Episode 444 - Addicted to Love

2026-02-28

HostsSarah Jefferson Simon Mackley

Roving reportersAli Sheppard Paul Kitching Ruth Perkins

Show notes

Sarah and Simon have packed their bags and they are ready for PALM. There’s lots to love in this episode, from song renditions, declarations of love and Reginald playing their favourite guessing game. There are reports from Meningie, Yarborough Leisure Centre and Lousberg parkruns. We celebrate some Adventurers achievements and get ourselves ready to par-tay in the Clare Valley very soon.

Roving reports

In this episode

• Where have you been since we last spoke?

  Standing host-swap bit: Sarah asks Simon at [00:04:45] "All right, Simon, where have you been since we last spoke?", Simon answers (Sirromet barcode scanning, Gainsborough Parklands, Stones Corner and a gripe about 100 people skipping the run brief) and returns it at [00:08:58] "Where have you been since we last spoke, Sarah?" Sarah covers Quinns Rocks, Shelley and her NENDY tick-off at Merredin Peak, regaining Statesman status.

• parkrun news bulletin

  News block opened at [00:13:08] "shall we jump into some news in the parkrun world": parkrun Australia's one-year partnership with Mexican chain Zambrero (buy-one-get-one-free on Saturdays); the 12 millionth registration, who ran at Sunnyvale Baylands in California on Valentine's Day, plus follow-ups on the 11th, 10th and 9th millionth registrants; a congratulations to adventurer Leanne Evans for finishing the 163km Tarawera Ultra-Trail in 33:11 with a 40% dropout rate; then the New Zealand and Australian weekly attendance stats for 14 and 21 February and the junior events for 22 February.

• Roving Adventurers (roving reporter crossovers)

  Thrown to at [00:23:15] "I think it's time we throw to our roving reports". Three self-contained reports: PK at Meningie parkrun, SA (interviewing co-ED Kimberley); Ali at Yarborough Leisure Centre parkrun, Lincoln, UK (interviewing event ambassador Brian Thompson); Ruth Perkins at Lousberg parkrun, Aachen, Germany (interviewing co-EDs Daniel and Katie). Sarah and Simon recap all three from [00:40:02].

• Dazza's

  Listener Facebook comment round-up, five comments from each of the last two Dazza's posts. 14 February (Valentine's, "Roses are red, violets are blue..."): David Messenger at Frog Hollow with Christine Brown completing her alphabet, Lee Cabarita at Huskisson, Helen Patricia at Dalby Forest, Ingrid Paris at Zillmere, Maria Wicks at Greenwich Peninsula. 21 February (World Pangolin Day): Jagdeep Singh at Aura Riparian Parklands, Thomas Martin at Tallangatta Station, Veronica Lightfoot at Sandgate, David Ryan at Coal Creek Trail parkrun in Utah, and Sunil/Samir at Sence Valley Forest Park.

• the Obi Award — David Ryan

  Awarded fortnightly and now delivered electronically ("No envelope to rip. Very sustainable that we are."). Sarah's stated reason at [00:49:01]: "congrats on ticking off a parkrun in the US of A and switching over swiftly from an Australian summer to running in the snow. Well done and thank you for sharing those photos with us." (David Ryan drove from Las Vegas at 4am to Coal Creek Trail parkrun, Utah, his 90th event, in ankle-deep snow.)

• Emails

  Opened by Simon at [00:49:14] "Moving on to emails" with a "You've got mail" sting. One long email from UK listener Xavier Sanchez, following up his mention in episode 442, laying out a two-month Cairns-to-Sydney road trip and a 10-event shortlist (Glanoma, Cardwell, Mackay, Emerald, Workman's Beach, Vickrey Heights, Nambour, Coffs Harbour, Port Macquarie, The Beaches). Sarah and Simon give tourism advice and invite listener suggestions.

• Club Corner

  Presented by the character Reginald Yardley Pomphrey III "coming to you from Aranda country", in its current "Who Am I?" quiz format: seven clues (state not yet featured, 650+ events, out-and-back, prominent alternate course, pioneer event in its state, beside a river, "Do you like the zoo?") revealing the answer as Torrens parkrun, South Australia. Signs off promising a return to the country series with events north of the equator, plus the standing line that all non-milestone clubs are unofficial and unsupported by parkrun. Sarah and Simon then debrief their guesses.

• Consolidated Club Report

  Weekly stats rundown for Saturday 21 February 2026: of 881 members, 640 took part in 13 countries across 331 locations; state-by-state and international breakdown; largest international front of six in the UK on Valentine's Day and six at York Community Woodland on the 21st; largest Aussie front of eight at an ACT event and 11 at Cruickshank Park; no pilgrimages to Bushy on either weekend. Closes with the reminder that the Adventurers Club can be one of your five parkrun profile affiliations.

• Launches and anniversaries ("Where is the cake?")

  Launch round-up: Valentine's Day had one solo launch, Gibraltar Botanical Gardens parkrun (32 participants, 16 volunteers, 8 first-timers). On 21 February two Australian launches — Park Lakes Wetlands parkrun on the northern Sunshine Coast, Queensland (111 athletes, 9 volunteers, 12 first-timers, taking Queensland to 138 events) and Rokeby-Crossover Rail Trail parkrun in Victoria (260 participants, 18 volunteers, 13 first-timers), the third Victorian launch in four weekends.

• Palm updates

  Logistics block for PALM 26 in the Clare Valley: 10 adventurers buffs left to buy from TOC at $12 each; Friday 5pm group walk meeting 4.50pm at the Sevenhill Hotel (apricot or milestone shirt) rolling into 6pm dinner; group photo 7.40am sharp on parkrun morning in the blue adventurers shirt for an 8am start; afternoon live recording around 1pm at the bakery where breakfast is held; a plea to join the Messenger group to confirm numbers; and packing advice. Book-ended by Sarah's Clare Valley travelogue at the top of the episode ([00:01:54] onwards).

• Where will you be on the next parkrun day?

  Closing host-swap bit at [01:04:09] "Simon, where will you be on the next parkrun day?" Simon hopes to finally get to an island parkrun; Sarah is heading to Shelley parkrun for event 465 and notching up her P-index; both then meet in the flesh at PALM 26. Followed by a late add-on notice: Bathurst parkrun is asking people to wear their favourite race event shirts on the last Saturday in February in memory of Steven Jackson, former co-ED of Bathurst parkrun and Mount Panorama Punish, who died two years ago and became an organ donor for three people.