Episode 432 - Amazing Grace
2025-08-24
— open the full-size coverHostsSarah Jefferson Simon Mackley
Roving reportersCalum Burrell Tracey Wood Yvette Turner
Show notes
From the Facebook post
Join Simon and Sarah for lots of positive parkrun news. There's discussions about Singapore's events, brutal punishment, and Simon even accepts a challenge! There are roving reports by Yvette at Central (opens in a new tab) parkrun, Burnaby, Callum at Coronation Park (opens in a new tab) and Tracey at Workman's Beach (opens in a new tab) parkrun. There are launches, new club members and let's not forget, Streaky September is just around the corner!
- Tricia Brown clocking up her 80th volunteer at Portobello (opens in a new tab) parkrun, Edinburgh.
From the podcast feed
Join Simon and Sarah for lots of positive parkrun news. There’s discussions about Singapore’s events, brutal punishment, and Simon even accepts a challenge! There are roving reports by Yvette at Central Burnaby (opens in a new tab), Callum at Coronation Park (opens in a new tab) and Tracey at Workman’s Beach (opens in a new tab) parkrun. There are launches, new club members and let’s not forget, Streaky September is just around the corner!
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Enhanced transcript
Speakers named, sound described and segments marked by the editing pass — not yet checked by a person.
Read the transcriptRoving reports
In this episode
Welcome starts at 0:23
Simon Mackley on Quandamooka Country and Sarah Jefferson on Noongar Boodja, congratulating Mel on lining up her 250th event and 500th parkrun on the same day and thanking Mel and TOC for covering the six weeks since they last spoke. Simon ran Studley in Melbourne (Kanes Bridge, and a chance meeting with David's son Dermot), Logan River twice, Fodder Forest and Rocks Riverside, and completed nine yards and a longest-ever 65 km at the Clint Eastwood Backyard Ultra; Sarah travelled hand-luggage-only to Singapore and Malaysia and ran Bay East Garden parkrun, warning tourists about the humidity.
Adventurer greetings starts at 24:29
Sarah revisits the running listener search for a collective greeting for adventurers, offering Venturo, Wondaloo, Trekkahoy and Dashtory, and Simon recalls 'Zoomy' suggested last pod by Simon Nash. Listeners invited to send more.
Watching the numbers starts at 28:38
The fortnightly participation rundown: New Zealand on 16 August had 63 events, 8,840 finishers and 998 volunteers (Hagley largest with 474); Australia had 515 events, 61,745 finishes, 6,077 volunteers and 2,288 first-time-ever parkrunners, with Cobar the smallest (2) and Albert Melbourne the largest (632).
Roving reports & the Channel 5 News crew starts at 30:36
Simon throws to the roving reports: Yvette Turner at Central Burnaby parkrun (Vancouver), Calum Burrell at Coronation Park parkrun (Swadlincote, UK) and Tracey Wood at Workman's Beach parkrun (Agnes Water, QLD). Hosts recap all three.
Dazza's starts at 50:46
Five comments read from each of the last two Dazza's posts (9 August, International Golf Month; 16 August, National Science Week): Carmel Roll at Brisbane Valley Rail Trail Blackbutt, Ivan Neville at Curl Curl, Mitzi Middleton at Ingrebourne Hill, Val Warwick at Hampton Oval, Lee Cabarita at Alice Springs Telegraph Station, then Janet Reid at Shiraz Trail, Karen McKeon at Belvedere, Charles Gregory at Windsor Precinct, Carolyn McRae at Lake Mary Ann Tingkkarli and Tricia Brown at Portobello.
the Obi Award — Karen McKeon starts at 1:01:44
Sarah presents the Obi to Karen McKeon of Belvedere parkrun, for the swift thinking and swift action of scooping up her running dog near the finish and still coming within two seconds of her course PB.
Emails starts at 1:02:18
One email this week, from Linda Black (signed 'Lynn and Pete'), congratulating Mel on her double milestone of 500 parkruns and 250 different events and thanking her for her contribution to the adventurers community and podcast.
Club Corner starts at 1:03:31
Reginald Yardley Pomphrey III presents a 'Who Am I' Club Corner: seven clues to an Australian event - a state not used in the series so far, a name mixing waters, alliteration, in the first dozen parkruns in Australia, does not finish where it starts, nearest neighbour under a kilometre away. Answer: Claisebrook Cove, WA. Neither host got it.
Consolidated Club Report starts at 1:05:52
For Saturday 16 August, 575 of 831 members took part across 14 countries and 312 locations: 67 UK events, 11 South Africa, 5 Ireland, 2 USA, one each in Austria, Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Poland and Sweden; locally 53 in Queensland and NSW, 50 Victoria, 21 WA, 15 SA, 9 Tasmania, 6 North Island, 5 ACT, 4 Northern Territory, 3 South Island.
the Frond starts at 1:07:13
Largest fronds: on 9 August, five adventurers each at Quakers Walk and Ross-on-Wye; on 16 August a frond of nine at Jubilee, Bedford. Largest Australian fronds were 26 in Queensland on 9 August for Mel's 500th and 13 at Gatton on 16 August for Roger's 500th. Pilgrimage: Rosemary Knight at Bushy on 9 August, Pete Johns at Bushy, Dublin on 16 August.
Launches and anniversaries starts at 1:10:56"Where is the cake?"
No launches on 9 August; five in the week to 16 August - Boulevard Lake (Thunder Bay, Canada, 14 finishers), Black Swan Lake (near Mandurah, WA, 127), Bon Game Reserve (Western Cape, 115), Tourmakeady Wood (County Mayo, 145) and Mentors Country Estate (Jeffreys Bay, South Africa, 509 finishers on debut).
Streaky September starts at 1:13:44
Sarah previews Streaky September: with the move to a fortnightly podcast there will be less streak content on air, so the Bingoe card and daily fun move to the Streaky September Facebook group - minimum 2km of activity every day, any way you like.
Rapid Fire starts at 1:14:32
Second outing of the hosts' quick-fire round: Sarah fires this-or-that questions at Simon (sunshine, runners, trail, t-shirt, coastal) and Simon puts would-you-rather questions to Sarah (deep ocean over space, invisibility, countryside without electricity, free flights, all languages).
Sign-off starts at 1:16:42
Straight after the rapid-fire would-you-rather segment, Simon asked where Sarah was going next parkrun day: she was staying close to home at Lake Claremont parkrun for their 177th event, a quick escape because she had a matinee of Beauty and the Beast. Simon had to stay local for Jackson's last soccer game of the season, which he manages; undecided, he thought he might skip Logan River and go to Scribbly Gums to get amongst the trees. They closed by saying Mel and TOC would be back in the comfy chairs next fortnight.