Episode 89

Episode details · 321 speaker turns · sound cues from context

00:00:10Scott Trickett: I'm in the mood to talk parkrun, Mel.

00:00:12Melissa Erbacher: That's pretty convenient, Scotty. I think there's some people out there in the mood to listen about us talking about parkrun.

00:00:19Scott Trickett: Let's do it for the next hour and a bit on episode 89 of the parkrun Adventurers. I've had... So, Melbourne... have this ridiculous public holiday. Every year, most of you will know about it, the Melbourne Cup happens first Tuesday of every November. But only in Melbourne do we get the lucky honour to have the day off work, which I use to my advantage to completely ignore the Melbourne Cup and partake in some parkrun trialling of a new event coming to Melbourne.

00:00:56Melissa Erbacher: Ooh. More details, please.

00:00:58Scott Trickett: Well, what better way to have a midweek... See, Tuesday's a funny day to have a public holiday off anyway. I think businesses hate it because most people take Monday off as well. So we've got this four-day weekend in November. But... I took advantage to trial a new event coming to the suburbs, southeastern suburbs, eastern suburbs of Melbourne with a bunch of my Westerfaldian buddies, and it's a cracker. I'm telling you, Mel, it's nice.

00:01:33Melissa Erbacher: Where is it? Did the trial go well?

00:01:37Scott Trickett: The trial went fantastic. Ticked every box. I can't give too much away because it's not official.

00:01:44Melissa Erbacher: Oh, so why are you talking about it then?

00:01:47Scott Trickett: I'm just teasing. I'm just teasing. So the alphabet tears people, they'll love it because there's a new letter coming. It's not an X or a Z or anything, but it's a new letter for Melbourne, which is exciting for us. But it was also great to do parkrun on a Tuesday. It was good fun.

00:02:07Melissa Erbacher: Is it going to mess you up for the rest of the week, do you reckon?

00:02:09Scott Trickett: No, I don't think so. I don't think so because – I like parkrun, Mel. If I could, I'd parkrun every day.

00:02:17Melissa Erbacher: I know, but isn't it just like that little period at Christmas where you can do five in a week and you lose track of what day it is because all of a sudden more days out of not are parkrun days?

00:02:31Scott Trickett: But that's the best time of year.

00:02:32Melissa Erbacher: It's a good thing, but you just still lose the days of the week, or at least I do.

00:02:38Scott Trickett: See, I see that as a good thing. If you completely lose track of where you are in life, that says you're having fun. You're off the charts.

00:02:45Melissa Erbacher: It's like you're being on holidays. You're not watching the clock. This is all a good point.

00:02:50Scott Trickett: So it got me excited. It got me excited. And so I've started planning the rest of my year. Now, there's a certain level of sadness. I don't know. Most people listening to the podcast are with me in this level of sadness. I've now got a diary of where I'm going for the rest of the year.

00:03:07Melissa Erbacher: That's not a sad thing unless, you know, you're being forced to go places you don't want to go. Do you mean it's sad because you've taken the spontaneity out of this weekend where will I go and the excitement of that kind of adventure or talk me through the sadness?

00:03:23Scott Trickett: Some people would view it as being sad that they're documenting every step of their parkrun journey. I don't know. I don't know where sadness is coming from but What it illustrates is that I'm really looking forward to the rest of the year. There's not many weeks left of 2017. There's not many weeks left until I get to my 50th event. So that's where I was going.

00:03:49Melissa Erbacher: Can you tell me, is it going to happen in November or is it going to happen in December? Because I also have been planning my adventures for the rest of the year and I have a good idea when my 50th is going to happen. But chances are it's not going to happen the same time as yours or even in front of yours if yours is going to happen in November.

00:04:10Scott Trickett: Well, it's very fluid. My calendar is very fluid. So I can't comment. It might not even happen this year.

00:04:17Melissa Erbacher: That doesn't make any sense.

00:04:19Scott Trickett: I've got three to go to get there.

00:04:22Melissa Erbacher: I know. And there's how many weeks left? There's like eight. Yeah. You're not making good conversation here because you're not giving anything away. You're just doing that whole tease thing.

00:04:33Scott Trickett: First time in my life. People want details.

00:04:35Melissa Erbacher: You know, sometimes adventurers, if you're going out to different places, they might want to know where you're going to be on any given date so that they can also join you. They might want to introduce themselves, tell you they hate your podcast. That'd be awesome.

00:04:47Scott Trickett: That'd be awesome. I'm still quite anonymous when I go to park ride.

00:04:52Melissa Erbacher: For now.

00:04:53Scott Trickett: I think for a long time. But I'd love more of our listeners to come up and say, Hi, Scott. Listen to the podcast. You could do better.

00:05:01Melissa Erbacher: Yes.

00:05:02Scott Trickett: Mel's awesome.

00:05:05Melissa Erbacher: My most recent experience with podcast fame was when I introduced myself to someone and they were actually a mutual friend. And I said, oh, well, yeah, I actually do a podcast with Scotty. And they said, oh, you're that Mel. And it's like, oh, okay. I don't know whether or not that Mel is a good thing or not a good thing, but… Yeah.

00:05:29Scott Trickett: Podcast fame. So coming up in this episode, we've got the most famous parkrunner. Behind PSH, I reckon. If I said to you, Mel, give me a parkrun celebrity, who would you come up with?

00:05:42Melissa Erbacher: It would have to be this guy. Definitely. Definitely.

00:05:55Scott Trickett: I'm all about top fives lately, and our next guest, I reckon, is in our top five past interviews on the parkrun Adventures. There he is. You can hear him. Welcome back, Danny Norman. Hi, guys. Hi there.

00:06:11Danny Norman: How are you doing?

00:06:13Scott Trickett: We're good. We're good. You know the reason why I like you? I mean, I like chatting to you, Danny, but also you bring the numbers. You bring the people. Your episode, Nicola's episode, one of our most popular episodes.

00:06:26Danny Norman: How does that make you feel? Well, yeah. How does it make you feel? I mean, I'm surprised. I'll be perfectly honest with you. I mean, I distinctly remember that. I mean, it's humbling and it's surprising. But it's like you said, and I know when you had Nicola on and I looked at the iTunes charts for you guys. And it shows a popularity thing. And I had a look at the charts as well, like having Nicola and me on there. And it's great. And it's great that we can bring the audience to you as well. I mean, I love the fact that we could bring that audience to you guys because you very much deserve it. So, yeah, top five. In that top five, though, where do I stand in comparison to Nicola?

00:07:05Melissa Erbacher: He's asking us the hard-hitting questions. See, this is what happens when you get a former podcaster on the podcast.

00:07:13Unidentified speaker: Yeah.

00:07:15Scott Trickett: This week, Danny, I think you're just nudging your head at Nicola.

00:07:17Danny Norman: Oh, that's a very diplomatic answer. I like that. Well done.

00:07:22Scott Trickett: My memory's a bit foggy, so next week if Nicola's on, she might nudge her head.

00:07:27Danny Norman: Yeah, fair enough. I understand that perfectly. Okay.

00:07:31Scott Trickett: You've just had a great adventure. You went over to the US of A. First time over there. parkrunning, I imagine.

00:07:38Danny Norman: Yep.

00:07:39Scott Trickett: Yeah, absolutely.

00:07:41Danny Norman: Okay. Uh, so yeah, that was a bit out of the blue in terms of my, me getting over there. Um, try and cut a very long story short. So again, it's all tying in with the podcast really in the parkrun show and everything. Um, that, uh, one of our, I mean, one of our core listeners, he was this guy called Chris Schofield and he loved the podcast and he, offered lots of assistance. He helped us technically in lots of different ways. And, um, I dare I say that I think it helped him, um, parkrun and the podcast helped him at a tricky time in his life. So he always associated the two things in terms of helping him, uh, feel better in the community sense sort of things. And, um, so I got to know Chris via the parkrun show and obviously going to a couple of parkruns and, um, And Silverton Junior parkrun, which we'll probably speak about later on. And he brought his son Liam to that as well. So we've always had this connection. And Chris flies a lot. He's done a lot of work for Apple in the past, which ties into the San Francisco journey. So he's worked for Apple in the past. He's been out there to San Jose quite a bit. And now he has an app, which is called MyFlights, and it monitors bookings of flights. And so he has to fly all over the place. And we were at a wedding for a lady called Gemma Brearley, another big podcaster. It's all very much this big sort of community thing. And he asked, where would I like to parkrun? It was just a throwaway comment. Where would I like to parkrun? Anywhere in the world. Of course, there are 101 different places. And so I kind of assumed what he was trying to say, what he was hinting at. I had an inkling he may sort of suggest something. Anyway, so it got bandied around. Obviously, you have places with iconic locations like Crissy Field because it is in the shadow of the Golden Gate Bridge. Anyway, fast forward to July after the wedding. It was a couple of months before that. And it was my birthday, and unfortunately, in the year and two months that I've spoken to you guys, hasn't been brilliant in my personal life. I've had a bit of a blip, a down point, depression. I mean, I'll be honest with it all. And I had a pretty bad, my birthday wasn't a great period in my life. Anyway, I said, Chris dropped us a message and said, look, would you like to come along to San Francisco and do Chrissy Field parkrun? And just as a gift. Now, All the flying that he's done, he's racked up so many points. So it wasn't going to cost him anything. I mean, the flights were free. And you don't turn the opportunity down. It was an amazingly gracious gift. And I don't know how, if or ever I'm going to be able to repay it. But would you like to come and do Crissy Field Park around San Francisco? I don't think there's a person on the planet who would say, nah, no thanks. So that's kind of in a nutshell in the way that I got to go out there to go and do it. And like I say, that was coming up to a week and a half ago and an amazing experience, amazing experience. And I'm very, very lucky to have gone and done it.

00:11:07Melissa Erbacher: Danny, I do want to ask you what you thought of the event and things like that. But first, you mentioned, you know, you've had a bit of a year. But things like this, this amazing gift that has been given to you, and it has obviously been given to you as a result of everything that you have given to parkrun and to the listeners of the podcast. How does that make you feel?

00:11:36Danny Norman: That's a really, really good question in terms of how deep do I go, because how do you perceive yourself? So it's when people are offering you these things, you're kind of like, why? And they try to say to you, thank you for doing what you did, but I don't feel like I've done anything. And I know it sounds really silly, because even when the last parkrun I went to just this weekend, I went up to specifically and I'd been asked to go there for years and years and years and it's like that people wanting you to be there or wanting to do something for you for what you've done. But I don't know what I've done and I'm not just saying that to pay lip service, I'm just like I did something that I wanted to do and I enjoyed and that people are still grateful for that. I mean, the description of it, yeah, it's pretty good.

00:12:33Melissa Erbacher: I'm great with words.

00:12:35Danny Norman: That's a great description. Great onomatopoeia. You have, I think, certainly as well, I mean, I have that feeling of what parkrun means, and I try not to sound evangelical. I mean, you're going about parkrunning all the time, and you just sound like you're throwing the word out there all the time. But I wouldn't have run at all for months had it not been for that one. weekly run I mean there was times where I just got out and I did it and even if it was for three miles it's that linchpin it's that thing that just keeps you ticking over it and it's not about the run as well it's about having that connection the excitement that I will bounce out of bed and go off touring somewhere and I would go and say hello to people or teams or meet people that have asked me to go there and having that connectivity so when people do offer these things and say, thank you. And I get communication still to this day. I mean, this may come into conversation later on about the park. I want to bring it back. How does it make me feel? It makes me feel very humble, but at the same point, I always find it hard to understand not in a bad way. It's just that I know that they appreciate the content creation, but it's something that I really enjoy doing. So I think it's a case I'm receiving praise for something that I, I would have liked to have done anyway. So if that kind of makes sense as to why I kind of like, I don't see it as what I've given is something I would have done. So it's kind of hard to describe in a way, but yeah, like I say, very good question with a very existential answer, I guess.

00:14:11Scott Trickett: I think it's understandable, Danny. I think people just love parkrun. The three of us all love parkrun so much. And because there's PSH, he started it, I think people just want to thank people that were involved in getting it up and going. And even though, as you say, you don't know what you did, you talk about it. And people just want to talk about things they love. So I think that's what you did. You created this vehicle for people to talk about things that they want to talk about.

00:14:38Danny Norman: Yeah, I mean, I think Peter Jacobs is a great example in terms of he's a shining example of how people will say thank you for bringing to us what you did and giving us this thing, whereas it's circumstantial in a way. It's a case of like, I guess he sees it. He always seems to come across as a bit uncomfortable with this praise. He's got better at it over the years in terms of being able to accept it, meaning that, again, he's never seen it as something that he did specifically as a long-term goal to get all these thousands of people thanking him. He just did it because he was in that particular place at that time and the circumstances brought him to go ahead and bring this run into Bushy Park and it's grown into what it's become. And I guess people associate me a little bit on, I guess, with the podcast or other bits that I've done with that thing, that community knitting, that kind of like people being able to see the podcast and have this, be it the lexicon and the language and having that familiarity and and bringing them a resource about their interest. And yeah, that's what I think where it comes down to. Again, that's what I mean by circumstances that I just happen to be in the right place at the right time and fortunate enough to have a passion and interest and then be able to express that out, communicate that. And then people go, thank you very much for expressing that or your opinions or your feelings. and informing us and giving us that position to understand parkrun or the ethos or the history. So I guess that's where a lot of it comes from.

00:16:12Scott Trickett: So going back to your meh year, you were still continuing to go to parkrun every week.

00:16:19Danny Norman: Yeah.

00:16:20Scott Trickett: How was that? Obviously, it was a good ritual for you and you weren't going to miss it. But did you still look forward to it as much as you had previously?

00:16:29Danny Norman: Absolutely. Yeah, I mean... Oh, how do I say it without getting dark? I mean, it would be too much of a stretch to say life-saving, but in terms of that, yeah. I mean, like I said, I got into a pretty dark place and just having that shining light, just having that thing to latch on to, that thing to look forward to, that thing, that's the thing. I think in hindsight, if I didn't have something that I got so excited about doing, that guarantee of being there, just being able to be a part of that. If a week was a monotony, it could have been dark. But parkrun allowed me just to be excited for a morning. And because of the obsession that I have with it, for the compulsion I have to do them, it just kept me looking forward. So I think that's what it brings. And I think it does that for a lot of other people too. I know it does that for a lot of other people too. And that's why I have a lot of appreciation for it. And it's pretty much the most open I've been about these feelings about it publicly as well. So yeah, I'm a little uncomfortable talking about it, but I'm honest and open about it too.

00:17:44Scott Trickett: Oh, we love it that you're sharing it with us. And I think it's important to share with us because I've had some crap weeks lately too. I've had some good ones, but I'm with you. You're just sort of looking forward. You're just trying to get to Saturday because you know everything's going to be right on Saturday morning because, you know, as we know, familiarity, all your friends are going to be there. It is. It's parkrun. It's great.

00:18:08Danny Norman: Yeah, absolutely.

00:18:09Tony O'Connell: Yeah.

00:18:10Danny Norman: That's what I think it is in a nutshell. It's hard to describe it. tell people what is parkrun it's a three weekly time 5k but it's more than that it's it's about the psychology it's about the little nuances and the elements that that mean different things to different people and like i said you can't describe it all because like i say it just it's encapsulated in a wider field in a wider scope and like i say that's why people love it so much

00:18:35Melissa Erbacher: Danny, we have been having a little bit of fun with Strava heat maps of late and you have this wonderful map that you do yourself of the parkruns that you've done and you sort of highlight them in a different colour to the ones that you haven't done. And if you look around where you live, it's just this massive cluster. I mean, obviously you're extremely lucky to have such close access to so many events. But what is the closest event to you at this stage? How far away is it?

00:19:05Danny Norman: The nearest event not yet done. Or am I right in saying it's the nearest event not done yet?

00:19:11Melissa Erbacher: Yes, because we like Nendi. It's so much easier to say than Nenid.

00:19:15Danny Norman: Yeah, we have Nenid and you have Nendi. Yeah, I was discussing this the other day. Yeah, absolutely. So the nearest, I love this in terms of relative distances. So my nearest one is a whopping in Australian terms of a whopping being sarcastic. So in UK terms a whopping, um, 80 miles away. Um, whereas I think that's pretty, that's, that's, um, that is piddly in Australian terms really, isn't it? Um, but within that 80, so the nearest event being Corby, which is in the Midlands of England is 80 miles north of where I am. Um, that's my nearest event, not, um, sorry, my nearest event, not done yet. And, That will take me a couple of hours to drive there over morning. But within that scope, within that range, I think a very rough estimate I've done, I have 200 events in that area to have done. So like you said, being very, very fortunate to have such a massive cluster in a relatively tight area. Yeah, no, I'm extremely fortunate. I'm very aware of that too.

00:20:28Melissa Erbacher: Yeah, we would have a lot of runners that would just be absolutely salivating at the prospect of four years worth of parkruns within a relatively easy drive. So do you ever double up on events these days or you just don't even bother?

00:20:45Danny Norman: I try not to. I've really gone at it. So the last time I spoke to you guys I was coming up to my 500s and I have had a look at my stats and my data and my information since I spoke to you and I had a flick through and I ran down of the events I've been to. I have my own, I think it's more of a case of I have my own little personal goal at the moment is to get to 250 different events. So when I say I don't like doubling up, I mean that in a sense I prefer to just, again, this obsessive compulsion to get to this arbitrary number and tick it off is what my goal is at the moment. I'm more than willing and happy to have done so. I've done that for a couple of reasons, be it to go see my parents at Hatfield for Christmas and a couple of other reasons that I won't go into because it's other people's personal matters. I think somebody did a chart on the Facebook tourist group. We have a UK tourist group and they said that I was the most frequent person who's doubled up on events. So that was more of the fact that I've been going around with my chauffeur, as it were, Steve Ramek and Libby, who I'm no longer with at the moment. Sorry, no longer with going forward at all. Sorry, I'm clustering now. Yeah, so I used to go and do double up on events because those guys hadn't done it just yet. So I would go around and do that. But at the moment, I'm just absolutely focused and fixated on going to events that I haven't done yet and ones that are asking me to go there. I've got a lot of events that have been asking me to go there for a long time and I'm trying to get that done too.

00:22:31Scott Trickett: Let's go back to Crissy Field. How did you find it? I saw your video. It was a bit foggy so you didn't get to see the bridge. How does an American parkrun compare to what you used to?

00:22:43Danny Norman: It's really hard not to go into the event without having preconceptions. So it's like if you have a movie that is spoken about before you get to see it, you kind of get a general feel for it. I think Chrissie Field had that too, that I really tried not to have too much impressions put on me so I could go there and I could create my own impressions of it. So I don't know how indicative of an American event it would be. I mean, would it be the same as, say, an East Coast one? It was certainly different. So like you said, the video, it was foggy. Luckily the previous day was really sunny and I happened to cycle across the Golden Gate so I've got all the general lovely shots and had that all done but it was unfortunate that it wasn't really visible on that Saturday morning. So getting there, aesthetically fantastic of course, even the location itself minus the fog. I did happen to catch it on a particularly unusual day as well. It's like going to an inaugural event in the UK, especially where you don't really get a true feel for the general event week to week because it's a bit more of an occasion. And because there was a group from the Run Better for Oakland organised, a non-profit organisation or charity is one of the two, they brought down 120, 130 additional people, I think. So they doubled the usual numbers. So the event team were very much, um, trying to manage that as well. So my impression on the event was always going to be slightly, um, not sway, certainly, uh, certainly colored in a good way and a yellow and blue way. Cause that's the colors they wore with those guys going on. So I wasn't having, um, an average crazy field experience, if that makes sense. Um, but going there, I had previous, um, information i knew that that the no barcode there was a saying of a no barcode no um no worries i think it was in terms of that they're not as stringent as we are in the uk about it um they don't want people to have bad experiences i'm in two minds about that personally because i think that if you're going to go to san francisco parkrun you take as many measures as possible to remember your barcode i mean The first thing that I put on my wrist before I got on the plane, well, my journey to the plane to fly out there was my barcode. In short, I had about three different copies. So I think if you know you're going to go there, you're making those to remember it. Anyway, that's just my opinion. But the event, it's the same but different, like with anywhere. They've pretty much implanted parkrun there. It's a busy area, but it wasn't as busy as of what I've heard. There are other park users, plenty of other people that could be there. There's a lot of expat Brits there, so it doesn't quite have that entire American flavor, if that makes sense, but it's still highly influenced by British people, not necessarily people who've done parkrun over here and they've gone over there. A lot of them have found out about parkrun and just happened to go into it while living out in San Francisco. there's that kind of connection. Maybe the, I think I said in the video that the British have this, I don't know, maybe this radar about three weekly 5k runs and they get, they get into them. So I really, I really enjoyed it. I mean, I really, I was very, very excited and it lived up to all the excitement and expectation. And it was a very busy morning, but it was very energetic and it was a, it was a, I think it was like the 13th anniversary that I was at Upton House when PSH was there, Paul Stinton Hewitt, sorry, that it just had that buzz about it and that just made it a little bit extra special.

00:26:48Melissa Erbacher: Did you wear your magic blue T-shirt? Hmm.

00:26:54Danny Norman: Yes. Yeah. Yeah. And that's interesting to wear that too because, yeah, I'm proud of it. And at the same point, I don't try and make a big deal of it. So people are like, well, why are you wearing it if you don't want to bring attention to yourself? But it's like no different to a 50 or a 100 or a T50. Yes, I did. And you get asked. You get asked because, of course, people notice and recognise it. And because it is rare, they want to see it, photograph it. And so I got brought up onto this concrete sort of plinth thing and They said, here's Danny from the UK. He's done 500 parkruns. Here's his t-shirt. But because a lot of them are first timers, they had absolutely no idea, no concept of what the t-shirt represented. So I did feel a bit of a, a bit of a, well, I felt embarrassed, to put it slightly.

00:27:49Melissa Erbacher: We've got half a dozen odd 250 shirts going around in Australia. And the first one that I saw in the fabric, I actually asked if I could touch. Do you get asked a lot by people if they can touch you?

00:28:02Danny Norman: Yes. Yeah, but I do. And this is the thing. I'm very conscious and aware that if you look at my Twitter feed or my Facebook profile, It would seem that I go around to all these events, and if you could easily assume that I'm going up to people going, look at my T-shirt, and please, please, look at me and all this attention. And I don't. I do go there. I do wear the 500T, but I do not proclaim it. But people notice it. And, of course, what other people end up doing is they say, please, can we have a photograph? Can we have a photograph of it? And half the time it's of my best side, which is my backside. And so, of course, I end up having these shots where it looks like I'm standing there having a little bit of a wee because I'm standing there basically having to show off my shoulder blades. And so just this week, just this week at Bruton up in Birmingham, I was there and there was a regular parkrun show listener and I watched what he was doing. He wasn't telling me, but I could see what he was doing and I could see him collecting all the T-shirt, milestone T-shirt people. And he's getting a 10, he's getting a 50, he's getting a 250, and he got an apricot, and he got a volunteer 25. And then he asks, can you line up and have the photograph taken? And you have the photograph taken, and then that's used as a profile pic and used on the Bruton Facebook page and everything. And it's not something that I did. I didn't engage it. I didn't sort it. It's what naturally happens. People do. They get excited by seeing this rare item. And they do. I have been touched a few times by people who say, please, can I touch it? And, yeah, it's not that an irregular occurrence. But I also just want to make sure that I don't seek out that attention. There you go. Just in case people think I'm a bit of an egomaniac.

00:29:51Melissa Erbacher: Well, it is a bit like, you know, having a unicorn come to parkrun for a lot of places, I imagine. Yeah. Do you ever just get really tempted when people ask to say, look, sorry, no, no photos. Thank you. Just so they can go, oh, yeah, he's that guy in the blue shirt. He's such a prat, wouldn't even let me take a photo of him.

00:30:14Danny Norman: No, I'm too sensitive a soul deep down. No, I very much like to remind myself if people are going to come over and ask you, they're sensitive about asking about it. And I will forever always say, absolutely, I will bend over backwards if they want to touch it, speak about it, have a photograph taken with it. No, I am absolutely all for it no matter what.

00:30:39Scott Trickett: Now, Danny, there's so many places we can go. I want to talk about the parkrun Show podcast and the chance of it coming back. I think what we've started down here is very much for the Australian audience and obviously the UK people are craving out for something similar. Where are you at? Is there any chance that it might come back or what are you thinking?

00:31:04Danny Norman: yeah good question um there's always a chance and i i tweeted it i tweeted something to that effect uh three weeks ago i think it was and it's easily the most liked tweet that i've had on my public account and my public twitter account and um and that tells you something so that shows you that there is a desire there um At my running club, I've got to know, I've got to become close with a few new people and I adore them. They've been very supportive in my times and they've started listening to the podcast and they love it. And I'm not just saying that, but they love it. They've been listening to it and they've been able to go back and listen to it as a resource and they've enjoyed listening to it and they're very positive about it. And they're being genuine. Again, they're not just paying me lip service. So they are saying, do. And a lot of people will end up saying, please. And I'll be perfectly honest with you that I have had conversations with Global, parkrun Global. There have been conversations. They came to me and they said, would you do it again? And And I've had a meeting, I've had a conversation, but we are currently at a position where there's not really an agreement as to a resource available and my ability to produce what they would like. So it's very much there. It's there like a pulsing light in the back of my brain going, bring it back now it doesn't need to be officially brought back that's the thing it was always going to be an unofficial official thing so it would be a case of parkrun which were with hopefully lending my my experience an authority of voice having that experience and authority of opinion and weight of message it would carry but at the same point it could also be independent So that's the thing. I think that might be wiser and smarter to go about it, be independent, bring it back in that form. The amount of time that goes into it, so you'd end up having to balance cost and value. And then, like I say, expanding it beyond that, it wouldn't just be the podcast. It would have to be a bit beyond that as well. I mean, I very much think that YouTube is a, an avenue to go down nowadays, as well as additional, any media, any interests, any core specific interests. As we go along, people focus a lot more on their core interests now across a lot of media and they have the option and choices. So I think scheduled radio, television is on the back burner now, print media is out of the way. People are focusing on their core interests and they have the media and the connectivity to do that now. And I think as parkrun keeps growing, There is a burgeoning audience, as well as a core audience from the past that can be fed into. So I'll go in a very, very roundabout way to answer your question. Yes, it could come back. Yes, I am interested. Yes, there have been official communications about it. It's just how I go about pushing that button. So yeah, just keep your ears and eyes open and we'll see.

00:34:38Scott Trickett: Well, that's great news, exciting news. Because one thing, well, a lot has happened since you stopped doing the podcast. And to where we are now, the direction of parkrun is quite different. So you'll have to balance all that out.

00:34:54Danny Norman: Yeah, I think, what was it? I was, the audience, well, the global audience of parkrun as a whole is, what was I saying, 100,000 when it finished and now it's getting up to 250,000. And that is going to start reaching 350, where there's a lot more countries coming online. Because that's the thing. I mean, it would be primarily UK-based, purely from a location point of view. At the same point, because it's online, it's the internet, it means that it has a global reach. And so therefore, it would expand beyond that. And so the audience could be a lot bigger, but also the information pouring in, the expectations, pouring in would also be very different. I think that the topics that would be spoken about or raised potentially could be quite a lot to deal with. I think that also there is a risk as the audience grows that if I express my opinion like I used to do, that there would probably be a bit more ad hominem attacks. I could also be spending a lot more of my time taking a lot more criticism and I have to be really careful about that as how it would affect me mentally. so um there's a lot to evaluate it's not just a matter of sitting down behind a microphone talking about parkrun and going away again it could be that simplified but i don't think anything's ever that simple so um yeah like i think i say things have developed things have changed the audiences have changed i think that certain communications certain groups online are having an effect message that's being passed out there about parkrun um i just think that there is an avenue to try and get a hold of um that that those lines of comms and say look this is misinformation that's incorrect and that's not the reason why and this is the reason why this is the history that's the reason why and people were using having a resource i should go actually do you know what This is the truth, not this supposition you may find online in some throwaway comment on a Facebook group. So, yeah, it's interesting times. It's very interesting times.

00:37:07Melissa Erbacher: I like where you're going with this, Danny, because there are I mean, it's not really parkrun Global's job to step into unofficial discussion forums and things like that and say, well, actually, guys, these whole Chinese whispers and speculations that you're perpetuating here, Not entirely accurate because obviously you don't have the full story and there are a lot of assumptions made. I know there are certain groups online that I cannot read comments and I have to turn away when I see a lot of the original posts because I think, oh, that one's just going to start a whole big argument that's unnecessary. How do you feel about those sorts of forums and do you get involved?

00:37:59Danny Norman: I keep tabs on. So, okay, I'm going to pull the trigger and say the particular one which we are especially referring to, which is a large reach, a relatively large reach. It doesn't reach out to hundreds of thousands, but I think it's about 19,000 people on it. It's the parkrun Discussion Group. And I think that I'm not a member of it, but I go and look in it on occasion. I don't want the notifications spoiling my timeline. And there are a lot of great positive posts on it. Do not get me wrong. There are some fantastic life-affirming stories on that group, and they get a lot of likes and a lot of responses. But at the same point, there is a lot of toxicity, if I can say the word properly. I think there is a lot of misinformation. There is opinion posing as fact. I think that people lend an air of authority to their voice when they don't have that position. And I also think you're completely correct about parkrun Global. They can't address every single thing that's posed they can't address every single question or supposition that's put out there because they would be spending all the time doing it because you get the same things add in for an item rolled out over and over and over again but at the same point they'd also be accused of saying well you're going to have to say that aren't you because of course if you were to ask the ford's motor company is your car great ford is going to go yes it's fantastic But you rely on a motoring journalist like a Top Gear program to come along and go, we're not in the employ of Ford. We think this is our opinion on this particular car. So parkrun is in this very difficult position where they can't address everything thrown their way because they're going to have expectation about addressing that and replying to these particular things. Oh, you're just saying this because. So you want to have a voice that is independent to go, do you know what? actually, I am not in the pocket of, and this is the reason why, this is the opinion why, and I'd like to think that my voice would carry value because I have the knowledge and experience and also the connections, the communication, and also affording a right to reply and also the ability to ask people the truth. And I think there are lots of anecdotes that I can give whereas things have been put out there. And I've read that on this group. And I've gone to the person in particular and go, this is being said, but I don't think this is true. And they've gone, no, it's not true. But I'm not going to address it. I'm not a member of the group. And it goes out there. But then it proliferates a little bit. It spills out a little bit. It just seeps through. And, of course, that myth soon becomes fact. Once it's repeated enough. And I was sat with somebody a few months ago, a lovely lady. And I was chatting away to her. New to parkrun. Loved parkrun. She was so into it. But then she started spitting out a few things, the comments. And I went, you're a member of the discussion group, aren't you? And she went, yeah, I am. She started saying certain things that made me feel just as a little ill as when I read them. And I went, okay, that's not quite right. And I would address it and I would try and speak to her about it and I'd inform her about it. And then she'd go, I didn't know that or I didn't know this. And I could answer the questions she posed and I could change her mind frame purely by giving her correct information. But if this wonderful lady was a great indication or a bad indication, I could say, as to the ill effect that that group can have, then that was it for me. And I'm thinking this is not just her. And that spills out because people start to talk a little bit more. And when these things aren't being addressed, that word of mouth starts to spread a bit further as well. And people's impressions, first impressions of parkrun, they go on there. Actually, I'm not quite sure that this community is for me. And it's bad and it's ill and it makes people who are passionate about the positivity of parkrun feel genuinely a bit sick in the pit of their stomach. And that's my feeling. I do. I actually see that. I think this is bad. It's capped. It is an extreme. It's at the far end of the bell curve. And you're always going to get 10 or 20 of the chieftain voices who are going to be the keyboard warriors who actually go out there and have absolutely everything to say. But they have to try and measure what they really say and how they go about it and how they say certain things. And at the same point, parkrun should never, ever be stuck in an echo chamber. And you don't want that. You don't want to live in an echo chamber because that doesn't help matters to you. You have to be able to take criticism. We need to be able to do it and address it in a particular fashion and manner. And that's why I think there's a massive division. You have this echo chamber. in comparison to this negative toxic group. And there's some space in the middle, there is a balance there to be met in the middle by something. So potentially, that's where my brain is that in terms of where the parkrun show could come back or a form of the parkrun show could come back and be some kind of mediator there. So there's lots again, there's lots of things to think about in that sense.

00:43:04Scott Trickett: The whole time you were talking, I was thinking, we'll just bring back the podcast and all the problems will be solved. You've made another great argument to bring back the podcast.

00:43:13Danny Norman: Yeah. I've just convinced myself, haven't I? Great. Great.

00:43:17Scott Trickett: Well, let's keep going with the interview. We might start the podcast by the end of the interview.

00:43:22Danny Norman: Absolutely. Yeah.

00:43:23Scott Trickett: Last year, I had the pleasure of meeting you in person. I visited Surbiton Junior parkrun, and I still fondly look back on that morning. That was just a great morning. I had so much fun, the joy in the kids, and just me. I just had a really good morning watching Junior parkrun. How's that all going? Still going strong, I hope?

00:43:44Danny Norman: Yeah, no, absolutely. Yeah, absolutely. I think it's been chief in my positivity and outlook on life as well. In terms, not just the Saturday mornings, but I don't race anywhere near as much. My fitness, my ability to run is nowhere near as it used to be a few years ago. I'm not racing on a Sunday morning or going out for long runs on a Sunday morning, but I get up. on a Sunday morning and I get out and I am productive and I am productive in a fashion because of Surbiton Juniors. And I've pretty much been there for as many events as possible throughout its two, how old it now? Two year, two month history. And I remember that morning with you really well, especially too. I mean, it was funny because you didn't let us know that you were coming. And I suddenly saw somebody standing there in a purple volunteer 25 tee and the face was familiar and then suddenly Because I was run director that day, my brain is in run director mode. So I'm thinking like 50 things at once. And then there's, of course, a penny drops. And it's like, oh, it's Scott. And it's like, okay, then. It's like you're not expecting you because you're meant to be the other side of the planet. So it was fantastic to have you, fantastic to host you. The reasoning of you being there as well is to give you a massive insight because, of course, Junior parkrun Australia. And yeah it was great to have you along and uh show you the best that we could in terms of um how parkrun junior parkrun is and how it can be and give you a great insight and give you lots of thoughts to take back um and luckily it was a really sunny day so that helped too so yeah like you say i really enjoyed it and i loved conversing and chatting with you in the coffee uh shop afterwards as well and putting the world bank to the rights i believe

00:45:32Melissa Erbacher: I was very jealous when I heard Scotty had been along to SJP because I'm super keen to get along to a junior parkrun. You mentioned it was key to your positivity, Danny. What drew you to it in the first place?

00:45:49Danny Norman: So I'd always had my hand in junior parkrun in a couple of fashions. So bushy juniors, that's why. It's still an anomaly in terms of it being once a month. So I would hop along and I'd go and volunteer there as much as I could whenever I could. And so I always loved the idea of Junior parkrun. And of course, I felt it had a lot of value to bring. And so I enjoyed that aspect. And then when it was on the cards to bring it forward, now I didn't actually seek it out. It was sought out by the council. They wanted it to happen. So they tasked parkrun with asking people and they asked my running club and people sought out the location. It was Ian Cockrum, Jackie Chang. They found the location and then they proposed. They went, Danny, you would be great to do this. And it was, when did I finish working for parkrun? It was the end of March, April, so May, January. It was two months after I finished working for parkrun. So it was almost this perfect continuation because I'd always said, having finished working for parkrun, that I would then like to move into an ED role or potentially ambassadorial role. So it came around in the right location at the right time, a couple of months after I'd left, just to give myself that little break to then come back into parkrun in a slightly more official capacity as an event director. And I ummed and aahed a little bit and went, yeah, go ahead, I'll do it. And it's one of the best decisions I've made because I absolutely adore it. I love it. It's sustained, it's grown. We've created our own community. We have our regular core volunteers and, like you said, we're putting on this 2K event for juniors and it's full of effervescence and positivity and it lightens up and brightens up your Sunday morning. So, yeah, it's been a great decision. Like I say, right place, right time and, yeah, all the better for it.

00:47:46Melissa Erbacher: We certainly can't wait until we get Junior parkrun in Australia. Now... before we finish up I just want to ask at the risk of you know sounding like we're looking for another invitation if you could now parkrun anywhere in the world money's no object where would it be?

00:48:09Danny Norman: Again absolutely and yes hint hint Australia so there is a particular parkrun that if I was to come to Australia, I mean, it wouldn't just be for one flying, go away again. So if money was no object, it would very much be a case of come to Australia and do a bunch and do as many as you could. Cause obviously you've got 200 plus easily down there, I believe. How many? Nearly 250, I think. Um, so I'd end up having to spend five years, uh, down under to do it. So, um, this is going to sound really silly, but the one that sticks out for me would be Mosman in Sydney. And the reason why it's Mosman in Sydney is that, um, listeners to the parkrun show will remember Steve Darby and I mocked Steve Darby with a broad Yorkshire accent and I would do this on occasion on the podcast and Steve and his girlfriend Hannah now live in New Zealand but they spent some time in Australia and they went to Mosman parkrun and Mosman's a relatively smaller attended parkrun but they turned out on a wet Saturday morning and went to Mosman parkrun And he said that he was Steve Darby. And all of a sudden it was like, you're the Steve Darby. So all of a sudden you had, again, Steve's on the other side of the world, surrounded by this small parkrun community who saw him as some kind of parkrun show deity, this celebrity, as it were. And they were big into it. They were big into the parkrun show and Simon Mackley as well. And so I've got to know people inadvertently via Facebook images. I've never met these people, but I've got to know about them. And so I would feel obliged to have to go and do Muslim parkrun. I've never been to Sydney. I've never been to Australia. I'd love to go there. If I was going to be there, my first parkrun in Sydney would definitely have to be Mosman for that part because I know that the parkrun show means a lot to a lot of their core team and core runners. So that's where I'd go first.

00:50:14Melissa Erbacher: It's funny you say that because Simon Mackley is the person who asked me to ask you that question. So it's almost like he knew.

00:50:22Danny Norman: Serendipity, I believe that's called. Yeah, absolutely. No, I didn't know that. But yeah, I would. I would go there. I would.

00:50:30Scott Trickett: we'd have to make sure we join you, Danny, because have you done Mosman?

00:50:36Melissa Erbacher: I haven't, and it's one of the events that I have promised that I will definitely get to at some point as well. And so that list gets pretty long, as you would know, Danny, the ones that you say, yes, I will come and I will visit. And, yeah, that list does get very long. But Mosman is definitely up there right at the top of that list. So we would love to come along if you manage to make it there too.

00:50:59Danny Norman: Yeah, we'll just wait till I get over there first. All right, okay, cool.

00:51:02Melissa Erbacher: All right, well, that's the excuse I'm going to use next time Simon asks me.

00:51:06Danny Norman: Yeah, wait till then.

00:51:06Melissa Erbacher: Sorry, I've got to wait for Danny.

00:51:09Scott Trickett: Fair enough, cool. Danny, it's been a treat, as I knew it would be. Thanks for coming on and sharing the tales. I mean, we touched on San Francisco, but there's so much more to your story. Thanks again. I think we're going to have you back.

00:51:25Danny Norman: My absolute pleasure. Thank you very much for inviting me. I'm always honoured to be asked.

Madness (parkrun Adventurers quiz)

00:51:35[music]

00:51:35Scott Trickett: Now, we all know what that sound means. Well, most of you should. It's going to be the second edition. of the parkrun adventurers quiz that we call madness and this month it's november madness we're going to welcome back our carryover champ all the way from berwick springs in victoria welcome back melissa ellis hi thank you and challenge that's enough guys and challenging you all the way As you all know, the studio audience is back, so they obviously enjoyed the first edition. And all the way from Sydney, representing New South Wales, is Simon Mackley. Welcome to November Madness, Simon.

00:52:34Simon Mackley: Thanks for having me.

00:52:40[other]

00:52:40Melissa Erbacher: I'm not sure what to make of that sound.

00:52:42Scott Trickett: I think they're shocked that someone from New South Wales has engaged with the parkrun adventurers. I don't know. Do you feel the pressure of maintaining the reputation and status of New South Wales, Simon? No, there's no pressure at all.

00:52:59Melissa Erbacher: I'm going to win. Them's fighting words.

00:53:04Scott Trickett: That's confidence. I love it. Okay, so you know the rules. So the buzzer is your home parkrun. Let's just test that they're working. Ladies first, champions first. Melissa, let's hear your buzzer.

00:53:16Melissa Ellis: Berwick.

00:53:17Scott Trickett: And Simon? Mosman. They're working. Here we go. Question number one. Last week, parkrun registered its four millionth member. Which country does the four millionth member... Mossman. Simon?

00:53:34Simon Mackley: South Africa.

00:53:40Scott Trickett: Correct. One zip.

00:53:44Melissa Erbacher: Okay. That's one to New South Wales. Question number two. In episode 88 of the parkrun Adventurers, Mel was trying to think of a word beginning with C. What was the word? Anyone? Anyone? We've got buzzers. I've forgotten. Okay. It means together with something.

00:54:09Simon Mackley: Collaborate?

00:54:12Melissa Erbacher: No, collaborate is the word I told Scotty. It was not.

00:54:16Scott Trickett: And you didn't, the buzzer, Simon, the buzzer. Oh, sorry.

00:54:21Melissa Erbacher: Oh, no, Melissa's buzzed in. Is it cooperation? No, it is not.

00:54:28Scott Trickett: And sorry for your answer as well, Simon. No. Thanks. See, it wasn't just me, Mel. Nobody knows.

00:54:37Melissa Erbacher: Everybody who was listening knew. Maybe we need to replay that little section and that would make people remember probably what the word was going to be. It's a C word. It means together with. It's in.

00:54:54Simon Mackley: Cooperation. Mosman.

00:54:56Melissa Erbacher: Simon. Simon.

00:55:02Simon Mackley: Cooperation?

00:55:04Melissa Erbacher: Didn't we just say it wasn't cooperation? No, that was collaboration.

00:55:10[other]

00:55:10Scott Trickett: The crowd's turning, honestly.

00:55:14Melissa Erbacher: All right. Maybe we just need to move on to question number three.

00:55:18Scott Trickett: The answer was conjunction. For those playing along at home. Conjunction.

00:55:25Melissa Erbacher: And we also will have Sheridan Laws out there who's listening and she'll be yelling it out again, conjunction, conjunction, because she actually commented on our Facebook page this week telling us what it was.

00:55:37Scott Trickett: Question three. It's a who am I? I am a male Australian parkrunner. I have completed more than 50 official volunteer stints. My parkrun PB is 16 minutes and 36 seconds.

00:55:54Simon Mackley: Mossman.

00:55:56Scott Trickett: Simon.

00:55:58Simon Mackley: Steve Moneghetti.

00:56:04Melissa Erbacher: That was a very long no.

00:56:08Scott Trickett: Okay, now you're out. You're out, Simon. No, no.

00:56:11Melissa Erbacher: No, the rule was last time people can still buzz in if they come up with. That's what we did last time. You can't change the rules from madness to madness. That would be chaos.

00:56:20Scott Trickett: Oh, so just whenever you're ready, Simon, go again. Have another crack. Thanks. Okay. I have completed 236 parkruns worldwide at more than 50 different locations. I often parkrun with my park dog, Bella. I am a member of the Dave's Running Club.

00:56:44Simon Mackley: Mossman.

00:56:46Scott Trickett: Simon. Dave Robbo.

00:56:50Melissa Erbacher: Oh, I was going to ask for more information.

00:56:57Scott Trickett: job okay question number four quick what event update mel quick score update oh okay go for it scotty uh out in front good strong start is simon two mel just just um checking your buzzers working melissa i should say melissa just checking your buzzers working Yes, Berwick, because you haven't scored yet, Melissa.

00:57:21Melissa Erbacher: I know. I'm sorry. I think she might be aware of that, Scotty.

00:57:25Scott Trickett: That's okay. That's my motivational speech.

00:57:29Melissa Erbacher: He's great at pep talks, isn't he? No pressure or anything. Let's get to question number four. What event am I? I launched in Queensland on the 22nd of June, 2013. Each week, I average 60.7 runners and usually have between four and six volunteers. We are one of fewer than 20 events who had a female first finisher at our inaugural event. When it gets very wet, we have to cancel due to flooding. Our biggest ever attendance is 128. We have a sister event in the United Kingdom who shares our name. We make rocks happy. That's a pretty big hint right there, that one. We are located in central Queensland. I've run out of hints, guys. Have we got any guesses?

00:58:27Simon Mackley: Okay, Mossman, Rocks Riverside.

00:58:33Melissa Erbacher: That was a no for Simon's, Rocks Riverside. I got that. In case we needed some clarification. Yes, it's all in the name that we make rocks happy.

00:58:44Scott Trickett: Don't take it literally.

00:58:47Melissa Erbacher: Obviously, the Melissa questions are too difficult this time. I know. What's going on? I've got one more clue. We are a member of the recently announced Prospectors Club.

00:59:04Melissa Ellis: Beric?

00:59:06Melissa Erbacher: Melissa.

00:59:07Melissa Ellis: I'm just going to go with Golden Beach. Oh.

00:59:12Melissa Erbacher: You were close. It started with a G. Okay.

00:59:16Simon Mackley: Oh, I know it.

00:59:17Melissa Erbacher: We're going to call time on this one now.

00:59:19Simon Mackley: Okay.

00:59:21Melissa Erbacher: The answer is Gladstone, Queensland.

00:59:25Melissa Ellis: Oh, Gladstone. Yep.

00:59:29Melissa Erbacher: You shouldn't have listened to Scotty when he said don't take it literally.

00:59:32Scott Trickett: Well, I think rocks. I think they were going for rocks. I didn't get it either, guys, but well done. Well done, Mel, for making questions that no one can answer this time.

00:59:47Melissa Erbacher: I've warned everybody that you don't know where my brain goes. But I believe question five is yours, Scotty.

00:59:54Scott Trickett: It is. And this was our most vague question, so fingers crossed. But for our first episode of 2017, fondly known as episode 51, cast your minds back. What was different about the opening theme music?

01:00:22Melissa Erbacher: because we do expect you guys to know every episode inside and out.

01:00:28Scott Trickett: Mossman? Simon?

01:00:31Simon Mackley: It changed?

01:00:34[laughter]

01:00:34Scott Trickett: LAUGHTER That's not the answer we were looking for, Simon. So, Melissa?

01:00:42Simon Mackley: OK, sure.

01:00:44Melissa Ellis: It changed to 50s music?

01:00:48Scott Trickett: That's also not the answer we were looking for.

01:00:51[laughter]

01:00:51Unidentified speaker: LAUGHTER

01:00:54Scott Trickett: I'll give you a clue. We'll give you a clue for this one. Mel went to fiddle camp over the summer holidays.

01:01:04Melissa Ellis: Beric.

01:01:05Scott Trickett: Melissa.

01:01:06Melissa Ellis: Was it classical music?

01:01:10Scott Trickett: Just checking for clarification, Mel.

01:01:13Melissa Ellis: No, not classical music. No. Beric.

01:01:18Scott Trickett: Melissa.

01:01:20Melissa Ellis: Did Mel play the music? Okay.

01:01:28Melissa Erbacher: I don't think we were wrong in thinking that this one was one of our vaguer questions.

01:01:32Scott Trickett: Okay, I'm calling time on that one too. For a very brief period, one week only, we became known as the Fiddle Adventurers as we introed the program with some fiddle music.

01:01:44Melissa Erbacher: Otherwise known as folk music. If you'd said folk, we would have given it to you. But good efforts, team. You both had a guess. Okay.

01:01:53Scott Trickett: We've got six questions this time. Just a quick score update, Mel.

01:01:59Melissa Erbacher: Well, the score remains two to Simon Mackley. Two out of five. I think that brought me out. For New South Wales.

01:02:09Scott Trickett: I've still got hope. I've still got hope.

01:02:11Melissa Erbacher: No, no. There are still two more questions. We've got question number six to go.

01:02:16Scott Trickett: That's it. It's worth two points. It's worth two points. We forgot to tell you that. Question six is worth two points. A new feature of November madness. Take it away, Mel.

01:02:30Melissa Erbacher: On the 2nd of September 2017, the Australian female record was broken in a time of 15.57 at Newey parkrun. What is the name of the athlete who holds this record?

01:02:44Simon Mackley: Mossman. Simon. I want to say Celia Sullohern.

01:02:48Melissa Erbacher: You do want to say that because that's correct. Where's your little bing, Scotty? It's there.

01:02:58Scott Trickett: Well done, Simon.

01:03:00[applause]

01:03:00Melissa Erbacher: And there's the delayed gratification of the crowd finally cottoning on.

01:03:05Addy: So it looks like we've got a new carryover champion.

01:03:08Simon Mackley: Congratulations, Simon. Thank you. Sorry.

01:03:13Melissa Erbacher: And just quietly, I have to claim this one for Queensland because Simon, has spent many of his formative years in Queensland. So he's officially a Queenslander, despite the fact he resides in New South Wales.

01:03:27Scott Trickett: Unfortunately, just checking the rule book again, Mel, that does not count. So New South Wales... Oh, it's very extensive.

01:03:38Melissa Erbacher: Are you writing it as we go?

01:03:39Scott Trickett: No, it's sitting right next to me here. I will share it with everyone next time I see them. But congratulations. Melissa, thank you very much for participating. You're welcome.

01:03:50Melissa Ellis: It's been fun.

01:03:51Scott Trickett: I was proud of you. Despite your loss this week, I was still proud. I'm sorry, Scott. For the very first champion of our madness quiz, it was from Victoria. So thank you.

01:04:06Melissa Ellis: Thanks for having me, guys.

01:04:09Melissa Erbacher: And congratulations, Simon.

01:04:11Scott Trickett: Thank you.

01:04:13Melissa Erbacher: Way to represent.

01:04:14Scott Trickett: In life moments, Simon. Where would this put it? Top five? Top 50, maybe? I heard top five.

01:04:26Melissa Erbacher: There was certainly a five in that number. Oh, yeah. For sure.

01:04:29Scott Trickett: Well, we're honoured. We're honoured that you think so highly of that. And we hope you can have an enjoyable summer. We probably won't bring it back until 2018. Sure. So enjoy the glory. Talk about it at Christmas.

01:04:46Melissa Erbacher: We'll see who's willing, after the calibre of those questions, who's willing to come and contest your position as carryover champ of the madness.

01:04:56Simon Mackley: Sure.

01:04:59Melissa Erbacher: Thanks so much, guys, for joining us. You've both been super awesome sports.

Roving Adventurers (roving reporter crossovers)

01:05:06Tony O'Connell: Howdy, parkrunners. It's Toc here. I'm reporting in from the Coonoora parkrun launch today where the crowd numbers have certainly built. We've had a fair bit of sunshine. It's been a wonderful day. Really big turnout in a town that's only got a population of 385. It looks like we're going to break 250 for numbers. So I'll wander around and I'll have a talk to a couple of people. I've got Greg and Shirley Dell here with me. They're Inverloch parkrunners. Both of them have run quite a few times, quite a few volunteers between them as well, which is fantastic to see. And I'll just get their thoughts on what the course was like. First of all, Greg, what did you think of the course?

01:05:45Greg Dell: Okay, Toc, thanks for the question, mate. It was a grass course. Nice, soft surface to run on, other than running on concrete. Lovely course, plenty of birds around, a lot of people. Lot of room, nice wide course, very, very scenic. I loved every minute of it. Spot on. And Shirley, what did you think of the course?

01:06:04Shirley Dell: I loved the bridges. That was the highlight, running over them. It's really good.

01:06:10Tony O'Connell: One of the things I want to catch up with you guys about, you've been involved in a run recently, I think it might have been last week, for raising funds for cystic fibrosis called Great Strides. Can you tell me a little bit about the run?

01:06:24Greg Dell: Yeah, well, it was last Sunday, the 29th, and it's an 8K run or walk or a 4K walk, and it's around the Tan, which is a running track around the Royal Botanic Gardens. Oh, how many people do you think are there, Shirley? It'd be 1,000?

01:06:44Shirley Dell: Yep.

01:06:44Greg Dell: Yeah, maybe a thousand people there all doing it. It's all in raising awareness and funds for cystic fibrosis. A very worthwhile cause and very well set out course and organized event. Toc, it was great. just to go downtown and do that.

01:07:04Tony O'Connell: Yeah, spot on. I might even pop a link up on the parkrun Adventurers page for anyone that wants to have a look at that. Addy parkrunners, Toc here. I'm with Addy. We just had a run around the Koonwarra track. Addy's one of our Inverloch parkrunners. She started off as one of our RDs at the age of 14 and has been running for a while. Addy, what did you think of the course today?

01:07:27Addy: I loved it. I thought it was amazing. Great scenery. Get to run over the bridges and really capture what South Gippsland has to offer.

01:07:35Tony O'Connell: Cool. And I noticed that you've partaken in one of my favourite things after parkrun. You've had a nice big slice of carrot cake. It looked pretty good and I actually managed to pinch a bit of a sample. What did you think of Million Romeos as a venue for after parkrun?

01:07:50Addy: I thought it was great. Brekkies are really great and they had a great atmosphere going on and great service. So it would be a great place for after parkrun.

01:08:00Tony O'Connell: And pretty cheap bacon and egg rolls running today. It was pretty good.

01:08:03Addy: Yeah, they spelt pretty good.

01:08:05Tony O'Connell: What did you think of the numbers at Koonwarra today?

01:08:07Addy: Oh, it was huge. It was great to see so many locals that are never involved in parkrun and great tourism as well to support a new little, you know, Gippsland parkrun.

01:08:19Tony O'Connell: And do you think you'll be back at Coomara or stick with the Inverloch or travel around a little bit?

01:08:23Addy: I'm hoping to do a bit of both and alternate between the two to see how it's all going.

01:08:28Tony O'Connell: I think you've got a few letters now for your alphabet. So was this your first K?

01:08:33Addy: Yes, I believe so.

01:08:34Tony O'Connell: Cool. I know you've got the I and the J, so you're sort of working on the middle of the alphabet pretty well. I believe you've run a fairly big parkrun overseas somewhere.

01:08:44Addy: Yes, I do have a B. I did Bushy, so one up on you, but that's okay.

01:08:50Tony O'Connell: Thanks for reminding me of that. I think there was about 1,200 people there the day you ran at Bushy.

01:08:55Addy: Yeah, I think there was, and I ran in 30 minutes and got position 800, so it's pretty big and some pretty fast runners down there.

01:09:03Tony O'Connell: Cool. Thanks a lot for coming on the podcast today, Addy. Well done.

01:09:06Addy: Thank you.

01:09:06Tony O'Connell: Cheers. I'm with Ebony Knox. Ebony is the event director at Coonwara and we're doing something a little bit different today. We're actually sitting in a kindergarten on the Monday after the launch. We're sitting on the little chairs in the kinder and we're just having a bit of a reflection back about the launch and Saturday and how big the day was. Thanks for coming on board, Eb.

01:09:28Ebony Knox: No worries at all, Toc. Thanks for having me.

01:09:31Tony O'Connell: No worries, too. Ebony, the town of Coomoora has 385 people. You managed to get 255 people to your launch. What did you think of the day?

01:09:41Ebony Knox: Yeah, Toc, it was absolutely incredible. It was a buzz in the whole weeks in the lead up to it, especially the couple of days before it. The whole community was on board, really supportive. The local businesses were all out in force. We had the Coomara Farmers Market happening just up the hill as well. So there was, yeah, certainly a buzz around the town. My sister who was helping me organising it, she dropped her daughter off at kindergarten the day before and she said in the couple of minutes that she was there at drop off, she said she got hassled about five or six times from parents just really excited about the launch.

01:10:20Tony O'Connell: Yeah, it's really cool. It's been a bit of a buzz around. And looking at the stats from the day, there was over 50 people did their first parkrun ever. And I think there was about 10 or 15 that did their second parkrun. So they've registered when Coonwara's come online, wandered off down the road, probably down to Inverloch, done a parkrun, and now they're back and regular. So you've got a really good regular crowd there already of people that are coming out. And people loved it on the day, and that's the fantastic thing about it.

01:10:48Ebony Knox: That's it, Toc. And I think we had something incredible support from all the parkrun tourists as well. We had people from all over the other side of Melbourne and I think pretty much half of Gippsland was there as well. And another thing, Toc, probably about three quarters of the people with us on Saturday were all walkers as well. So not just all the fit athletes of South Gippsland, but, yeah, good to see a good variety of people out there.

01:11:15Tony O'Connell: Yep. And, Eb, One of the things that I found fascinating at the launch, you go around all these launches and you do tend to hear a lot of the same sort of thing. At your launch, we heard all about hygge.

01:11:28Ebony Knox: Yeah, so it's a Danish word, Toc, and I'm not Danish. I've got no Danish blood in me whatsoever. in the day before I was working on my speech and I thought I just need some quote or something how I can sum up the support of the community as well as that a bit of a sort of future direction for where we want to go with Coomara parkrun and so it's the spelling of hygge is H-Y-G-G-E And I did some research on the pronunciation as well. And I pronounce it hoo-ga. Copped a little bit of flack from family and friends. And they said, what is this hoo-ga? But it's all about building a sanctuary and community inviting closeness. It's about creating well-being and a sense of connection and celebrating the everyday. And I think that's what parkrun community is in general. And I think that's how the Coonwurra community welcomed us by saying, creating that sense of community. And so in my speech, I reflected on that and said, we've been welcomed into the Coonwara community. And so now it's time to invite everybody into the parkrun community as well.

01:12:40Tony O'Connell: Yeah, I thought it was fantastic. And not often you go along to a parkrun and get edumacated.

01:12:46Ebony Knox: I'm a teacher, Toc. I'm a kindergarten teacher. There's some very lucky kids out there.

01:12:52Tony O'Connell: And give us a bit of a description of your course. I love it, but give us a bit of a description of the course.

01:12:58Ebony Knox: Oh, Toc, I could spend the next hour. How long does this podcast go for? I'm very biased, Toc. I think we've got a brilliant course. It starts right out the front of Milly & Romeo's Cafe at Koonwarra at the rail trail there. It heads 2.5 kilometres along the rail trail towards Meeniyan and It is slightly undulating. There was a few comments at the end about the bit of a steep incline, probably about 100 metres away from the finish line. It passes over Three Bridge. I think it's the Tarwin River and Black Spur Creek that it passes over and through some iconic Australian scenery as well. There's gum trees, there's farmlands. It's quite beautiful.

01:13:46Tony O'Connell: And another parkrun that you've got a fair chance of seeing a koala at if you look hard up in the trees.

01:13:51Ebony Knox: That's it, spot the koala. Yep.

01:13:54Tony O'Connell: Give us a bit of a background. I know you've recently been overseas. In fact, we booked the date in for your launch and you took off overseas for a month and you had a really good crew behind you in the background.

01:14:06Ebony Knox: It was good timing, definitely. While I was overseas, I managed to do Weymouth parkrun. I was very well supported by family who made that happen and On my list of things to do, there was Stonehenge and London Bridge and Buckingham Palace, but I think exceeding all of that, it was doing a UK parkrun. So I went over and yeah, did Weymouth parkrun.

01:14:34Tony O'Connell: That's cool. Well, Eb, thanks for your time and it's been an amazing little journey. Coomwara certainly was full to the brim on Saturday morning. Car parking was a bit of a premium and good luck for next week.

01:14:46Ebony Knox: No worries. Hopefully we'll get 255 again next week, Toc.

01:14:49Tony O'Connell: Cheers, Eb. Thanks.

01:14:50Melissa Erbacher: Thank you. Well, Scotty, I think it's time. We need to send another sequined microphone down south.

01:14:57Scott Trickett: We did promise, didn't we? Last week we said if Toc delivers, he's in. He's delivered. So he's in.

Channel 5 News Crew — Tony O'Connell

01:15:04Melissa Erbacher: Welcome to the Channel 5 News Crew, Toc.

01:15:08Scott Trickett: And how good, how pretty does Coonwara sound? I think that's going to be on a few adventurers' wish list. Three bridges, koalas, gum trees.

01:15:20Melissa Erbacher: Yeah, it sounds pretty spectacular.

The Perlustration (annual listener survey)

01:15:23Scott Trickett: Speaking of spectacular, the parkrun Adventurers Perlustration giveaway extravaganza spectacular has ended. If you missed out, it's too late.

01:15:37Melissa Erbacher: It has.

01:15:38Scott Trickett: We are going to draw the winner and go through the findings from the Pearlustration on next week's episode. Because this one's been so chock full, let's save something for next week.

01:15:51Melissa Erbacher: But thank you to everybody who participated in the pearlustration. We got some pearlers, some pearlers and some great information to be going on with. So looking forward to sharing that all with you next week.

01:16:03Scott Trickett: In hindsight, Mel, we didn't explain this year exactly what a pearlustration is. I had a couple of people say to me, I didn't know it was a survey.

01:16:12Melissa Erbacher: Oh, really? But they followed the link and did it. No. You would assume.

01:16:15Scott Trickett: Had no idea what it was. Had no idea what we were talking about.

01:16:18Melissa Erbacher: Okay. Well, obviously they need to go back and listen from episode one to get their history.

01:16:27Scott Trickett: It's a learning exercise. But also on next week's show, Kelly's back. Remember we had Kelly a couple of weeks ago. She was telling us what we can and can't eat. Now we want to know what questions you've got for Kelly.

01:16:41Melissa Erbacher: It was nigh on almost, it will be almost two months by the time she pops back in. So yes, please, if you've got any questions for Kelly about nutrition and diet and, you know, probably running related might be good, but doesn't necessarily have to be. We're not being strict.

01:16:58Scott Trickett: So get in touch with us. Facebook, email, Twitter.

01:17:03Melissa Erbacher: Instagram.

01:17:03Scott Trickett: Instagram. However you want to get those questions to us. Do it. Otherwise, I'm going to be asking her about donuts again.

01:17:14Melissa Erbacher: And we already know the answer to that question. I don't think it's going to change. But what is changing is the number of events in Australia on a weekly basis lately. And this week, to up the ante by two more events, New South Wales are coming to the party. Where are we launching in New South Wales this weekend, Scotty?

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

01:17:33Scott Trickett: A couple of interesting ones. Broken Hill? That's in the middle of nowhere. And Cowra, a bit more accessible. I think that's near Canberra. Is that right? It's around there somewhere.

01:17:48Melissa Erbacher: Don't ask me about geography in New South Wales.

01:17:50Scott Trickett: Well, I know Broken Hill is a long way from anywhere. So that's exciting that they're getting a parkrun. Great to reach out to these parts of Australia. And anniversary-wise, there's going to be celebrations at Diamond Creek in Victoria.

01:18:08Melissa Erbacher: Geographe Bay in WA.

01:18:12Scott Trickett: Launceston in Tasmania.

01:18:14Melissa Erbacher: And Nepean River in New South Wales.

01:18:18Scott Trickett: There's a couple of great parkruns right there. I think it marks five years of parkrun in Tasmania with Launceston. They're one of the first ones to come on board. So I imagine that's going to be a party. Now normally, Mel, I would be heading to Diamond Creek for their anniversary because, as you know, it's my closest parkrun to home. But I'm back on the tools on Saturday. I'm back in the run directing role at Westerfolds and I've got to tell you, I'm a little bit nervous. It's been a long time.

01:18:48Melissa Erbacher: What are you nervous about? That you'll get some creative volunteering or that you have to speak in front of a crowd?

01:18:53Scott Trickett: I'm pretty comfortable with speaking in front of the crowd. I'm not too worried about creative volunteering because that's always a bit of fun.

01:19:00Melissa Erbacher: Okay.

01:19:00Scott Trickett: I don't know what I'm nervous about.

01:19:02Melissa Erbacher: You're not leaving a lot of options.

01:19:05Scott Trickett: Just me cocking it up in general, I guess. I don't know. Fair enough. It's just I've never been nervous and apprehensive about being run director, but I think it's just been such a long time.

01:19:15Melissa Erbacher: How long has it been?

01:19:17Scott Trickett: Months. Months. I think the last time I did it was back at Studley.

01:19:22Melissa Erbacher: Oh, well, you know what? I think you should probably do it for a good six to seven weeks in a row just to get really confident again before you have another break.

01:19:35Scott Trickett: Yeah, maybe not. Maybe not. Not that I don't enjoy it, love it, but I just think we should leave it to more capable hands. And there are plenty of them around at Westerfold, so that's good. Have you got some adventures coming up this week?

01:19:50Melissa Erbacher: I do have a little bit of an adventure coming up this week. Not to a new event, but to an event that I haven't been to in far too long. I'll be heading to Central Lakes on Saturday. Okay. We've got an event director at Central Lakes who is defecting. She will be soon starting another parkrun elsewhere. And so she's stepping down from her event director role at Central Lakes. This is the infamous Connie Isherwood, who we have had on the podcast before. One of the co-winners of our Strava Art Competition. And she's starting North Harbour at the end of the month. So I'm heading along to see the Central Lakes team on Saturday.

01:20:31Scott Trickett: Okay, we'll pass on my congratulations to Connie for not only winning our Strava Art Contest last year, which I'm still sure she's dining off the glory from that, but also taking on a new event at North Harbour. That sounds good. I might put that one in my diary, Mel. 25th of November, if you can make it, Scotty. Okay, it's going in. Mark it down. Sounds good.

01:20:54Melissa Erbacher: Ooh, ooh. You might get some adventurers heading that way. Maybe we could see if Lyndal's available to come along.

01:21:01Scott Trickett: Oh, that'd be good. That'd be good. We're all going to be in the one location. Should we fly in the rest of the crew? How's the bank balance looking?

01:21:11Melissa Erbacher: On account of we don't have a bank account, probably not too healthy.

01:21:17Scott Trickett: Who's in charge of that?

01:21:19Melissa Erbacher: I don't know. Do you reckon if we opened a bank account, it would just like fill up? Maybe at the end of every episode, we could say, give out our bank details and just see what happens.

01:21:29Scott Trickett: I've seen people monetize podcasts. You know, I could just slip into a read for some web hosting service or some pre-shaving kit or something like that.

01:21:39Melissa Erbacher: We haven't done that. Oh, that sounds like it makes for good content. I'm sure everyone loves listening to those.

01:21:46Scott Trickett: I'm always curious around it from the advertiser's point of view because you can just fast forward on a podcast, which is what I do. As soon as someone starts talking to me, I just go, all right, no. So we're not going to do that at the parkrun Adventurers.

01:22:01Melissa Erbacher: It is really quite weird, isn't it? Like it's artificial and everybody knows it's artificial. So what is it selling? Like do people actually go and buy those things? I don't know.

01:22:13Scott Trickett: Well, it's in your conscience. So now that if I start talking about, give me a product. Give me a product that we want to come on board.

01:22:25Melissa Erbacher: You know those bouncy things that have the little things that you hold onto with your hands and you bounce around on? What are they called?

01:22:33Scott Trickett: The things as a kid you used to bounce on big balls.

01:22:36Melissa Erbacher: Yeah.

01:22:40Scott Trickett: The background adventurer's word of the day is...

01:22:46Melissa Erbacher: This really does need to be a theme every week, isn't it? One day my language skills might come back. Little known fact, I actually have a master's degree in editing and publishing, but you wouldn't know it based on my level of language skills and literacy lately, would you?

01:23:01Scott Trickett: No, well, I could be helping you out, Mel, and I'm not.

01:23:04Melissa Erbacher: Yeah, you never do, do you? I think we need to Google what – hold on. I'm Googling this because it's going to annoy the bejesus out of me. And I think if somebody did a parkrun bouncing around on one of these things, would that be classified as under your own steam? I don't know.

01:23:24Scott Trickett: We don't have rules around it, do we?

01:23:26Melissa Erbacher: No, it's not got wheels. It would be like doing it on a pogo stick, I suppose.

01:23:32Scott Trickett: So here's an opportunity to grow the market of, have you found out what they're called yet?

01:23:37Melissa Erbacher: No, bouncy things.

01:23:39Scott Trickett: Get your Google figures.

01:23:40Melissa Erbacher: With handle. That's the words I'm using. I should do images. Ah, but look, it comes up. There's the pictures of it. What is this toy called? A big rubber ball you could sit on and bounce. And there were handles. Yeah. No, but what's it? What's it?

01:23:58Scott Trickett: jump ball it's not a jump ball it must have had an actual proper name surely you don't see too many of them around anymore i think it was from our generation like kasha's never come up to me and said daddy i've seen this cool thing i want a jump ball

01:24:15Melissa Erbacher: Yeah, that must be difficult at Christmas time when they've told you something they've seen on an ad but it doesn't actually have a name. People are calling them bouncy balls with handles. No, they must have a proper name. If somebody can find out what the bouncy balls with handles actually are called. Please let us know.

01:24:34Scott Trickett: I'm seeing a gap in the market, Mel. This is the gap. This is the opportunity for us to launch parkrun Adventurers merchandise. And our first item, well, our second, because we're already locked into the leg warmers, our second item is... Is it some kind of knobby handle giant bouncy ball? I've just got to workshop the name. Or not.

01:24:55Melissa Erbacher: Oh, somebody's calling it a space hopper. I don't know if that's the official thing though.

01:24:59Scott Trickett: No, don't like that. Don't like that. Come back to me next week. You've got a week to think about it.

01:25:06Melissa Erbacher: It'll probably come to me in 10 hours, not unlike Conjunction did after we finished recording last time.

01:25:12Scott Trickett: Or Sheridan, if you could help us out, that'd be great too.

01:25:15Simon Mackley: Come up with a name during the week.

01:25:18Scott Trickett: Mel, thank you. We've got to wrap this up. People have got lives to get to, and this has been a long one. So thank you again.

01:25:25Melissa Erbacher: That's my pleasure. And even if you are listening to this at 1.5 times speed, you're still going to get a solid hour in, I reckon.