Episode 415 - Pow Wow to PALM

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HostsMelissa Ellis Simon Mackley

Roving reportersAli Sheppard Alison Fraser (King) Calum Burrell

Show notes

From the Facebook post

Guess who's back on Quandamooka country? It's Simon! And he's joining Mel to steer the ship and track the plane. Speaking of planes, Budgie hit his mark at Black Rocks (opens in a new tab) parkrun and has another mission, plus Alison investigates South End Reserve (opens in a new tab) parkrun in NZ. That'll do for another week.

- Peter Thomson was in Singapore showing off his Giants hat at recently resurrected Bedok Reservoir (opens in a new tab) parkrun!

From the podcast feed

Guess who’s back on Quandamooka country? It’s Simon! And he’s joining Mel to steer the ship and track the plane. Speaking of planes, Budgie hit his mark at Black Rocks (opens in a new tab) parkrun and has another mission plus Alison investigates South End Reserve (opens in a new tab) in NZ. That’ll do for another week.

Roving reports

1·2Black Rocks and Black Rocks3South End Reserve

In this episode

• Welcome starts at 0:24

  Melissa Ellis on Wurundjeri Country welcomes Simon Mackley back on Quandamooka Country after ten days snowboarding in Hokkaido with two mates for their 50th year. Mel ran Albert Melbourne on Boon Wurrung Country with Dave and 948 others, with the Grand Prix diversion and a double funnel, then brunch at St Kilda Pier; Simon ran event two of the relocated Gainsborough Parklands (247 participants) with Alan Burrell, ahead of a cyclone expected to cross Brisbane with heavy rain and many likely cancellations. Feedback from Kathy Crispin (tutus at Panania, an Inverloch half coming up), France wiped from the parkrun map over the medical-clearance rule, congratulations to Claire and Jack Corkill on baby Amelia Wren, New Zealand stats (10,581 finishers, Porirua returning) and six Australian attendance records.

• Roving reports & the Channel 5 News crew starts at 17:28

  Simon hands over "it might be time to throw to our roving reports". Three reports follow: a joint Black Rocks parkrun (Derbyshire) crossover with Ali Sheppard, Calum Burrell and With Me Now podcast hosts Nicola Forward and Danny Norman for the official handover of Budgie the toy plane; Calum Burrell's own Black Rocks report interviewing parkrun ambassador Monty Slade; and Alison's South End Reserve parkrun report from Pauanui, New Zealand with founding Event Director Neil.

• Dazza's starts at 39:30

  World Compliment Day (and National Barista Day) theme. Posts read out from Sarah Maas (Ocean View parkrun, Queensland), Dan O'Connell (Emerald Lake Park, with fellow Kirkdale Reserve RD Isaac), Janet Reid (left the mothership Lochiel and drove to Nantu Wama with Caro Vos and Cheryl Van Stratton-Smith), Adrian Hillyer (NSW, with Kevin and the parkrun alphabet flag), Yvette Turner (Timekeeper at Coombs, ACT), former host Scotty Trickett (Kirkdale Reserve with Fletcher the Wonder Dog), Peter Thomson (Bedok Reservoir, Singapore) and Ruth Perkins (Black Combe parkrun at HMP Haverigg, the first prison parkrun).

• the Obi Award — Peter Thompson starts at 46:16

  Simon hands over "Do you have an obelisk, Mel?" and Melissa announces "This week's Obi [Obi] goes to Peter Thomson." Awarded for breaking the news in his Dazza's post that Bedok Reservoir parkrun has returned from its COVID pause, bringing Singapore back to five events, "bringing us all the breaking news, which we appreciate very much".

• Emails starts at 46:54

  Melissa cues it "Now, Simon, we had an email" and Simon replies "You've got mail." One email, from Lynn Black, who has just finished listening to the entire back catalogue and thanks the team; the hosts note she carefully addressed it to "hello, podcast hosts" rather than guessing who was on. Earlier in the episode, listener feedback from Kathy Crispin about Panania's ninth celebration was also read out.

• Club Corner starts at 47:47

  Simon throws over. Reginald Yardley Pomphrey III presents from Arrernte Country on numbers in parkrun: junior wristband milestones (11, 21, 50, 100, 250), 5k milestone shirts (25, 50, 100, 250, 500, 1000), and the only four parkrun event names containing numbers, Presint 18 (Putrajaya, Malaysia), Lake2Lake Trail (New Zealand), Gongendo 2gou kouen (Japan) and Cycle Route 43, Ystalyfera (UK). The hosts recap it afterwards.

• Consolidated Club Report starts at 51:04

  Saturday 1 March 2025: of 758 members, 550 took part in nine countries across 272 locations. UK 54 events; South Africa 5; two each in Poland, Ireland, Japan, Singapore and the USA. Locally NSW 51, Queensland 45, Victoria 42, South Australia 19, Western Australia 18, Tasmania 10, North Island 9, ACT 8, South Island 1, Northern Territory none.

• the Frond starts at 51:57

  Largest international frond was seven at Black Rocks parkrun in the UK, Phil Corker, David Irwin, Danny Norman, Steve Milne, Calum Burrell, Pippa White and Ali Sheppard (with the hosts noting Nicola Forward was there but is not yet a club member). Largest frond overall was 15 at Lake Claremont, including Sarah Jefferson, who reported Andrew Yeatman and Matthew Stevens both completing their 250th parkruns. Also a frond of 11 at Gainsborough Parklands and nine at Shellharbour. In lieu of a Bushy pilgrimage, Geoff Wiffen was at Bannockburn Bush.

• Launches and anniversaries starts at 56:19"Where is the cake?"

  Two launches. Old Town House Park parkrun, South Yarmouth, Massachusetts USA, 29 participants (15 first-timers) and 10 volunteers, an out-and-back on paved paths and the Cape Cod Rail Trail. Sky River Path parkrun, Coonabarabran NSW, 85 participants (31 new to parkrun) and 12 volunteers, three out-and-back laps along the Castlereagh River. Earlier in the episode Cambridge (NZ) celebrated its eighth anniversary.

• Watching the numbers starts at 58:35

  Melissa explicitly names it: "in our ongoing segment that we are calling watching the numbers". Tracking attendance at a recently launched event, 238 participants at event eight, after two 246s and a 247, which the hosts read as the event settling around the Dunbar number.

• Palm news starts at 59:11

  Simon opens with "we have a little update on Palm. Palm news." Lyndell Murray has agreed to be quizmaster for PALM; Melissa has planned her costume and reminds listeners the dress-up theme is Queens. Itinerary: Friday a walk up Queenstown Hill then Winnie's Pizza; Saturday Queenstown parkrun, the pod recording at the Queenstown bowlo in the afternoon, and the dress-up night at Smith's Craft Beer. Four weeks away at the time of recording.

• parkrun adventure challenge starts at 1:01:35listener challenge

  Melissa: "our listener challenge this week is to run in the buff", cryptically linked to the possible merch release teased on the Facebook page moments earlier.

• Sign-off starts at 1:03:40

  Mel asked Simon to go first on next parkrun day: he was planning Sirromet but said it depended on the coming days' weather, since it is on a hill and muddy, with coastal events at risk of inundation and cancellations to watch. Mel and Dave were taking a road trip and going camping to the Queanbeyan rodeo, and while there she would finally do Bungendore, "Bungers", which she had been holding off for the rodeo. Mel thanked Simon for returning, confirmed she and TOC record next week and that Simon would be back in a fortnight with Sarah Jefferson returning from pod maternity leave, and closed with the Facebook and email contacts.