Episode 456 - The hype team

2026-08-14

HostsLyndell Murray Tony O'Connell

Roving reportersAlison Fraser David Bravos E-Man

Show notes

TOC and Lyndell put the call out for audience participation, with Streaky September just around the corner and the Nottie on the decline. Dazza is as popular as ever, with lots of interest in pies and cats and Reginald has us guessing again. We have roving reports from Motueka Beach Reserve, Town Beach and Ambleside. There's plenty of ways to get involved with the adventurers. Are you ready?

Roving reports

In this episode

• Listener email

  Hosts read listener feedback on the previous episode: Val Warwick on Facebook praising the extra roving reports ("Reginald is Steve's favourite") and Ingrid's Sanctuary Runners report; Ali Sheppard correcting the pronunciation of Dumfries and offering "Doonhamers" as a fun fact; Alison Fraser clarifying that the tinsel at Mangere Bridge was uncoordinated ugly Christmas shirts; and Yvette Turner emailing about her Sydney Marathon build-up, her adventurers hoodie, and upcoming Singapore parkruns.

• Streaky September

  Lyndell flags that Streaky September is a fortnight away and crosses to a pre-recorded intro from "Streakmeister" Pippa, who explains the annual reset: intentional daily exercise for the month (2km run/walk or 30 minutes of other activity), logged in the Facebook group, plus a bingo card and mid-month level-up challenges. Hosts then reminisce about past bingo tasks (cats in windows, street numbers) and joke about "Swoopy September" magpies and bird flu.

• Attendance and milestones

  Fortnightly attendance stats rundown. New Zealand 1 and 18 August (73 then 72 events; Waitangi largest, East Otago High School smallest; Hagley not largest for a second week). Australia 1 and 8 August (69,410 then 66,583 participants; 2,280 first timers; attendance record at Cairns; junior events 357 finishers at 5 events), plus a largest/smallest breakdown covering every Australian state but neither territory.

• Roving Adventurers (roving reporter crossovers)

  Three roving reports back to back: Alison Fraser at Motueka Beach Reserve parkrun (NZ) with co-Event Director Eileen; David Bravos at Town Beach parkrun, Broome (WA) with Run Director Bruce; and E-Man at Ambleside parkrun, Vancouver with first-timers briefer and park walker Johnny. TOC recaps all three from [00:42:41].

• Dazza's

  Five selected comments from each of the last two Dazza's Facebook posts (homemade pie day on 1 August, drawing 126 comments; International Cat Day on 8 August). Contributors read out include Rex Green (Wauchope, kangaroo strike saga), David Westaway, Carolyn McRae, Jan Matters, Chloe Bravos, Claire and Helen Patricia at Zegerplas, Barbara Werther, Sonja Pohlman, Adrian Luscombe (500 milestone at Old Showfield, Frome), Veronica Lightfoot, David Messenger and Christine Brown at Bibra Lake, and Val and Steve Warwick's 1950s-themed fourth birthday at Bells Parade.

• the Obi Award — Chloe Bravos

  TOC calls for the Obi and Lyndell has the envelope. Stated reason: "for the cute little cutie pie pictured on homemade pie day" - Chloe Bravos drove a homemade pie to Shipwreck parkrun when they needed a timekeeper, and the pictured "cutie pie" was her daughter Lucy Bravos.

• Emails

  Introduced by Lyndell as "your segment, emails" (with the "You've got mail" sound effect). One email this fortnight, from Ali Sheppard, confirming that ibis exist outside Australia but "bin chickens" is a purely Australian term - backing up Simon and Sarah from the previous episode - along with stories about her ibis encounters, some real and some statues.

• Club Corner

  Delivered by Reginald Yardley Pomphrey III as a "Who Am I" quiz in seven clues (state/territory not featured before, on an island, many neighbours, at the bottom of the North Island, something new, operates on a stop bank, was the number one event in New Zealand). Answer: Lower Hutt parkrun, New Zealand. He closes noting parkrun now hosts renamed non-milestone clubs in the app. Hosts then debate whether Lower Hutt really is at the bottom of the island and swap New Zealand colloquialisms (stop bank, chilly bin, judder bar).

• Consolidated Club Report

  Adventurers club membership is over 950 (up from a hoped-for 900 at the start of the year); at least 650 adventurers completed parkruns in each of the last two weeks. Queensland topped the table on 1 August with 64 events, New South Wales on 8 August with 58. All Australian states and territories and both New Zealand islands covered, plus every event in Singapore and Malaysia on 8 August; hosts attribute a dip in Australian event coverage to the Singapore trip.

• the Frond

  Largest gatherings of adventurers. International: Stanborough (UK) on 1 August including Danny Norman, Lorraine and Colin Hare, Maria Wicks and Branca Moss; Bedok Reservoir (Singapore) on 8 August with a frond of 18. Australian: fronds of nine at two events each week, with Albert Melbourne picked for 1 August and Parama parkrun for 8 August. Also a special Singapore National Day (9 August) tally of 40 adventurers across East Coast Park and West Coast Park.

• Pilgrimage

  Adventurers at Bushy parkrun: Tony Reeves on 1 August, and roving reporter Calum Burrell with Phil Corker on 8 August.

• Watching the numbers

  Sung (unaccompanied, with running gags about the non-existent budget). St Helena's Plantation Forest parkrun had 50 finishers on 1 August (9 unknowns, 8 first-ever parkrunners) and 35 finishers on 8 August (7 unknowns, 2 first-ever, 9 volunteers). Lyndell notes unknown numbers falling as locals register, first timers returning, and several first timers who last ran parkrun in 2017-18 - possibly parkrunners who have moved to the island.

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

  New events for the fortnight. 1 August: one launch globally, Spinnaker parkrun in Gladstone, Queensland (204 finishers, 17 volunteers), replacing Gladstone's closed course. 8 August: only two worldwide - Crofton Park parkrun in the UK (432 finishers, 40 volunteers, southwest of Cadbury World) and West Bay parkrun in Dunoon, Scotland (119 finishers, 19 volunteers). Preceded from [01:07:23] by TOC's deep dive on the 104 global 5k launches in the first half of 2026 by country.

• Looking ahead

  TOC is heading to Tasmania to complete Hoblers Bridge near Launceston and hopes to catch Leanne and Lee Evans; Lyndell has three stair-climb events in four days across Brisbane and the Gold Coast. Then "where are you next parkrun day": Lyndell at Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan for the Office Lady's celebration, TOC squeezing a parkrun in before a Melbourne work function. Closes with team credits (Office Lady, Dave the Editor, Reginald, the Belinda Fairy) and a trail for Simon and Sarah next episode.