Episode 346 - Wonder Woman

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HostsMelissa Ellis Oliver Spake

Roving reportersLyndell Murray Sarah Jefferson

Show notes

It's Level Two in Review this week as Mel and Olly recount their morning at Centennial (opens in a new tab) parkrun and all the fun of the City2Surf. Sarah brings us an update from Patawalonga River (opens in a new tab) and Lyndell joins the birthday celebrations at Wishart (opens in a new tab) parkrun. There's a few announcements and bright ideas but still no solution for Olly's post-it predicament.

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

Roving reports

1Patawalonga River2Wishart

In this episode

• Welcome starts at 0:24

  Ollie Spake, back in the host chair on Dharawal Country, and Melissa Ellis on Wurundjeri Country, announcing that Simon and TOC will join Mel as regular monthly co-hosts. Both were in Sydney for a Matildas-gripped weekend: the Centennial parkrun catch-up on Gadigal land at 7am, meeting Rex Gream, Andrew Blanda and Cherie and Jason Cottell for the first time with coffee at the Spruce Goose, then City2Surf, where Mel ran in the Wonder Woman Guinness World Record attempt organised by Sarah Foley and Caroline Stevenson for the Cure Brain Cancer Fund, alongside Toolern Creek and Shellharbour friends, and found the orange-moustache man, Carlos Durkee; Ollie ran his 15th with his eldest daughter Hannah, her boyfriend James and his mum. Sarah Foley begins treatment for brain cancer and the hosts send their best.

• parkrun news bulletin starts at 16:46

  News and announcements: a three-metre giant metal magpie sculpture newly installed at Seven Creeks Park in Euroa, Victoria, just in time for swooping season; the adventurers shirt ordering portal open until 31 August with kids' sizes now available (thanks to the Office Lady for organising the run of shirts); and belated congratulations to Singapore on its National Day, marked at East Coast Park parkrun event 357 with 222 participants and adventurers Leonie Butler, Heather Morgan and Helen Davis.

• Roving reports & the Channel 5 News crew starts at 19:50

  Melissa Ellis throws to two roving reports: Sarah Jefferson at Patawalonga River parkrun in South Australia (event 108, second birthday) and Lyndell Murray at Wishart parkrun in Brisbane (ninth anniversary). Oliver Spake closes the slot thanking both and congratulating Sharon on her volunteering milestone.

• Dazza's starts at 36:43

  This week's Dazza's prompt was Rail Safety Week, theme "Expect the Unexpected", crazy transport adventures to get to a parkrun. Contributors: Graham Wilkinson at Agnew parkrun in the UK (a miniature railway in the park, and Paul St John Hewitt turning up unannounced to volunteer at his junior parkrun); Quizmaster Simon Mackley on a flying trip to Sydney for Dorota's 250th; Kathy Mudge driving to Cobar parkrun en route to the Mundi Mundi Bash near Broken Hill; Andrew Turner at Southsea parkrun in Hampshire; Calum Burrell doing his 99th different location at Fountains Abbey while Lindsay did her 300th volunteering occasion; Johan Duvenhage on Wilna van Eminis going green at Paarl parkrun in South Africa; Greg Moore's son Ruben with a Matildas flag at Phillip Island parkrun; Fiona Hinchliff tail walking at Maitland parkrun; David Ryan's three flights and lost baggage to reach Presint 18 parkrun in Malaysia; and Samantha Roberts's first parkrun in four months without a walking stick, at Yarrabilba.

• the Obi Award — Lynsey Burrell starts at 44:11

  The Obi goes to Lindsay for her 300th volunteering occasion, scanning Calum Burrell's barcode at Fountains Abbey parkrun, "the 300 volunteering occasion gets the Obi. We don't care if it's not a real thing. It's pretty impressive in our eyes." Calum's 99th different location (his "flake") is acknowledged as a near miss: "congratulations on your flake nonetheless".

• Consolidated Club Report starts at 45:14

  The adventurers Consolidated Club Report for Saturday 12 August 2023, read by Melissa Ellis: of 448 members, 359 took part in nine countries across 167 locations. UK 26 events, USA 3, and one each in South Africa, Malaysia, Ireland, the Netherlands and Singapore. Locally a tie between Victoria and New South Wales on 33 events each, Queensland 31, SA 14, WA and the North Island 6, ACT 5, Tasmania 3, and one each on the South Island and in the Northern Territory.

• the Frond — Jesmond Dene parkrun (largest international frond, 4 adventurers); Centennial parkrun (largest local frond, 21 adventurers) starts at 46:05

  Largest frond internationally was Jesmond Dene parkrun in the UK with four adventurers, Helen and Andy Rutter, Cass Castleton and Claire Winyerzyk. The largest local frond was Centennial parkrun with 21 adventurers, including both hosts, Jack and Claire Corkill, Chris Fraser, Craig and Rebecca Ryan, Rebecca Bailey, Cherie and Jason Cottell, Rex Gream, Joe McLean, Jen Arnold, Stephen and Joshua Jackson, Ingrid Botha, Andrew Blanda, Gaillyn Cooper and Peter, Sonja and Oscar Pohlman.

• Launches and anniversaries starts at 47:24"Where is the cake?"

  Five launches worldwide this week, sourced from the Informant: Butter Trail and Corner Brook Stream Trail in Canada, and three in South Africa, Lynnfield, Onderstepoort Campus and Red Point Church. The hosts note Onderstepoort Campus looks like a university-campus course (Oliver nods to absent Alison and her university challenge) and that Red Point Church is "quite an interesting bowl of spaghetti course".

• Sign-off starts at 49:06

  Mel called time to look forward with September upon them, and they trailed Streaky September and the Bingoe card, inviting listener suggestions by email and explaining the two kilometres a day, the Facebook group and that the spelling comes from Scotty. Ollie said he was at home at Shellharbour with Bec Bailey putting on the Run Director's vest, having managed only one adventure on his travels, his 49th different event at Varsity Lakes; Mel was heading back to Diamond Creek parkrun to meet Craig Ryan for his 250th and invited others to join. Under housekeeping Mel proposed a shared document of festivals and events to align with parkrun tourism, and the episode was cut off mid-joke as Ollie began to say that Palm 2024, on 13 April, would be in Toowoomba.

• Streaky September starts at 49:10

  Look-forward to Streaky September, explained from scratch by Oliver Spake for newer listeners: started by original hosts Scotty and Mel, completely voluntary, 2km or more of any activity every day of September, with an affiliated Facebook group. The hosts ask listeners to email suggestions for this year's Bingoe card (spelt "bingoe", Melissa Ellis explains, "because Scotty couldn't spell").