Episode 356 - All power to the editor

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HostsMelissa Ellis Oliver Spake

Roving reportersLyndell Murray Sarah Jefferson

Show notes

From the Facebook post

The parkrun adventurers slow right down after a punishing but enjoyable weekend, as Mel and Olly recap the adventure that was the Mount Panorama Punish (and Orange (opens in a new tab) parkrun).

We hear from Sarah from the West Side at Our Park (opens in a new tab), while Lyndell celebrates amongst heroes and villains at North Lakes (opens in a new tab). And we have the stats and the mailbag to prove it - Aussie launches may be down but pies are still up!

From the podcast feed

The parkrun adventurers slow right down after a punishing but enjoyable weekend, as Mel and Olly recap the adventure that was the Panorama Punish (and Orange (opens in a new tab) parkrun). We hear from Sarah from the West Side at Our Park (opens in a new tab), while Lyndell celebrates amongst heroes and villains at North Lakes (opens in a new tab). And we have the stats and the mailbag to prove it - Aussie launches may be down but pies are still up!

Roving reports

1Our Park2North Lakes

In this episode

• Welcome starts at 0:23

  Ollie Spake on Dharawal Country and Melissa Ellis back on Wurundjeri Country with screaming quads after the Panorama Punish at Bathurst. Mel camped two nights at Bathurst Showgrounds with Chris Fraser, Ingrid and Jazz Botha, Bec Bailey and Gaillyn Cooper, walked Orange parkrun on Saturday (event 303, 187 participants, Wiradjuri Country) with Luke Schroder, Catherine O'Connor, Helen Rubin, Michelle Fyfe, Tanya Pollard and Michael Charlton, then knocked eight minutes off her Punish time on Sunday, with Ollie arriving late to cheer; both felt like proud parents watching the adventurers' results.

• Emails starts at 5:58

  Late mail read early, out of the usual mailbag slot: an email from Stephen Jackson, one of the Panorama Punish race organisers, praising the nearly 20 adventurers who finished, Mel's long drive, Ollie's trains-planes-and-automobiles trip, Ollie's mum drumming on course with her bongos, and the Office Lady's help over the weekend. He reports nearly 800 entries and 274 finishers at Bathurst parkrun the day before, and a painted rock from Ipswich, Queensland found in a box. Signed "Stephen and Jen".

• parkrun news bulletin starts at 13:47

  The week's news slot, which the hosts flag as thin: parkrun UK has released new milestone hoodies, and Melissa Ellis reports having checked the online shop and found that it will post to Australia for around 50 pounds plus postage. Ollie jokes about trading them for Australian parkrun umbrellas.

• Roving reports & the Channel 5 News crew starts at 15:17

  Two roving reports played back to back: Sarah Jefferson at Our Park parkrun in Orford, Tasmania (event 153), interviewing Run Director Kendall; and Lyndell Murray at North Lakes parkrun's heroes-and-villains-themed 11th birthday, dressed as Batman, interviewing 500-milestoner Damien, Co-Event Director Alistair and 400-milestoner Gwen. Introduced by Melissa Ellis and thanked by Ollie.

• Emails starts at 34:04

  The main mailbag. Jeff (US) sends a spreadsheet of every Australian 5K launch by year (3, 15, 36 in 2011-13; 42, 42, 49, 64, 75, then a dip to 35 in 2019; 16 in 2020, 30 in 2021, 40 in 2022 and 23 in 2023), notes over 200 launches worldwide a year in 2017-19, and reports US landowner permit fees as the main barrier plus a launch at Mary S. Young parkrun in Oregon. The hosts discuss stricter HQ course approvals in Australia. Greg Garner then writes as a Collingwood supporter asking that the Collingwood song stay as the podcast's closing music, prompting Melissa Ellis's line that as the show's editor she can do whatever she likes.

• Dazza's starts at 42:04

  International Sloth Day themed edition, with Dazza working at sloth pace. Posts from Craig Ryan (Roundhay after Fountains Abbey was cancelled, meeting Christine Imbert), Graham Wilkinson (Jersey parkrun completing a UK regions challenge), Natalie Soper (Farfalle parkrun in Italy after 16 weeks without parkrun), Chris Gore (Bibra Lake with Karen, nephew Trent and his son; Team Gore backing Phil at the Backyard world championships), Simon Mackley (Kirra, with Roberta, Schultzy and Em), Chloe Bravos (daughter Lucy in her new adventurer's shirt at Aveley), Sam Schroder (skipped parkrun to hand out bibs for the Punish crew, then a freedom run of the Bathurst course), Brett Bailey (RD at Pegasus, NZ, for a V50 on a pink breast-cancer-awareness theme) and Errol Poole (250th unique event at Scribbly Gums with his daughter).

• the Obi Award — Lucy Bravos starts at 50:08

  Awarded for the photo of Lucy doing a zoomy in her brand-new adventurer's shirt at Aveley parkrun, shared by Chloe Bravos, "the coolest adventurer out there". Melissa Ellis says she voted for Lucy; Ollie congratulates Lucy, Chloe and Dave.

• Consolidated Club Report starts at 51:16

  For Saturday 21 October 2023: of 484 members, 391 took part in seven countries across 197 locations. UK 30 events, USA 3, Italy and South Africa 2 each, Netherlands 1; New South Wales 42 (swollen by the Panorama Punish), Victoria 39, Queensland 36, SA and WA 13 each, ACT, North Island and Tasmania 4 each, South Island 3 and 1 in the Northern Territory. No adventurer PBs and no official adventurer milestones this week.

• the Frond — Albert Melbourne (11 adventurers) — largest local frond starts at 52:28

  Read inside the Consolidated Club Report. Internationally, a frond at Southampton with Stuart Henderson, Stuart, Tamsin and Morgan Smith. The largest frond locally was at Albert Melbourne with 11 adventurers: Geoff Wiffen, Cosmas McHugh, Damon Young, Stephen and Helen Davis, Jason and Oliver Andrews, Mark Prowse, Amanda Lake, and Val and Steve Warwick.

• Launches and anniversaries starts at 55:19"Where is the cake?"

  Three new events, none in Australia. Port Rzeczny Sandomierz in Poland: two 2.5km sections with a turnaround at the water gate on the canal to the Sandomierz river port, flat asphalt along the Vistula flood embankment away from traffic, 43 participants with three first-timers. Carlingwark Loch in Scotland: a three-lap course on tarmac paths and grass, 78 participants, 11 first-timers including the first finisher. Mary S. Young parkrun in Oregon, USA: a two-lap bark-chip and gravel trail course past the soccer fields and through woodland, 58 participants, 12 volunteers, 36 first-timers including three juniors.

• Sign-off starts at 56:55

  Ollie said he was run directing at home at Shellharbour and staying close because his daughter Ava was down with COVID, hoping she would recover in time to wear her brand new junior 10 milestone shirt at a possibly Halloween-themed event suggested by another junior volunteer; Mel said she was flying into Sydney to catch up with cheetahs taking part in an ultra event on the northern beaches and would sneak off to Greenway parkrun, an event new to her that she believed was Catherine O'Connor's local. Ollie praised the Greenway course, park and volunteers, Mel remarked on a helicopter going overhead, then she gave the Facebook and email contacts and closed for another week.