Episode 362 - West is best

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HostsMelissa Ellis Tony O'Connell

Show notes

TOC’s back this week, after enjoying the west side at Cyril Curtain Reserve (opens in a new tab). And while some parts of the world experienced weather-related cancellations, Melissa headed to a revamped Sunbury (opens in a new tab) parkrun for a little rainy frond. It’s a shorter pod this week, featuring some cameos from our favourite South Africans lending a hand to your grateful hosts.

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

In this episode

• Welcome starts at 0:24

  Tony O'Connell on Bunurong Country and Melissa Ellis on Wurundjeri Country, back together for a second week. Mel had a low-key, wet Sunbury parkrun (26 finishers, their smallest ever) with Jodie Maisie volunteering, while TOC and Jack went west to a damp, windy Cyril Curtain Reserve and breakfast with pod regulars; Eynesbury juniors was cancelled for lack of volunteers, Thorndon juniors turned three, and a UK polar blast cancelled around 210 events. Rain also cancelled Sale, Bairnsdale, Traralgon and Panboola Wetlands, and the Christmas compendium now lists 195 events on Christmas Day and over 200 on New Year's Day.

• Emails starts at 15:36

  Melissa Ellis reads a listener email from Tracy Leiper ('Tutu Tracy'), who suggests that if Mel and TOC ever run their long-threatened Contiki tour they should time it for late July and add a marathon at Uluru. TOC points out the marathon around the rock is run on a Saturday, which clashes with parkrun.

• Dazza's starts at 17:23

  Listener milestone and weekend shout-outs, themed on Britney Spears' birthday. Posts from Maz Strong (Timekeeper at Parkville for International Day of People with Disability), Simon Mackley (Ecco Ripley), Heather Patzel (10 years of Mount Gambier), Jo McLean and Natalie Wilson (Rouse Hill's fifth birthday), Martine Barrot (Wynyard Foreshore), Dave Bravos in WA (Mt Clarence, with daughter Lucy), Mark Scarborough (forgot to scan in at Gungahlin), Natalie Soper (a snowbound Westpark parkrun in Munich), Peter Leroux (Yzerfontein, South Africa), Monty Slade (minus six at Ross-on-Wye) and Sarah J in the USA (Delaware and Raritan Canal).

• the Obi Award — Heather Patzel starts at 25:49

  The Obi goes to Heather for her photo in the Mount Gambier selfie frame, wearing the Ugly Christmas Singlet budgie edition, marking 10 years of Mount Gambier parkrun. Her surname is said two different ways and.

• Consolidated Club Report starts at 26:23

  For Saturday 2 December 2023: of 513 club members, 384 took part in six countries across 202 locations. Largest frond was nine at Casula Parklands (a Shellharbour touring group), with fronds of five at Cyril Curtain Reserve, Point Cook, South Toowoomba and Two Rivers Wines. Milestones: Michael Tran Cong 100th, Heather Hunter 250th, and Geoff Glaab's 100th run the previous week on Thanksgiving Day at Joe Creason.

• Launches and anniversaries starts at 29:20"Where is the cake?"

  Three launches this week. Melissa covers University of Galway in the west of Ireland (222 finishers, 26 volunteers). Johan Duvenhage is handed the two South African items and delivers a self-contained bulletin: the postponement to 13 January of the Prince Albert return as Odendaal Stadium parkrun, the launch of Curro Mossel Bay School parkrun (311 finishers, 61 first-timers) and the launch of Dlinza Forest parkrun at Eshowe, KwaZulu-Natal (132 finishers, 85 first-timers). TOC notes five of the world's ten launches since the start of November have been South African.

• International Ugly Christmas Singlet Day starts at 34:40

  A look ahead to 16 December, Ugly Christmas Singlet or Shirt Day. The hosts encourage adventurers to wear whichever version they own and flood the socials with photos, and Melissa reminds listeners the shirts are made by 'the elves' and that the ugly singlet page is separate from the podcast, so post there as well as in Dazza's.

• Sign-off starts at 35:53

  Mel said she was jumping on a plane to Sydney to go to Campbelltown, an event she knew nothing about and would learn on arrival, and invited local adventurers to come and make a frond; TOC said he was heading off early to a little race up on a hill and would be in Melbourne on the way, doing Kirkdale if Dano was home and otherwise something like Aurora. Mel thanked TOC for joining her two weeks in a row, said Ollie should be back next week and hoped he had recovered, then gave the Facebook and email contacts and closed for another week.