Episode 460 - Across The Ditch

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HostTony O'Connell

Guest co-hostAlison Fraser (King)

Roving reportersEman Vergara Eva Blanda Johan Duvenhage Lyndell Murray

Show notes

From the Facebook post

Lyndell’s taken Long Service Leave, so Alison from across the ditch jumps in to help TOC. We reflect on streaky September and parkruns opening and closing.

We have roving reports from Moussette (opens in a new tab) in Canada, Gloucester District (opens in a new tab) in New South Wales, Farfalle (opens in a new tab) in Italy and Dorothy Nyembe (opens in a new tab) parkrun in South Africa and Johan has a chat to PSH.

Dazza serves a Better British Breakfast, the launches are back in full swing, and Christmas Planning begins.

From the podcast feed

Lyndell’s taken Long Service Leave, so Alison from across the ditch jumps in to help TOC. We reflect on streaky September and parkruns opening and closing. We have roving reports from Moussette (opens in a new tab) in Canada, Gloucester District (opens in a new tab) in New South Wales, Farfalle (opens in a new tab) in Italy and Dorothy Nyembe (opens in a new tab) in South Africa and Johan has a chat to PSH. Dazza serves a Better British Breakfast, the launches are back in full swing, and Christmas Planning begins.

Roving reports

1Moussette2Gloucester District3Farfalle4Dorothy Nyembe

In this episode

• Welcome starts at 0:19

  TOC hosts from Bunurong Country with guest co-host Alison from Ngongotahā, Rotorua (home parkrun Puarenga), standing in while Lyndell is in Hong Kong for world-level triathlon officiating re-accreditation. Alison has had four straight home-parkrun weeks; TOC recaps a return to McIvor Creek Trail in Heathcote to regain statesman status (Brendan Peel, Jodi, Jo Taylor and Scotty there), repeat visits to Koonwarra and The Phar Lap Track, and a tourist streak reaching 25 before breaking it at Inverloch. Alison's year has included Japan with Roberta and Singapore with Helen and VKP.

• Listener Feedback starts at 5:33

  Feedback on Simon and Sarah's interview with the Office Lady: Michael Lyttle, back from a few weeks in Perth meeting the Western Australian adventurers, thanks the show for four mentions in two pods, TOC updates him to five in three; Yvette Turner and Gabby Wade. Peter Pohlman's reply to Ali Sheppard listing the all-beach, all-year parkruns (Portrush, The Beaches, Inch Beach, Melkbosstrand, Hafan Pwllheli, Narin Beach, Great Yarmouth North Beach, Laytown Beach, plus Burrum Heads, Big Bay and the closed Strand Beach); Inch Beach parkrun's thank-you reply, The Beaches' hashtag reply, and Ryan the running guy's pirate video with a tot of rum.

• parkrun news bulletin starts at 9:13

  Streaky September reflections: TOC completed the month (about 2,950 streak days) and loved the Bingoe card from the Office Lady and Pippa the Streakmeister; Alison logged every day and is on a 36-day streak. Berlin Marathon weekend: only Tempelhofer Feld parkrun went ahead, with 886 finishers and 80 volunteers. Ocean View parkrun (Queensland, private land) closed after 379 events; Nathan Road relaunched under a new name. Christmas planning: events have until 11 December to declare, so don't pressure them; Puarenga will roster Christmas and Boxing Day, Inverloch skips New Year's Day. Nicola Forward (With Me Now) hits the new official 800 milestone at Druridge Bay. Alison explains parkrun New Zealand's growth and funding: 10 launches this year, 77 events heading for 100, new territory manager Jane (Wanaka), APAC absorbing start-up costs since 2019, and from 1 August new events having to raise the $10,000 start-up fee themselves. The Tauawhitia Trust, set up earlier by three parkrunners and holding New Zealand charitable status, gives them a way to do that without the event handling money.

• Watching the numbers starts at 27:11

  New Zealand stats for 26 September (73 events, 11,240 parkrunners, 1,196 volunteers; Raumanga Stream record of 200; Hagley 707 biggest, Lost Lagoon and East Otago High School smallest with 26) and 3 October (a record 77 events, 12,041 finishers, 1,249 volunteers; Hagley 604, Hobsonville Point 359; Hamilton Park in Gore and East Otago High School smallest with 21). Australian stats: 26 September 84,061 participants at 541 events, records at Oaklands Estate Reserve and Old Golf Course, Narrogin; 3 October 77,126 parkrunners at 525 events, 3,375 first timers, six records (Grafton, Jubilee Tenterfield, Kingston Park, Glenoma, Moot Yang Gunya Swamp, Old Golf Course), five junior events; smallest Puckapunyal, largest The Ponds (859) then Endeavour (826).

• Roving reports & the Channel 5 News crew starts at 33:44

  Four reports: Eman Vergara at Moussette parkrun in Canada with Dominique (co-ED and Quebec territory manager) on parkrun Canada's 10th anniversary; Lyndell Murray at Gloucester District parkrun, NSW, with Run Director Tracey, who PB'd; Eva Blanda at Farfalle parkrun in Italy with Event Director Andrea; and Johan Duvenhage at Dorothy Nyembe parkrun in Soweto with first finisher Tebogo, Gill Fordyce on her 600th, and parkrun founder Paul Sinton-Hewitt. TOC and Alison then share tips for submitting a roving report (phone voice memo, one take, done is better than perfect).

• Dazza's starts at 54:40

  Better Breakfast Day (26 September): Victoria Knight Phillips at Huddersfield with Jill and Paul from Victoria (Rokeby Rail Trail team); Ian and Suzanne Brown at Jeune Park; Ian and Lidia Knox at Casula Parklands with Tracey Wood and Ingrid and Paris; Val and Steve Warwick's frond at Bells Parade with Amanda Lake; Tara Behrmann Wakefield at Warwick with Abi Archer from Warwick Racecourse UK; Bill Barker and Leanne at Goulburn recruiting romance novelist Kim McGillion. Buy British Day (3 October): Heather Hunter at Yodogawa kasenkoen Hirakata chiku in Japan (bumping into TOC's neighbours Bill and Louisa); Brett Bailey's wet one at Pegasus; Adrian Luscombe's Irish breakfast at Strokestown; Anne Fry's 111th location at Broken Hill Racecourse; Monty Slade at Severn Bridge with Earl Grey and a crumpet.

• the Obi Award — Victoria Knight Phillips starts at 1:04:17

  The Obi envelope crosses the ditch to Alison; the Obi goes to VKP (Victoria Knight Phillips) for transcontinental relationship building.

• Emails starts at 1:04:59

  No emails this fortnight.

• Club Corner starts at 1:05:06

  Reginald Yardley Pomphrey III gets back to Australian roots with a parody of Geoff Mack's "I've Been Everywhere" naming 71 Australian parkruns, and notes parkrun now hosts renamed non-milestone clubs officially in its app, with Australian event profiles promised for future Club Corners. TOC counts having been to 26 of the 71 and challenges listeners to tally theirs; Alison notes Inverloch was the most important in the list.

• Consolidated Club Report starts at 1:09:05

  26 September: 695 of 985 members at 364 locations in 13 countries (NSW 64, QLD 60, VIC 55, WA 23, SA 17, TAS 8, ACT 5, NT 2, North Island 7, South Island 3; UK 87, South Africa 15, Germany 5, Poland 3, and more). 3 October: 698 of 985 at 373 locations in 15 countries (NSW 59, VIC 56, QLD 55, SA and WA 20, TAS 9, ACT 6, NT 3, North Island 5, South Island 4; UK 96, South Africa 12, Germany 5, Poland and USA 4, Ireland, Japan and Netherlands 3, Italy 2, Austria, Denmark, Malaysia and Singapore 1). Club membership at 985, 15 to go to 1,000.

• the Frond starts at 1:11:49

  Largest international fronds: 11 at Brickfields Park, UK (26 September) and nine at Tempelhofer Feld, Germany; 14 at Jeskyns Community Woodland, UK (3 October). Bushy pilgrimage: Adrian Luscombe, then Gary Derwent, Andrew and Eva Blanda. Largest Aussie fronds: nine at Shellharbour (including Ollie Spake) and seven at Darwin on 26 September; 22 at the Endeavour launch and seven at Ulladulla (as heard) on 3 October.

• Launches and anniversaries starts at 1:14:49"Where is the cake?"

  26 September: Moot Yang Gunya Swamp (near Bordertown, SA; 58 finishers, 26 first-timers), Cockington Court near Torquay UK (382) and Chesterford Research Park south of Cambridge (383, stingray-shaped course). 3 October, six launches: Endeavour parkrun in Brisbane, the rebirth of Nathan Road, with 826 finishers, an Australian launch record and 16th largest globally; Sunnynook in Auckland (154); PARK21 near Schiphol in the Netherlands (102); Queen Elizabeth parkrun, Kapiti Coast, 246, dune course; North Farm, south of London and north of Worthing (363 participants but only one first-ever parkrunner, which TOC singles out); and Brimstage, which Alison places in the Liverpool area (422, giraffe-shaped course). More New Zealand launches to come, including one on Labour Weekend.

• Sign-off starts at 1:22:19

  Looking ahead: TOC's traditional O'Connell New Year road trip of about 3,000 km to Forster and Fingal Bay, then Reddall Reserve in Shellharbour; Alison will see TOC at Kirra parkrun for the Ambassadors Conference in November, then Ōamaru Public Gardens with parkrun bestie Maria, and eyes Ōroua River Walkway in Feilding. Next parkrun day: Alison to Sunnynook on Auckland's North Shore (event two) then a pipe band concert in Hamilton; TOC on the stump as RD at Inverloch, hosting Chris and Karen Gore from WA. Thanks to the Office Lady, the editor and Reginald; contact details; Sarah and Simon host next time.