episode 452 - The Away Game

2026-06-18

HostTony O'Connell

Roving reportersAlison Fraser Lyndell Murray Ruth Perkins

GuestDarren Wood

Show notes

Lyndell makes herself at home while everyone else is travelling. TOC visits all the away courses. We hear from Urayasushi Sogo Koen in Japan, Billdalsparken in Sweden and Greenheart Robina Parklands in Queensland. New merch is announced, Sandgate gets fast, and Taman Pudu Ulu returns.

Guests

Roving reports

In this episode

• parkrun news bulletin

  "In other news, we've got a lot of news this week" — Sandgate parkrun Speed Week stats (858 finishes, 38.5% under 20 minutes, six new age category records); vale Richard Scolyer AO, 2024 Australian of the Year, 288 parkruns, remembered at Greenway; parkrun's one millionth event delivered globally and the USA's one millionth finisher on the same weekend, with country-by-country time-to-a-million figures; Taman Pudu Ulu in Malaysia confirmed for a return after its 2023 suspension; Singapore Day set for Sunday 9 August with both East Coast and West Coast hosting.

• Weekly attendance stats

  "All right, Toc, we have talked a lot. Let's get into some stats." TOC reads New Zealand attendance figures for the weeks of 6 and 13 June (73 events each week, Hagley largest both weeks, East Otago smallest), then Lyndell reads the Australian figures including junior events, plus the smallest and largest events of each week (Sandgate 860 on Speed Week; the Ponds 671).

• Roving Adventurers (roving reporter crossovers)

  Three roving reports in one block: Alison Fraser from Urayasushi Sogo Koen parkrun in Tokyo with volunteer/tail walker James; Ruth Perkins from Billdalsparken parkrun near Gothenburg, Sweden with RD Stuart Bailey and ED Janne Losman; and Lyndell Murray from the Gold Coast's newest event, Greenheart Robina Parklands parkrun, with ED Mark. TOC and Lyndell recap all three from 01:03:03 and repeat the standing call for listener reports.

• Dazza's

  Two weeks of Dazza's listener comment shout-outs. 6 June was Queensland Day (Greg Garner at S.S. Koopa Trail; Stephen Warwick at Bells Parade; Chris Gore's 500th at Long Point, Port Kennedy; Michael Blaine's group at Constellations of the South, Uralla; Ian and Lydia Knox at Wynnum; Natalie Soper at Nightcliff). 13 June was World Gin Day (Yvette and Bill Turner at Palmerston; Tanya Bailey at Pegasus; Bernadette Bennett at Cooks River; Nick Graney at Spanish Banks Beach, Vancouver; Katie Clues at Point Vernon Foreshore Reserve). Several commenters used the post to thank Melissa Ellis for her years on the pod.

• the Obi Award — Nick Graney

  Rendered by the ASR as "the OB". Lyndell: "this episode, the OB [Obi] goes to Nick Graney. Thanks, Nick, for doing your thing over there in Canada, cheering on the Socceroos." Awarded for his Dazza's comment about parkrunning at Spanish Banks Beach in Vancouver ahead of watching the Socceroos play Turkey in Australia's first World Cup game, and for the follow-up photo of six Australians in Socceroos jerseys. TOC: "Well done, Nick."

• Emails

  Opened by a "You've got mail" stinger. A long email from Pippa "the Streakmeister" proposing a new challenge, Birthday Squared (parkrun on your own birthday at an event celebrating its anniversary the same day), achieved at Amager Fælled parkrun in Denmark on 16 May 2026; she also plugs Dave Thornton's Periodic Table Challenge and Mark Pinney's Challenge Chaser website. A short second email from Dave Messenger flags Queensway parkrun (UK, launched 6 June) as a rare Q event, Q being the world's limiting letter for alphabet challenges.

• Club Corner

  Delivered this week by Reginald Yardley Pomphrey III as his "Who Am I" quiz format: seven clues (northernmost event in its state/territory, two-lap course that does not finish where it starts, top of the POPs Club, crosses its bridge once, a troll associated with it) resolving to an ACT event he names as "Wagi Bridge".

• Reginald

  The hosts' follow-up to Reginald's Club Corner. TOC admits he was stumped despite having run his 250th parkrun there; Lyndell guessed Nightcliff or Burnie and asks Reginald to keep giving clues: "Please, Reginald, give us clues. Clearly, we need them."

• Consolidated Club Report

  Saturday 13 June 2026: of 932 members, 658 took part at 352 locations. State-by-state Australian breakdown (Qld 61 events, Vic 57, NSW 55, WA 22, SA 18, Tas 8, ACT 5, NT 3), New Zealand (9 North Island, 3 South Island) and international (87 UK, 9 South Africa, 3 Poland, 2 each Canada/Ireland/Italy/Japan, 1 each Germany/Norway/Singapore/USA). TOC notes he would love to see an adventurer turn up in Malaysia.

• the Frond

  Largest fronds within the Consolidated Club Report. International: a frond of nine at Queensway (UK) on 6 June — Debbie and Andy Airy, James Newt, Wanda Day, Ellie Soper, Christopher Miles, Colin Hare, Cass Castleton and Matthew Hay; on 13 June a frond of five at a Welsh event TOC concedes he butchered. Pilgrimages: nobody at Bushy on 6 June, Leanne Blaney and Terry Logan on 13 June. Australian: a frond of nine at Shellharbour on 6 June (including Oliver Spake) and eleven at Darwin on 13 June, where office lady Sam Schroder became the 29th Australian to complete the Ollie Volley Club.

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

  Five launches globally on 6 June: Miyagawa Love River Koen (Japan) delayed to 27 June, prompting "where is the love, TOC?"; Queensway parkrun near Wellingborough, UK (640 finishes, 51 volunteers); Warkworth Showgrounds, New Zealand (177 finishers, 19 volunteers); Wittelsbacher parkrun, Germany (157 finishers, 65 of them first-timers, 42 volunteers); and Batten Rig parkrun, UK, in a closed facility (22 finishers, 11 volunteers). Just one launch worldwide on 13 June — Zonnestraal parkrun in the Netherlands (143 participants, 16 volunteers), taking the country to four Z events.