Index" for the count of different volunteering locations; Heather Hunter, who found the show's own Facebook page description, "Podcast about life, if your life is all about parkrun", while drafting a new intro; Bec Bailey via Messenger, identifying Machu Picchu from her earlier photo and reporting in from the Uyuni Salt Flats in Bolivia; and Jason Andrews with an intro suggestion, "the podcast about parkrun and the places it can take you". Closes with a last-minute note from Pippa White, who has gone from four four-letter parkruns to thirteen 13-letter parkruns.
Level 2 with a View starts at 46:14
Ollie hands over: "our Office Lady did a bit of catching up with our shipwreck parkrun co-ED Phil Gore, who just happened to run 102-odd laps in the Dead Cow Gully Backyard Masters Ultra there." Sam Schroder interviews Phil Gore from "the comfy chair on level two with a view" about his new Backyard Ultra world record, following up her earlier interview with him in episode 279.
Club Corner starts at 58:40
Rachel, "coming to you from Arrernte Country": not about a club this week but about the number 22, the growing Australian habit of wearing a tutu on any Saturday that falls on a 22 ("because it sounds funny, and we love Richie Benaud"), with July 2023 delivering another parkrun day on a 22. She asks Mel and Ollie to share their tutu sightings, and reminds listeners that all non-milestone clubs are unofficial and unsupported by parkrun. Mel and Ollie answer with their own tutu stories, Ollie's lost pink Shellharbour tutu and the borrowed one at the Bathurst frond, Mel's tutus "in every colour of the rainbow".
Consolidated Club Report starts at 1:01:31
Ollie: "how are we doing in the Adventurers Club report?" For Saturday 15 July 2023, 347 of 437 members took part, in nine countries across 182 locations, 24 UK events, three South Africa, one each in Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Norway and the USA; locally 41 Queensland, 37 each in Victoria and New South Wales, 12 South Australia, seven North Island, five WA, four each ACT and Tasmania, three South Island ("helped out by Alison and Tom Williams").
the Frond — Jordan Fusel, Brendan Peel, Greg Moore, Nicola Wright, Dawn Branton, Wendy Glenn and Lynn Hewson — at Kilmore Racecourse Walking Track parkrun starts at 1:02:27
"The largest frond this week came to us from the Great Estate at Kilmore Racecourse Walking Track, where seven adventurers took to the field." Read out inside the Consolidated Club Report.
Launches and anniversaries starts at 1:03:00"Where is the cake?"
"But no launches in Australia while we were away." Mel notes the one they missed over the break: Gordon Spratt Reserve parkrun on New Zealand's North Island, which had its event two on the Saturday just gone. Ollie: "Welcome to the family."
Sign-off starts at 1:03:19
Mel said time was ticking and it was time to look forward: they announced the City to Surf weekend frond at Centennial parkrun on Saturday 12 August, a 7am start handy for bib collection down the road at Moore Park, and trailed Ugly Christmas in July on the coming Saturday, which was also a 22 and so a tutu day. Mel said she was staying local at Altona Beach parkrun to work on her P-index and celebrate fellow adventurer Nicola Wright's 250th, and Ollie said he was at home run directing at Shellharbour with at least two of his girls in tow before going interstate, while both admitted to being distracted by the FIFA Women's World Cup. They signed off with the socials and email and wished everyone a happy Ugly Christmas in July.
International Ugly Christmas Singlet Day starts at 1:04:34
Ollie: "It's Ugly Christmas in July, this Saturday." A call to wear Ugly Christmas Shirts and singlets to your local parkrun and flood Dazza's with the photos, doubled up with the tutu-on-a-22 idea from Club Corner because the Saturday is the 22nd. Mel plans her "reimagined" ugly T-shirt, Ollie his gingerbread one, and is dared to find a brown tutu to match. The episode signs off "Happy, Ugly Christmas in July, everyone."