Episode 369 - When Paris met Harry

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HostsMelissa Ellis Oliver Spake

Roving reporterLyndell Murray

Show notes

From the Facebook post

A Valentine's Day release! You're welcome.

Join us this week as we bring some big discussions with a rollercoaster pod episode.

While Olly and Mel give their views on the stats controversy, they also recount their adventure to North Wollongong (opens in a new tab) parkrun. But not before Olly brings news of his own.

Lyndell the Legendary lifts the mood with a report from Ipswich QLD (opens in a new tab) parkrun, Rachel remembers pods of bygone eras, and we end on a lighter note with celebrations of all descriptions.

From the podcast feed

Join us this week as we bring some big discussions with a rollercoaster pod episode. While Olly and Mel give their views on the stats controversy, they also recount their adventure to North Wollongong (opens in a new tab) parkrun. But not before Olly brings news of his own. Lyndell the Legendary lifts the mood with a report from Ipswich (opens in a new tab), Queensland parkrun, Rachel remembers pods of bygone eras, and we end on a lighter note with celebra

Roving reports

In this episode

• Welcome starts at 0:04

  Melissa Ellis on Wurundjeri Country, windows open in a 37-degree Melbourne heatwave, and Ollie Spake on Dharawal Country, after a tongue-in-cheek disclaimer that Inverloch will not be mentioned. Ollie announces he is stepping down as a regular host around the time of PALM (one episode past it), with Simon and TOC each moving to two episodes a month and Ollie returning as guest co-host on fifth Mondays; he thanks Mel and the community and confirms he is booked for the Toowoomba live recording. Mel travelled to North Wollongong (event 265, her 39th NSW event, 361 finishers) with Bec Bailey, Ollie, Andrew and Eva Blanda and Paddy Oshimo, Ollie gave a course description, and the weekend finished with brunch at Woonoona, a swim at Bulambi sea pool, dinner at the Waterfront Tavern and a family game of the family edition of Cards Against Humanity.

• parkrun news bulletin starts at 14:01

  The episode's 'low': a long news-and-discussion item on parkrun HQ removing records, sub-17/sub-20 and age-grade statistics pages (and later the most-events table) from country and event websites on Thursday 8 February 2024, the leak and the HQ apology, and both hosts' personal responses, Mel on how climbing the most-events list helped her through a marriage breakdown and on the pendulum swinging too far from fast runners, Olly on parkrun 'personas' and the five-year strategy. Also carries a record 5,918 Australian parkrun volunteers, and the death of marathon world-record holder Kelvin Kiptum and his coach Gervais Hakizimana in Kenya on 11 February.

• Roving reports & the Channel 5 News crew starts at 36:33

  Lyndell Murray reports from Ipswich, Queensland parkrun's 10th birthday at Limestone Park, with a costume theme of 'dress like you're 10', interviewing tourist Bridget, 350-milestone birthday girl Mavis and founding Event Director Rochelle.

• Dazza's starts at 52:40

  'It's umbrella day. Did you need one?' Posts read out from Ingrid Botha at Dolls Point (Paris and Harry the Hover Dog), Ian and Lydia Knox at Kirkdale Reserve's second Pride parkrun, David Bravos at UWA in Perth (daughter Lucy in hospital), Peter Leroux at Boksburg in South Africa, Tamsin Smith at Seaton in the UK, Michael Blain at Weipa, Johan Duvenhage at Fig Tree parkrun near Durban, Val Warwick at Bells Parade in Tasmania, Janet Reid aboard 'the mothership' Lochiel, and Graham Wilkinson at Livonia in the USA (11th country, and an engagement).

• the Obi Award — Ingrid Botha starts at 1:00:21

  The weekly envelope award. Olly reads the quote ("when I get a new book, I read the last page first...") and announces the winner: "When Paris Met Harry", Ingrid Botha's Dazza's post and photo of Paris and Harry the Hover Dog at Dolls Point, which also gives the episode its title. "Well done to two of our favourite bark runners."

• Club Corner starts at 1:01:47

  Rachel's pre-recorded retrospective on defunct parkrun podcasts: parkrun Life (Luke Morris), Free Weekly Timed, The parkrun Show, The parkrun Show Australia, Stay Frosty parkrun, The 930 Club, and Lace Up and Listen. She recommends the back catalogues of parkrun adventurers, The parkrun Show and With Me Now.

• Consolidated Club Report starts at 1:04:24

  For Saturday 10 February 2024: of 554 members, 424 took part in eight countries across 225 locations. UK 34 events; three each in South Africa and the USA; one each in Austria, Ireland and Norway. Adventurer PBs for James Thomas, Geoff Reid (30:22 at Lochiel) and Bill Lodwick (22:28 at Berwick Waters); V100 volunteer milestone for Andrew Yeatman at Perry Lakes, on 140 volunteer credits, 100 of them as photographer.

• the Frond — 8 adventurers at North Wollongong (Melissa Ellis, Olly Spake, Bec Bailey, Paddy Oshimo, Andrew and Eva Blander, Hannah Newton, James Thomas); largest international: the Smiths at Seaton, UK starts at 1:05:14

  Largest frond of the week was eight adventurers at North Wollongong; largest international frond was the Smiths at Seaton in the UK with three.

• Launches and anniversaries starts at 1:05:41"Where is the cake?"

  New events: Zeehan Golf Club parkrun on Tasmania's west coast, about 140km south-west of Burnie, a 9am double out-and-back along the Spray Tunnel MTB Trail through a 100m abandoned keyhole-shaped train tunnel with glowworms; 65 participants and 10 first-timers at event one, and Australia's second Z event. Also van Heekpark parkrun in Enschede, the Netherlands: three laps of a park, 87 participants and 60 first-ever first-timers.

• Sign-off starts at 1:09:34

  Mel turned to next week and went to Ollie first: he had put his name down as Timekeeper and would be volunteering looking over a beautiful beach; Mel said she was hoping to get to Ball Park parkrun, one of the relatively new events, up in Corowa on the Victorian-New South Wales border, possibly with a stupid o'clock three-hour drive. Ollie wished Mel and the listeners who had made it that far safe travels and a happy parkrun day enjoyed their way, then gave the Facebook and email contacts and closed for another week.