Episode 343 - Favourite Things

— open the full-size cover

HostsMelissa Ellis Oliver Spake

Show notes

Mel was discombobulated by staying local and Olly was completely fine with doing the same. Pippa proposed a new name for an old challenge and the Informant is kind of sort of back, in a way. The Birthday Boy does his thing and there’s a welcome return of Mel and Olly sharing some of the highlights from Dazza’s. All the data from the Consolidated Club Report and some fun looking to the next few weeks has us all wondering… exactly how good will Olly look in a Wonder Woman costume?

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

In this episode

• Welcome starts at 0:24

  Ollie Spake on Dharawal Country and Melissa Ellis on Wurundjeri Country, with a new intro and chat about the Women's World Cup (Ollie went to the Matildas' win over Ireland with his brother and daughters) and Mel seeing the Barbie movie, in which Ken wears the same Western shirt she wore at PALM. Mel ran Altona Beach on Bunurong Country for her fastest post-pandemic time, celebrating Nicola Wright's 50th volunteer and 300th event, and RD'd Eynesbury juniors with 22 kids on market week; Ollie RD'd at Shellharbour without the tutu, with Frankston tourists and his mum along. This week brings back The Birthday Boy, the Informant stats and Dazza's and the Obi.

• parkrun adventure challenge starts at 12:23listener challenge

  Follow-up to Pippa's email of the previous week about the "name number challenge" (attend four four-letter parkruns, then five five-letter parkruns, and so on). Mel traces it back to the Informant's answer in episode 269 (January 2022) to "how many four-letter parkruns are there in Australia?", noting he got it wrong by including Kirra, which has five letters; the correct answer is five: Bega, Lota, Newy, Roma and Sale. A challenge had been put to Peter Pohlman at the time to name the challenge and nothing was ever settled, so with Pippa's input the hosts propose the name "the adventurer's Pyramid". Pip is already at 13-letter parkruns, so Mel jokes she is building her pyramid upside down.

• the Informant starts at 14:38

  The weekly unofficial stats. Australia and New Zealand had 501 combined events out of 1,894 worldwide; down under there were 2,280 first timers, 103 junior 10 milestones, 190 50s, 132 100s, 49 250s and one 500. 214 people increased their Windex, 39 their I-Index and 39 called Bingo. Eight people became statespeople for the first time, five in the NT (Melanie, Lily and Ava Ralph, David Lee and Rafael Yazik), one in the ACT (Damien Keddie) and two in Queensland (Janine and Brendan Sellers). State wars totals: 49 South Australia, 12 Victoria, 11 Tasmania, 9 Queensland, 7 New South Wales, 3 to Broome in WA; across the ditch 15 have completed the North Island, 46 the South Island and 15 both. Five joined the Peel Club (Peter Black, Roger Millett, Lynn Black, Matt Butler, Chris Lind) and two the Oberg Club (George Lewis, Holly Stewart).

• Launches and anniversaries starts at 17:52"Where is the cake?"

  The monthly anniversary rundown for August 2023, delivered as the pre-recorded "Birthday Boy" segment. Four parkrun weeks (5th, 12th, 19th, 26th), with the standard caveat that events may celebrate when they like. Two official first anniversaries: Bells Parade in Tasmania early in the month and Beaufort Lake in Victoria at the end. Two 11th ("parkrun independence") anniversaries in the same weeks: Claisebrook Cove in WA and Balyang Sanctuary in Victoria. The fifth anniversary is the most common this month with ten events; the ninth is next with nine, Singleton, Mt Clarence, Maribyrnong, Lake Joondalup, Hervey Bay, Capalaba, Risdon Brook, Wishart and Victor Harbor. No junior parkrun anniversaries until January. Closes with the usual pointer to parkrun.com.au/cancellations.

• Dazza's starts at 21:36

  A selection of posts from the Saturday-morning Dazza's Facebook thread, this week coinciding with Tutu Day and Christmas in July. Erica Leota wore her Ugly Christmas Singlet for Weipa's seventh birthday; Belinda Taylor reported adventurers turning out for Jill Gardiner's 500th at Zillmere; Lee Cabarita went to Wentworth Common with Sally, Bianca and Dave; Marg Prowse marked her 200th parkrun and 50th volunteer tail walking at Wallaby Track; Janice Whittle had frost and minus two at Inverell (with her dog Keegan in a red tutu); TOC combined the Ugly Christmas Shirt and a red tutu and was RD at Inverloch after his European trip; Samantha Roberts was at Ecco Ripley for their second birthday; Jo McLean had RD duties at The Ponds with a snow machine; Barbara Doby wore two tutus at Wentworth Common between FIFA WWC volunteering shifts; Karen Hurrell celebrated her sixth parkrun birthday tail walking at Haigh Woodland in north-west England; Maria Wicks toured to Canons Park; Geoff Glaab tail walked with his family (and Pepper the dog) at Joe Creason in the USA; and Janet Reid posted from "the mothership" Lochiel.

• the Obi Award — Erica Leota starts at 31:06

  Ollie opens a highlighted envelope and awards the Obi to Erica Leota, for getting herself all the way to Weipa in her reimagined Ugly Christmas Singlet for the event's seventh birthday, colour-coordinated with the orange and purple balloon arch, and apparently a happy accident, since Mel suspects Erica did not realise it was going to be Weipa's birthday.

• Consolidated Club Report starts at 32:14

  The adventurers Consolidated Club Report for Saturday 22 July 2023. Of 437 members, 346 took part on the date, in eight countries across 182 locations. The UK had 26 events; South Africa, the Netherlands and the US two each; Austria and Ireland one each. Locally: 43 events in New South Wales, 33 in Queensland, 30 in Victoria, 13 in South Australia, 11 in WA, 7 in the ACT, 5 on the North Island, 4 in Tasmania, and one each in the Northern Territory and the South Island. Mel also reminds listeners that the Adventurers Club can be added as one of the five clubs on a parkrun profile without dropping existing club affiliations.

• the Frond — Zillmere parkrun starts at 33:49

  The largest frond of the week was at Zillmere with 11 adventurers in attendance, Michael Blain, Russell, Pauline and Belinda Taylor, Barbara Luther, Michael Schultz, Lance Plan, Fern Patterson, Louise Clements, Tracey Wood and Belinda Land, all there for Jill Gardiner's 500th parkrun. Jill finished fifth overall in 22:24 and was first female; she has run 148 of her 500 events at Zillmere, done 81 unique events across six countries and volunteered 242 times, including at juniors.

• Sign-off starts at 36:15

  Ollie said they had come to the point of looking ahead and reminded listeners of the frond at Centennial parkrun on Saturday 12 August, 7am start, with City to Surf bib pickup at Moore Park; Mel explained that a frond takes its name from PALM, the parkrun adventurers Listener Meetup, and prodded Ollie about sourcing his Wonder Woman costume. They announced that neither would be on the next episode, as both were at FIFA Women's World Cup matches, and that Simon and Sarah would step in. Mel said she was joining the Office Lady and her Luke at Newy parkrun, a four-letter event for her pyramid, and Ollie was on the Gold Coast, undecided between Varsity Lakes and Kirra, before flying to Sydney and taking the train to Melbourne, then run directing the week after.