Episode 372 - Don't follow Mel!

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HostsMelissa Ellis Tony O'Connell

Roving reporterMelissa Ellis

Show notes

From the Facebook post

Q. What do you get when you have two hosts recording in the Greatest State? A. Geographical confusion! Oh wait. That's just Mel. TOC seems to know his compass points, even if he can't judge his travel times.

Moving on … Mel returned to Cyril Curtain Reserve (opens in a new tab) parkrun with the Melbourne Crew, while TOC was a week early at Ipswich (opens in a new tab) parkrun.

And Rachel inspires some memories of dress up days from the past.

From the podcast feed

What do you get when you have two hosts recording in the Greatest State? A. Geographical confusion! Oh wait. That’s just Mel. TOC seems to know his compass points, even if he can’t judge his travel times. Moving on … Mel returned to Cyril Curtain Reserve (opens in a new tab) parkrun with the Melbourne Crew, while TOC was a week early at Ipswich (opens in a new tab) parkrun. And Rachel inspires some memories of dress up days from the past.

Roving reports

In this episode

• Welcome starts at 0:24

  Tony O'Connell on Bunurong Country and Melissa Ellis on Wurundjeri Country, noting a quiet week in parkrun world, Beaufort Lake and Koonwarra back after fires and storms while Grand Ridge Rail Trail stays out. TOC flew to Queensland for Ipswich, his third alphabet's elusive I, running with Simon the Quizmaster, meeting Carmel Roll in the adventurers blue top and having breakfast with Lyndell, soon to referee triathlon at the Paris Olympics; Mel visited Cyril Curtain Reserve in Williamstown with Eman, Christine and Craig Ryan, praising ED Bronnie and taking three minutes off her course PB. Coming up: International Women's Day on 8 March, the first parkrun socks spotted on Brendan Peel, and Michael Schultz back at S.S. Koopa Trail for his 552nd with Dave Moss.

• Roving reports & the Channel 5 News crew starts at 15:56

  Only one report this week and it is Melissa Ellis's own, so she hands over to herself: a recorded piece from the Hug Mug cafe after Cyril Curtain Reserve parkrun, in which she interviews Eman Vergara about his morning and about the PALM weekend he is hosting at South Toowoomba.

• Dazza's starts at 22:30

  This week's Dazza's question was about parkrun community at home and away. Comments read out: Tanya Bailey at Pegasus (NZ) in a Punisher shirt; Ingrid at Dolls Point, who ran with Catherine O'Connor and wore her adventurers shirt in memory of Stephen; Linda Sharnock at Burley Griffin with the Females in Training rookies; Kitty Hicks at Torrens, where a 500th volunteer (Marilyn McMillan, V495244) was celebrated and five adventurers were present; Johan Duvenhage timekeeping at Heidedal for his V250, with the Afrikaans phrase "riem onder die hart"; Rory Marriott's 1,000th parkrun in the UK; Helen Rudder at Rutland Water; and Andrea Booth at Darebin, where a hot air balloon landed mid-event.

• the Obi Award — Kitty Hicks starts at 31:42

  Presented from the newly-named "Obilope". The Obi goes to Kitty Hicks for her Dazza's post from Torrens parkrun bringing the news of the event's 500th volunteer.

• Club Corner starts at 32:48

  Rachel's pre-recorded contribution, on dressing up at parkrun: milestone shirts and merch, the Pirate Club, capes and bibs for local milestone traditions, gowns and mortar boards at university events, tutus on tutu weekend and the tinsel of uglies at Christmas. She closes by asking the week's hosts what their favourite dress-up is, which TOC and Melissa answer straight afterwards (her Wicked Witch of the West with green face at a Westerfolds anniversary; his Teletubby suit at Darwin).

• Consolidated Club Report starts at 38:34

  For Saturday 2 March 2024: of 590 members, 452 took part in six countries across 229 locations - 39 UK events, four in South Africa, three in the USA, two in Poland; and in Australasia 46 in New South Wales, 45 in Victoria, 41 in Queensland, 14 in South Australia, 11 in Western Australia, 9 in Tasmania, 7 in the North Island, 6 in the ACT, 2 in the South Island and none in the Northern Territory.

• the Frond — The Ponds parkrun, New South Wales (frond of 15); Princes parkrun, Liverpool (largest international frond, 6) starts at 39:25

  Largest international frond was six at Princes parkrun, Liverpool - Phil Corker, Pippa White, Cameron Storey, Christine Imbert, Calum Burrell and Amanda Murray-Hynde, two of whom (Amanda and Calum) also posted in Dazza's. Largest local frond was 15 at The Ponds, New South Wales, including Jo McLean, who was getting her double tonne.

• Launches and anniversaries starts at 42:06"Where is the cake?"

  After a fortnight of no launches, one new event: Laytown Beach parkrun in Ireland, an out-and-back run entirely on sand from Laytown to the Bettystown turnaround, 35km north of Dublin Airport by the mouth of the River Nanny. 388 participants at the launch, 69 of them first-time Barcode Scanners - and it is already cancelled the following week because spring high tides leave no beach.

• Sign-off starts at 45:35

  Mel said the episode was drawing to a close and asked TOC, who said he was going to the sunny Inverloch to run with Inverloch stalwarts Noel and Julie Farmillo, a husband and wife team, for their 250th; Mel said she was driving to Queanbeyan on the Friday night, partly to save an hour and a half of travel and partly for the Queanbeyan Rodeo, then going on to Braidwood Showground, which she was fairly sure was her NENDY, possibly joined by Bec Bailey. She joked that people should cross their fingers her car made it given her brakes and gearbox, then TOC gave the Facebook and email contacts and closed for another week.