Episode 387 - Founders and Fashion

Episode 387 — open the full-size artworkShow artwork, January 2023

HostsMelissa Ellis Tony O'Connell

Roving reportersAlison Fraser (King) Lyndell Murray Ruth Perkins

Show notes

Toc and Mel wear their hearts on their sleeves this week, touching on some important topics. To lighten the tone we also have roving reports from Lyndell at Logan River (opens in a new tab), Alison at Queens Park, Belfast, and a new voice from the UK Ruth – bringing us a report from Gunpowder (opens in a new tab) parkrun. Dazza has the week off but there is more discussion about bridges and plans are forming for the Adventurer baton. Tune in…

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Roving reports

1Logan River2·3Queen’s, Belfast and Gunpowder

In this episode

• Welcome starts at 0:00

  Melissa Ellis opens with a full acknowledgement of country for NAIDOC Week (theme Keep the Fire Burning, Black, Loud and Proud), then TOC on Boon Wurrung Country and Mel on Wurundjeri Country congratulate an absent Simon on his 100th different event at Mudgeeraba, complete with currency puns. TOC was RD at a smooth, sunny Inverloch event 457 with 105 finishers, while Mel was at Coburg event 418 with Sonja and Peter Pohlman, Craig and Rebecca Ryan, Chantal Hoskin and a surprise Dan O'Connell in his bright shorts; Mel's Pohlman index now stands at 10 with Sonja and nine with Peter. The first gate is the backlash to parkrun Australia's Lorna Jane sponsorship.

• Roving reports & the Channel 5 News crew starts at 21:16

  Mel hands over to the week's roving reports after the two long monologues: Lyndell Murray at Logan River parkrun (QLD), Alison at Queen's parkrun in Belfast, and first-timer Ruth Perkins at Gunpowder parkrun in Essex. TOC and Mel recap all three, including that this was Alison's last running parkrun of her trip (she volunteers at Stratford-upon-Avon next week) and that Ruth's is a debut report.

• Dazza's starts at 42:25

  Announced as omitted this week: "in the interest of brevity, we are omitting the Dazza's posts" because the two monologues had made the episode long. Mel still reads out one comment, from Eric Banner, for a "frankly fabulous frond for me at Nagambie Lake today" packed with currency puns answering last week's challenge (the comment is signed "Andrew").

• Emails starts at 43:24

  One email, from David (a friend of Monty Slade), asking for the Ross-on-Wye baton back in time for Ross-on-Wye parkrun's fifth birthday next month. This rolls into TOC introducing "Bridgegate" - his own tiny Inverloch bridge versus Brett and Tanya's Bob's Bridge at Pegasus parkrun (NZ) - and then into planning the show's own Adventurer baton: a toy Qantas aeroplane, to be handed adventurer-to-adventurer at parkrun, round every Australian state and territory plus New Zealand before it goes to the UK.

• Club Corner starts at 50:12

  Rachel presents a "triple treat": the Prospector Club (events named for gems, precious metals and minerals - Copper Trail, Diamond Creek, Emerald, Golden Beach, Goldfields Reservoir), the Miners Club (those five plus eleven rocks/sand events, with Cairns as a bonus for the stone cairn pun), and the crowdsourced Professor Club (events on or bordering a university or school). She asks listeners to email more Professor Club entries.

• Consolidated Club Report starts at 53:54

  For Saturday 6 July 2024: of 657 members, 457 took part, in 11 countries across 245 locations. 48 events in the UK, six in South Africa, three in the USA, two each in the Netherlands and Canada, one each in Denmark, Japan, Italy and Germany. Locally 46 events, 35 in NSW, 16 in SA, 14 in WA, six each in Tasmania, ACT and the North Island, four in the South Island and one in the Northern Territory. Mel flags that the numbers may be slightly inaccurate as they are drawn from parkrun's own consolidated club table.

• the Frond — Bridgetown parkrun, South Africa (largest international frond, five adventurers); Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan (largest Australian frond, ten adventurers) starts at 55:25

  Largest international frond: five adventurers at Bridgetown parkrun, South Africa. Three at Queen's Belfast (with Alison), three at Southampton and three at Ambleside in Canada, likely tied to Canada Day celebrations. Largest Australian frond: ten adventurers at Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan. The pilgrimage: Adrian Luscombe at Bushy in 27:56, with an unexplained "392" the hosts puzzle over on air; Sunil confirmed his Bushy pilgrimage the week before.

• Launches and anniversaries starts at 58:04"Where is the cake?"

  Sheriff Creek Wildlife Sanctuary parkrun launched in Canada, near Elliot Lake, Ontario - 36 finishers of whom 33 (92%) were first-timers ever, which TOC believes is the highest proportion he has seen. Malling Rec parkrun launched in the UK just north of Brighton, with 283 finishers, 34 volunteers and 19 first-timers. TOC admits missing Lightning Ridge two weeks earlier. Coming up: a wedding-themed event at Wishart, Queensland for Adrian and Lynette.

• parkrun adventure challenge starts at 1:01:21listener challenge

  This week's listener challenge, set by TOC and inspired by UK adventurer Helen Patricia's balancing photos: get a picture balancing on top of the selfie frame - or, since the frames are only corflute and not every event brings one, get a photo of yourself above the selfie frame or a pop-up, "open to interpretation". Last week's currency-pun challenge is judged along the way, with Simon and Eric Banner/Andrew both cited for cramming references in.

• Sign-off starts at 1:03:08

  TOC asked where Mel was next week: she had changed her New Zealand plans, and instead of Dunedin was heading to Balclutha parkrun, chosen after Nicola Wright looked at the map with her, because it has a bridge you run across, a 9am start and is only about 20 minutes from where Jake and Leah live, making it easier with Ezra and the dog in tow, and because the family were coming as her birthday present. TOC was going to Inverloch parkrun, where the team behind next year's Inverloch Running Festival were launching it with the Shire straight after parkrun, which Mel called a scoop. She noted Sarah and Simon would be with him the following week, thanked him for joining her, and closed with the Facebook and email contacts and 'that's it for another week'.