Episode 348 - Cat Amongst the Magpies
2023-08-30
— open the full-size coverHostsMelissa Ellis Oliver Spake
Roving reportersJohan Duvenhage Melissa Ellis Tony O'Connell
Show notes
As we approach our favourite streaky season we bring you reflections from International dog day at Parkindula Reserve (opens in a new tab) parkrun, plus we have roving reports from TOC at Tallangatta and Johan at Cape Agulhas (opens in a new tab). Pippa drops in with streaky advice, the Birthday Boy brings us all the cake and there are emails a-plenty.
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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 transcriptRoving reports
In this episode
Welcome starts at 0:24
Melissa Ellis on Wurundjeri Country and Ollie Spake on Dharawal Country, Ollie fighting a cold after World Cup fever and Mel swapping her Matildas beanie for a Collingwood one with the Pies minor premiers. Mel was at Parkindula Reserve, Mount Barker (event 17, 37 runners) on Peramangk land, her 26th South Australian event, with a tourist interview to come; Ollie RD'd Shellharbour with Val and Steve Warwick visiting from Tassie, his daughter barcode scanning, and PBs across the field. They discuss the Nordic Day change (Ascension Day, a Thursday), and Mel's snipped-out ultraband chat: the shop's stock photo shows a name after the athlete ID but the order form won't allow one.
Roving reports & the Channel 5 News crew starts at 16:27
Ollie hands over to the roving block, which runs uninterrupted from 00:16:50 to 00:34:19 and carries three reports: Melissa Ellis at Parkindula Reserve (South Australia) interviewing tourists Megan and Alex on International Dog Day, TOC at Tallangatta Station on the Victoria/NSW border interviewing founding team members Dev and Andrew, and Johan Duvenhage at Cape Agulhas, the southernmost parkrun in Africa, interviewing Run Director Jeremy Mann and Bruce Fordyce. Melissa and Ollie debrief it at 00:34:28.
Emails starts at 35:34
"You've got mail." A long mailbag: Paddy on sun cream and streaking, Geoff Glaab suggesting "Window Kitty" for the Streaky September Bingoe card and flagging the Lackawanna Rail Trail and Canmore launches, the Quizmaster proposing a push to 500 Adventurers Club members by the end of September, Peter Pohlman's bingo suggestions (banana for scale, wild fruit, a cat), Ingrid's garden photo, and Chris Gore answering last week's question about the six parkruns in his Norwester Challenge.
Streaky September starts at 38:48
Melissa cues Pippa's pre-recorded streaking audio. Pippa sets two tasks for week one: simply show up every day for a minimum of two kilometres, and find a short go-to route for the bad days. Melissa then pledges to step her own daily two kilometres up to 3K for September.
Dazza's starts at 45:09
International Dog Day edition, "We have treats for all the good doggos today." Posts read out from Tracy Leiper (a frond at Dubbo with a cow cape), Ingrid Botha (Paris as Run Director at Dolls Point while Jazz scanned barcodes), Kathy Crispin (breakfast after Dubbo parkrun with Jan Yates finishing her Rundown Under lap of Australia), Pauline Taylor at Kununurra, Cathy Mudge at The Entrance with her dog Harley, David Bravos (daughter Lucy chasing a pack-down volunteer credit), Joyce Adams at Roosevelt Island DC, and Christine Imbert at Rushmere for her 400th parkrun and 250th volunteer.
the Obi Award — Joyce Adams starts at 50:25
Ollie opens the envelope and awards the Obi to Joyce Adams, who timed at her home parkrun Roosevelt Island DC on its seventh birthday, when a visiting cross-country team helped the event smash its pre-shutdown attendance record.
Launches and anniversaries starts at 51:33"Where is the cake?"
The birthday boy's monthly rundown for September 2023: five parkrun days, Malaysia Day on 16 September falling on an existing parkrun day, New Farm turning 12, Wynnum turning 11 in its 11th year, Warwick and Toowoomba turning 10 in the Southern Cross Circuit, and first anniversaries at Jerrabomberra Mountain Reserve, Robelle Domain, Tynwald Park and Memorial Park. No junior parkrun anniversaries until January 2024.
Consolidated Club Report starts at 55:35
For Saturday 26 August 2023, 360 of 451 club members took part across 10 countries and 191 locations, 30 UK events, three in South Africa, two in Canada, one each in Denmark, Finland, Poland, Singapore and the USA; locally 44 in Victoria, 34 each in New South Wales and Queensland, 14 in South Australia, nine in Western Australia, five each on the North Island and in the ACT, four in Tasmania and one each in the South Island and Northern Territory. Melissa and Ollie then return to the new Millennium parkrun in Canmore, Canada, which had 44 finishers at event one.
the Frond — The Ponds parkrun (largest local frond, 10 adventurers); Southampton parkrun, UK (largest international frond) starts at 56:57
Largest gatherings of adventurers for the week, read out inside the Consolidated Club Report: internationally a frond at Southampton in the UK; locally a frond of 10 at The Ponds, a frond of eight at Shellharbour, and a special mention for Shepparton, where a local running event drew the crowd.
Sign-off starts at 1:00:20
Ollie turned their attention to next parkrun day: Mel said she was going to Ballina parkrun, which she knew little about beyond it being the event that came off second best to Kingscliff for the eastern compass point, travelling up with Martine Barrot for an overnighter; Ollie said he had all the gear so would be setting up the course at home at Shellharbour, and might then get across to a frond at North Wollongong parkrun, a course he recommended through Puckeys Estate lagoon and the mangroves, just down the road from his dad's place. Ollie thanked everyone for getting in touch, directed listeners to the parkrun adventurers Facebook page rather than personal accounts and to the email address, and signed off telling everyone to get streaking.