Epsiode 259 - Hailing TOC

Welcome

00:00:23Melissa Ellis: Welcome to episode 259 of the parkrun adventurers Podcast.

Septober

00:00:29Melissa Ellis: My name is Melissa Ellis and I'm joined by someone who did make it to Zillmere, not parkrun, with a little help from some friends, Ollie Spake.

00:00:40Oliver Spake: Hello, Mel.

00:00:41Melissa Ellis: How are you? I am very good. How are you?

00:00:44Oliver Spake: Oh, look, I'm feeling supported.

00:00:46Melissa Ellis: As you should.

00:00:49Oliver Spake: Included and supported. So, yeah, let's kick it off with a huge thank you to the parkrun adventurers community and family. Cheers, guys. Yeah, it was really nice because let's face it, I didn't do a lot of notties in the end, but I got to Zillmere and I got to enjoy the day. And it was big thanks to everyone that lent me a couple of notties and everyone that gave me the inspiration and motivation along the way.

00:01:19Melissa Ellis: So give us a recap of your morning, Ollie, your Saturday morning nottie. Did you dress up? Did you do a Z theme?

00:01:29Oliver Spake: So Saturday morning, sad to say, fancy dress failed. I haven't had a good September record, but I was very excited. I was very excited to get out there. And, hey, look, if I could have logged three noughties on the day, I would have done so because I got out for three runs in the end. Wow. It was a buzz. Helped by, I suppose, the events going on locally and the new course I was able to enjoy, but also helped by the motivation of the Zooper Doopers at the end. Again, not as impressive as some of the Zooper Doopers I saw on Zillmere Day, reference to Sam Schroder, but Zooper Doopers nonetheless.

00:02:09Melissa Ellis: I think if we could give out a costume award for Zillmere, she'd have to take first place, Sam.

00:02:18Oliver Spake: Yeah, some honourable mentions we'll have to get to when we get to Dazza's. I'm pretty sure I saw some fantastic efforts on the costume front over at Dazza's. But yeah, that was a pretty cool one. I would never have thought it. And yeah, I can just imagine the ears and the earrings. If you haven't seen it, team, go and check out Dazza's. It's well worth a look. But Mel, the morning was lovely. We happened to have a little more than the fences coming off a couple of nearby blocks and some new streets to run around. We finally had our local marina open after years and years and years of construction. I was able to go and run on the brand new boardwalk. So yeah. And coincidentally, it's a 5k run.

00:03:06Melissa Ellis: Nice. I think you inspired some other adventurers to follow in your footsteps as well.

00:03:13Oliver Spake: I think there have been a few keen individuals locally, especially an adventurer or two, to go and check it out, that's for sure. And how was it? Look, the elevation isn't quite what I'd be after. I mean, it's no Shellharbour, um despite the fact it's in Shellharbour but yeah so far as a nice flat run goes it's it's pretty good good for the early morning runs the crowds were a bit bigger so of course yeah we wanted to um to get the running out of the way nice and early to uh have a bit of space and obviously not inadvertently push anyone into the into the new marina which might I mention comes complete with ducks who were still working out that that's that's now part of the ocean no I and Port Jackson sharks who are hopefully not working out the ducks haven't worked out that that's part of the ocean so uh but the Port Jackson ones are quite friendly if I recall correctly I've um I've come across them before so yeah nonetheless a lot of excitement and I really enjoyed seeing everyone's zed efforts particularly those that had actually earned it

00:04:21Melissa Ellis: you Mel how was Zillmere Day well saturday's not parkrun at Ellis Palace saw the return of the theme as mentioned in last week's pod to celebrate the end of septober challenge the theme was zed as we logged our final nottie for zeal mere parkrun whilst I had house guests being my son jake and his partner Leah sadly I still ran alone However, they did partake in dress-ups, happily posing in ZZ Top costume and enjoying a brunch of homemade gozleme. I do think Dazza did it best and I can also report the course magpie is still swooping. Now, due to having house guests, this did mean I was not able to venture east to Inverloch to join many of my friends in celebrating a momentous achievement. Our friend, Tony O'Connell... summed it up as follows. The end of this five kilometre marked the end of my second lap around Australia doing Run the World. That's 15,490 kilometres in two and a half years, averaging 17 kilometres a day, circumnavigating Australia anticlockwise on a slightly different track to my first 14,080 kilometre loop. This has been an epic journey and something special. that has held me accountable to get out every day. The run also saw me log my 500th consecutive not parkrun and become the first in Australia to reach the 500 nottie milestone. Sunday started as a long run with Alicia. We bumped into Ricky for a chat along the rail trail. I just kept moving all day and ended up covering the 55 kilometres today that I needed to complete the Sydney to Melbourne Virtual Ultra. Another fantastic event and my only race for the year. It covers 1,002 kilometres and is run at a pace that you select with a generous 100-day cut-off. I covered it in 46 days. Time to rest now. We want to send our huge congratulations to Toc for his amazing achievements and I can say that personally I'm looking forward to catching up with Toc and Jacqui again soon when parkrun returns here in Victoria. And, Ollie, it was just as well that we didn't travel to Inverloch on Saturday as that night we learnt that Zoe was identified as a primary close contact and had to isolate. So very thankful that we had stayed home and minimised risk.

00:07:05Oliver Spake: Yeah, yeah. Look, by all accounts, there was a great level of support there and to say it's well-earned is an understatement.

00:07:15Melissa Ellis: He's amazing, isn't he?

00:07:16Oliver Spake: I think you've summed it up quite well there, Mel, and, yeah, I want to echo that to a huge congratulations to TOC.

00:07:24Melissa Ellis: Our party planner.

00:07:26Oliver Spake: Yes. Well, that's it. Somehow he manages to squeeze in the time for that. I mean, he's got a day job too.

00:07:32Melissa Ellis: And it's an impressive day job.

00:07:36Oliver Spake: But, yeah, clearly the accountability to do that is incredible and it's to be commended.

00:07:46Melissa Ellis: He's an inspiration to us all.

00:07:48Oliver Spake: Yes, yeah. And, look, yeah, thanks to everyone that was able to get over to the stump and cheer him on as a part of – You know, that completion, yeah, I suppose kind of fitting to finish a virtual lap at such a virtual time. But, yeah, to have that in-person support would have been magnificent. Well done, TOC. Yeah. Oh, and, Mel, I did see the photos. The beards were a-rockin'.

00:08:20Melissa Ellis: It came off well. I was actually really happy. It was fantastic. Half the problem with these themes is getting the inspiration.

00:08:27Oliver Spake: Yeah.

00:08:28Melissa Ellis: So once I decided, yeah, I'm going to do this, I'm going to do ZZ Top, I was like, okay, what do I need? Okay, I need beards, I need sunnies, I need hats. And it was pretty easy. And if you kind of get the key aspects, you can pull it off, which I think, you know, that worked for me this week.

00:08:47Oliver Spake: And I dare say it was a bit of a team effort, so well done to Team Ellis Palace and the extended family there. I mean, you may have been the only one that brought the (not)parkrun to the (not)parkrun morning, but well done, team.

00:09:02Melissa Ellis: Yes, as always, Paul's pretty compliant with here, wear this, stick that on, pose, smile. Right, now you can have your brunch.

00:09:11Oliver Spake: We call that the first follower, if I'm not mistaken. The role of the first follower is one of the most important because, you know, someone needs to be there to support the initiative and that's what can truly be a catalyst for success sometimes. That's right.

00:09:27Melissa Ellis: 100%, yeah.

00:09:28Oliver Spake: Yeah.

00:09:28Melissa Ellis: And my son, Jake, he joined in too, so. Yes. Yeah. I appreciated that. And it was lovely to see my son and his partner and have a bit more family time this weekend. It was very much enjoyed.

00:09:41Oliver Spake: Net positive, hopefully. Exactly. No pun intended. But Mel. I mean, look, yeah, somehow what a weekend. And I suppose, you know, with all of that excitement coming up in the episode, it's probably a bit more of a quiet one, dare I say. Whilst we have no special guests this week, we do have a roving report coming up. And, of course, we look forward to all the smiles and laughter from the informant as well as all of the excitement from Dazza's.

00:10:12Melissa Ellis: Are you alluding to which informant we've got? I don't think we've been informed.

00:10:16Oliver Spake: I certainly smile and laugh, whichever informant I hear. Ah, okay. They bring me great joy. Yeah, okay. And, of course, plenty more about all the fun at Zillmere. And I suppose as far as the thank yous go, and I'm sure there will be more, but thank you to our inspiration for September.

00:10:39Unidentified speaker: Yes.

00:10:40Oliver Spake: But I do believe we've got... Yeah, we've got some reports from Zillmere a bit later, so I should leave that to later on. What I did want to say, and I didn't say earlier, Mel, is I did want to pass on my thanks to those specifically that donated their notties because I don't think I mentioned them by name. So thank you to Pippa for Queen Elizabeth, Alison for the University of Waikato, and Sarah for Trentham Memorial. And I'm deeply sorry if I've missed anyone else.

00:11:10Melissa Ellis: So how did you go in the end? Are you going to spend November catching them up?

00:11:18Oliver Spake: Yes. Yes. Yeah, yeah. Despite everyone's help with the homework, I'm still being kept in at lunchtime. I finished my homework, but hey, it's the best kind. So it was good fun.

00:11:32Melissa Ellis: Detention for you.

00:11:34Oliver Spake: Yes, that's right. Until you finish your lines, which we could translate to not parkruns. That's right. I promise to keep working on it. In the meantime, I'll probably be playing catch up with the next challenge, I'm sure.

00:11:47Melissa Ellis: Well, I'll just keep asking you every week. That'll keep you accountable.

00:11:50Oliver Spake: That's right. But Mel, is it time now to throw to our roving report? I think so. Okay.

Roving reports & the Channel 5 News crew

00:11:57Oliver Spake: Well, this week we do have a roving report. So thank you, Tracey. Let's have a listen.

Roving report Tracey Wood — Highfields parkrun

00:12:07Tracey Wood: Good morning, parkrunners. It's a tutu-toting trainee and I've traversed my way up the range to Toowoomba this morning. However, I haven't stopped there. I've hit the highway and headed out to Highfields. Right, where is Highfields? Well, it's about 20 minutes north from the centre of Toowoomba. Lovely little area. It's green at the moment. Apparently, I've come on a really good day because it does tend to be foggy, rainy, windy, muddy. but it looks absolutely beautiful today. And there's people here, so let's see who I can go have a chat to. Oh, just by the way, thank you to P2 for pointing out last night that Highfields is actually part of the Southern Cross Circuit. Now, Southern Cross Circuit includes, let me get my list. Gatton, Highfields, Pittsworth, South Toowoomba parkrun, Stanthorpe, Toowoomba and Warwick parkruns. Okay, they make up the seven points of the Southern Cross. Let's head over to the start. Okay, I'm chatting with Graeme this morning. Graeme, good morning. How are you?

00:13:10Graeme - Highfields parkrun marshal: Pretty good, thank you very much. Nice day.

00:13:13Tracey Wood: It's just a beautiful day out here. I love it. Graeme, you're doing a job this morning. What are you doing?

00:13:18Graeme - Highfields parkrun marshal: I'm marshalling.

00:13:18Tracey Wood: Now, apparently there's a particular corner that you like to sit your little yellow mobile at. Whereabouts is that?

00:13:26Graeme - Highfields parkrun marshal: Across the corner over here.

00:13:27Tracey Wood: Yeah, so not too far away? Of course.

00:13:30Graeme - Highfields parkrun marshal: No, it's not that far. It's just across. Over there we come down the street.

00:13:34Tracey Wood: Now, is that up the top of the dreaded hill that I've heard about?

00:13:37Graeme - Highfields parkrun marshal: Well, the bottom, there's one at the bottom of the hill. You come down the hill down to me on the corner there and come down around.

00:13:45Tracey Wood: And do you like to volunteer a lot here?

00:13:48Graeme - Highfields parkrun marshal: Yeah, quite a bit, yeah.

00:13:50Tracey Wood: Marshalling's a good job for you, is it?

00:13:52Graeme - Highfields parkrun marshal: Well, it is, yeah, because of, yeah, my wife runs, does the parkruns as well, volunteers and runs as well, so I thought, well, I'll come and volunteer.

00:14:01Tracey Wood: Yeah, that's awesome. And how long have you been coming here, Graeme?

00:14:04Unidentified speaker: Four.

00:14:05Graeme - Highfields parkrun marshal: We came up Highfields in March, so it's probably around April I probably started. Oh, good on you. Yeah, this is my 20th, I think, altogether. I did a few down south, four or five down south, the rest have been here.

00:14:19Tracey Wood: Well, thanks for chatting with us this morning, Graeme, and thanks for volunteering.

00:14:23Graeme - Highfields parkrun marshal: No worries, thank you. Pleasure.

00:14:26Tracey Wood: And I found Di, and she's the Volunteer Coordinator. Good morning, Di. Hi, Tracey.

00:14:30Di - Highfields parkrun Volunteer Coordinator: How are you going? Good. How are you? Good. It's nice of you to come to our nice little parkrun here. This looks lovely. How long have you been doing the Volunteer Coordinator role? I haven't been doing the Volunteer Coordinator since I started. No? Since I started, parkrun was 2016. But volunteer coordinating for about two years, I think.

00:14:46Tracey Wood: Wow. Awesome. So how many volunteer roles are you up to now?

00:14:50Di - Highfields parkrun Volunteer Coordinator: About 140 or something.

00:14:53Tracey Wood: Good for you. Good on you for helping out. So you're obviously a fixture here at Highfields Firebrand. It looks like a great little community here.

00:15:02Di - Highfields parkrun Volunteer Coordinator: We have a really good little group and a really good little core group, you know, running directors and people who volunteer all the time. So that's really good. Yeah, no. It is, you know, tough sometimes to get volunteers, but someone always steps up in the last minute sometimes.

00:15:18Tracey Wood: Have you got a full roster today now?

00:15:20Di - Highfields parkrun Volunteer Coordinator: Yeah, but we did have a bit of a struggle today because I couldn't get a Timekeeper, which is the hardest job for us to fill. Oh, really? So we just, you know, did some swapping around and, yeah, we're right to go.

00:15:29Tracey Wood: Why do you think that is? Because we've got the app now and that's so easy.

00:15:32Di - Highfields parkrun Volunteer Coordinator: Yeah, I think they're scared that if they, you know, stuff it up, you know, they push the button or they touch their phone twice or something. But, I mean, it happens and we just fix it. That's exactly right. And we tell them, it doesn't matter, we fix it.

00:15:44Tracey Wood: You fix it.

00:15:45Di - Highfields parkrun Volunteer Coordinator: Yeah, yeah. And you know what? We're not playing for sheep stations here. That's exactly it. And if something goes wrong, well, that goes wrong. So, you know.

00:15:53Unidentified speaker: Yeah.

00:15:53Tracey Wood: Well, we appreciate your work as volunteering. Thank you. Thank you very much for chatting with me. And thanks for coming to our parkrun.

00:15:58Unidentified speaker: Yeah.

00:15:58Tracey Wood: Okay, I'm walking with Kim this morning and Kim is the Tail Walker. Hello Kim, how are you? G'day Tracey, I'm great. Now Kim, tell me about this course that we're on. I've just said it was flat because I was looking at the footy fields and I've been laughed at.

00:16:08[laughter]

00:16:14Kim - Highfields parkrun Tail Walker: There are a few hills, Tracey. We might try and disguise them as footy fields, but yes, they're a bit sneaky because the course goes around a footy field and then around a park. And so we go up a few hills and then down again, but the park is just a long... But yeah, a bit of a hill. But we do have someone at the top that tries to cheer us on to encourage us there. Right. Are they also the ones with the defib related that you pointed out before? Yeah. Well, we did say we have a defib and it is left bucket on our table, but we haven't had to use it yet. But it is. It's good to have it there just in case, now Kim tell me uh you've been part of this parkrun for a while yeah yeah I love it I mean it was our sixth birthday last week would you believe I haven't been involved for that long but um certainly I really love it here in Highfields we've got it's got a really family feel which is good we um have lots of walkers and we call them the Tail Walkers and talkers and certainly um that's right up my alley but uh but no we're just a real good family and so um For some of us, just love coming together. And sometimes we like the coffee at the end better than the walking and talking. Coffee and breakfast. Very important. I can understand that. Yeah. No, it's good for our mental health. Now, is tail walk your favourite role? I don't know. I really enjoy all the roles. I do run directing some of the time. She has a chance to spruik on and try and, you know, cheer people along and just have a good vibe around the place. Mm-hmm. Yeah, we've got timekeeping as well, as everyone knows, and giving out the tokens. That's often a bit fun because if you get talking too much, you've got to remember you've got a job to do. But no, it's great. Well, it sounds like you've been doing this for a while. How many volley credits do you have now? Oh, I was trying to remember that the other day, but in the 50s at the moment. Yeah, awesome. And then, yeah, done just over 100 runs. Now, which is really cool because you've got to balance that volunteering and running, don't you?

00:18:13Tracey Wood: Yes, definitely. Well, Kim, it sounds like you're an awesome part of the Highfields community. And thank you for talking with me. Yeah, thank you. And thank you for making me puff as I walked up that hill and talked to you.

00:18:25Di - Highfields parkrun Volunteer Coordinator: See you, Tracey.

00:18:28Tracey Wood: All right, I have just completed Highfields parkrun and I have found Steve, the Run Director, waiting for me at the finish line. Hey, Steve, how did it all go today?

00:18:37Steve - Highfields parkrun Run Director: It was very good. It was a really successful run and everyone enjoyed it, like usual. The weather was good.

00:18:44Tracey Wood: Not too wet out there at all?

00:18:46Steve - Highfields parkrun Run Director: No, no, we checked the course earlier and it was all good, even though it's a diverse course. It covers paths, grass and a bit of track. So, yeah, we get a lot of people interested in it. They quite enjoy it.

00:19:00Tracey Wood: Now, I came 45th today. Is that how many you usually get every week?

00:19:04Steve - Highfields parkrun Run Director: It varies a bit. We've had a bit of rain recently, so I think, and there's another big run in town for homeless people. Oh, yes, yes. So we think people have gone to that as well. Our parkrunners support a lot of different charities and that.

00:19:17Unidentified speaker: Yeah.

00:19:17Steve - Highfields parkrun Run Director: But it varies, and we have had up to 100 people.

00:19:21Tracey Wood: Yeah, yeah. Awesome. Well, it looks like it's been a great event. So thank you for having me this morning. Thank you. And thanks for chatting with me. No, thank you. Okay, and this was Tracey in a Tutu. I'm heading home from Highfields. If you like the good old-fashioned hospitality, then Highfields is the place to visit. Thanks to everyone today for making me feel welcome. See you another time. Bye.

00:19:51Melissa Ellis: And thank you, Tracey, for bringing us that fabulous report from Highfields parkrun, part of the Southern Cross Circuit, Ollie.

00:20:00Oliver Spake: Yes, yeah. I don't believe I have any events yet on the Southern Cross Circuit, but there are some names on there that I would like to do. So, yeah, give it time.

00:20:11Melissa Ellis: That was going to be my next question. Have you done any of the Southern Cross events? Something to aspire to, isn't it?

00:20:18Oliver Spake: Oh, yes. There's always something to add to the list.

Emails

00:20:20Melissa Ellis: But, Ollie, this week we've got mail.

00:20:23Oliver Spake: You've got mail.

00:20:25Melissa Ellis: We heard from none other than Gaillyn Cooper. You might know her.

00:20:33Oliver Spake: I promise I did not prod this correspondence.

00:20:37Melissa Ellis: You might refer to her as Mum.

00:20:40Oliver Spake: I might. I might. Especially this weekend coming, I might.

00:20:44Melissa Ellis: So she messaged us in the Palm Meetup group and she said, looking forward to my home parkrun at Shellharbour reopening. In my South Coast dairy country, not parkruns, I've identified some cows as parkrunners, but it will be good to put names to human faces again. Also looking forward to the Palm Meetup. Yes. So, Ollie, that's very reassuring. It sounds like... Galen's coming to Palm.

00:21:16Oliver Spake: Yeah, maybe the cows too.

00:21:18Melissa Ellis: Galen was at the original Palm at Shellharbour.

00:21:22Oliver Spake: She was. And I'm pretty sure she would have joined it. Some of the others had circumstances worked. But, yeah, looking forward to going to Tassie because, of course, we're both from Tassie more or less anyway. So, yeah, yeah, she will be there. So thank you for that correspondence, Mum.

00:21:41Unidentified speaker: Yeah.

00:21:44Melissa Ellis: Yes, but there was other correspondence, Ollie. Yes. We heard from Nadine with a November Challenge ideas update.

00:21:54Oliver Spake: Ooh, okay. This is both exciting and nerve-wracking, given my track record. LAUGHTER Shall I read on, Mel? Please. So Nadine said, hi, Mel and Ollie. Firstly, massive thanks and congratulations to all who joined Bruce and I in our September madness. It was a lot of fun to see everyone's interpretations of the challenge and enjoy it in their own special way. Great effort by all the adventurers crowding Zillmere this week. I bet the Adventurers Club has taken the record for the highest percentage of participation at a single event. I may have read something Mel wrote on the Streak to New Year's Day page that went something like this. Speech marks. We need a new challenge. Well. Not guilty. Here's our ideas, crew. We are here to help. I have challenged Bruce to continue the nottie streak until real parkrun programming resumes. So here's how we plan to go about it. The challenge, which includes The Avenues, The Beaches, and we'll let you research the rest of them, et cetera. Old McDonald challenge. So the E-I-E-I-O. The Pirates challenge. We know the Pirates Challenge well. The Island Challenge. So we've got Hamilton, Bribie, Kangaroo, Flinders. The Mount Challenge. Mount Ainslie, Mount Barker, Mount Beauty, et cetera. The North Challenge. So North Sydney, North Lakes, et cetera. And there's plenty more where that came from. Although we are hoping we won't have to use them. This could be a great motivation to get those streaky September folks who are aiming for streak to New Year's Day to stay motivated in the coming months. It's definitely helped me get up early, get out the door and get moving every day through the last two months. I look forward to hearing who else is up for the challenges, but mostly I hope we will all be scanning our barcodes before too long. Cheers, Nadine.

00:22:01[laughter]

00:23:57Melissa Ellis: Oh, thanks, Nadine. I did a 5K nottie today, Ollie, and I haven't decided yet how I'm going to log it. I haven't decided on which challenge I'm going to do.

00:24:08Oliver Spake: Well, you're certainly spot for choice there. I think to call them the ideas team is certainly an understatement.

00:24:14Melissa Ellis: They're amazing, aren't they?

00:24:16Oliver Spake: Yes. So, look, is there a challenge that, you know, that you particularly want to take out there, Mel? Oh, it's called real parkrun all year. Okay.

00:24:26Melissa Ellis: I'm actually thinking, I'm putting it out there, but this weekend, I've had the last two weekends that we've been free in Victoria that I've stayed home because I've had, I've been catching up with family and priorities. I've Wanted to see my kids first and foremost. But this weekend coming, if Zoe's out of isolation, fingers crossed, it's time to go forth, it's time to travel into regional Victoria or, you know, I don't know, out there. I kind of want to go away for the weekend, even if it's just Friday night, maybe Saturday night, and even just run a parkrun course that I haven't done for a while as a nottie. I don't care. I just need a change of scenery, Ollie. Yeah, down the peninsula or out to Ballarat or I don't know, I don't care, anywhere.

00:25:22Oliver Spake: It's very understandable, Mel. And, hey, look, it's a good chance to get out there and support the regional areas as well.

00:25:29Unidentified speaker: Mm-hmm.

00:25:30Oliver Spake: Take your tourism, go and support them and enjoy a nottie, wave at a different parkrun course.

00:25:35Melissa Ellis: I might even make up my own.

00:25:37Oliver Spake: Oh. Challenge or course? Challenge. Challenge. Ah. Yeah. Okay.

00:25:44Melissa Ellis: Mm-hmm.

00:25:45Oliver Spake: All right. Stay tuned.

00:25:48Melissa Ellis: No pressure. Oh, what have I done? But, yeah, it was good to have some mail, some feedback.

Dazza's

00:25:54Oliver Spake: Yes.

00:25:55Melissa Ellis: And then, of course, Dazza's was pumping with Z's, Ollie.

00:26:01Oliver Spake: Yes. So the theme at Dazza's, Dazza was, yeah, absolutely bringing the Z game.

00:26:08Melissa Ellis: He looked good, didn't he?

00:26:10Oliver Spake: Oh, oozes style does our Dazza. With extra Zs. So as Dazza said, we hope you brought your Z game. You've got legs. You know how to use them. It's time to take your protein pills and put your helmets on. We're pretty sure there's more to life than being really, really ridiculous. It's hard to get the Z right there. Sorry, Mel. Ridiculously good looking. But what we have made is real. Come in and tell us all the things. Hashtag Zorry not zorry.

00:26:50Melissa Ellis: So firstly, Ollie, can I interrupt? Did you get all the references in that?

00:26:55Oliver Spake: I got some of them. I got some of them. You might need to clue me in because I'm pretty sure I didn't get them all.

00:27:01Melissa Ellis: Well, the first one, you've got legs, you know how to use them. That's ZZ Top.

00:27:05Oliver Spake: Yep, yep.

00:27:06Melissa Ellis: And the second one, it's time to take your protein pills and put your helmets on. That's Ziggy Stardust.

00:27:14Oliver Spake: Ah, okay. David Bowie. Shameful I didn't get that one.

00:27:19Melissa Ellis: We're pretty sure there's more to life than being really, really ridiculously good looking is, of course, a Zoolander reference.

00:27:27Unidentified speaker: Yes.

00:27:28Melissa Ellis: And what we have made is real is a Xanadu reference.

00:27:35Oliver Spake: Yes. Oh, Dazza. Doesn't miss a beat.

00:27:39Melissa Ellis: That's all we could come up with. So sorry.

00:27:41Oliver Spake: No, no, not sorry.

00:27:43Melissa Ellis: Sorry, not sorry.

00:27:45Oliver Spake: Oh. And look, it obviously inspired us, as was, of course, all the September culmination. But I think what became commonly known as Zillmere Day was appropriately recognised by someone who was actually at Zillmere Mill. Yes. Yeah, so Jenny Reidman, thank you for checking in. I got my Z, at Zillmere today. And for the record, Jenny, well done. Position number 23, Zillmere parkrun. First timer.

00:28:17Melissa Ellis: Wow. Thank you, Jenny. Yes. She went above and beyond.

00:28:23Oliver Spake: But we also heard from Val Warwick first up with her first check-in. Coffee, please. I need to awaken from my snooze to do Railton at their fourth birthday. Zzzz. Which is, of course, the snoozing. Sorry, it sounds like a B, but hum.

00:28:41Melissa Ellis: Oh, Val was a little tired at that time of the morning.

00:28:46Oliver Spake: Yes. We also heard from Greg Garner, early start to visit Railway Park parkrun for their fifth event with my daughter, Amelia. Unfortunately, there were no Zs there, but I did catch my daughter having a few Zs on our way to parkrun due to the early start.

00:29:04Melissa Ellis: So hang on, Railton had their fourth birthday and Railway Park had their fifth. That's right. Wow.

00:29:11Oliver Spake: There's an epic train reference there that I'm not sharp enough to make. Yeah. But yeah, wow. And of course, as we heard from her before, Tracey Wood. Good morning and happy Z-Day. I made it to Highfields parkrun to add to my Southern Cross Circuit Challenge. Thank you to all for your very warm welcome.

00:29:33Melissa Ellis: And we heard from Janet. Janet read, happy Z-Day, Dazza. We had a cruisy trot wearing our popkins. Coffees with cinnamon scrolls. Post parkrun. A beautiful Halloween-themed morning aboard the mothership Lochiel. Have a great weekend, everyone. Spooky hugs to all our friends who still haven't been able to proper parkrun. And Chris Fraser, I had a sleep in, zzz, until the neighbours decided that it's a great day for a ride on the Harley. Ingrid Botha, I logged a nottie for Zillmere, a slow one today, possibly due to course congestion. It was great to see some familiar names on the nottie results table. I'm looking forward to running with some of you for real at palm22. And Alison King, happy Z day for everyone in Oz. Locked down in New Zealand, so I ran a nottie for Wanaka on my virtual tour for the country. Three parkruns to go for the set. I started the day with a few more Zs by enjoying a well-earned sleep in.

00:30:52Oliver Spake: Nice work. I can't believe you're almost there, Alison. Well done. We also heard from Richard. Good morning, Dazza's. I haven't made it in for a cuppa for a while due to moving house. Got in a nottie this morning and I'm trying out our new local cafe only a mile from home. An added bonus is that Pioneer Dairy parkrun is within cycling or long run distance. And Peter Pohlman. This week, off to Lambton today. Or was it Edith? No. Or possibly both, I think, was the conversation.

00:31:30Melissa Ellis: Yeah, I think he did a double.

00:31:32Oliver Spake: Yes, well done. Evidenced by the science too. And Mel, exciting news from Peter LaRue. No, not parkrun, no dinosaur GPS tracks, no alphabet tearing, just an actual parkrun. Bothasig parkrun this morning after an 18-month break for parkruns in urban centres here in South Africa.

00:31:53Melissa Ellis: Oh, fabulous. And thank you for letting us know, Peter.

00:31:57Oliver Spake: Yes, yeah, there must have been some happy parkrunners out there that weekend just gone, Mel. Our Bailey shot checked in, or some of our Bailey shot, Mel.

00:32:07Melissa Ellis: We're missing one.

00:32:08Oliver Spake: We are. First up, Rebecca Bailey had a few Zs this morning and headed out for an evening nottie for Zillmere to help me get some more Zs tonight. Seal enjoying the chills life under the bridge.

00:32:23Melissa Ellis: I did see that, Ollie, and I wondered if that seal would make its way to your marina.

00:32:29Oliver Spake: Oh, look, it's perfectly welcome. It's got a pretty good spot. It was out there the next day too, so it's becoming the resident seal out there at the Windang Bridge.

00:32:39Melissa Ellis: Oh, this Windang Bridge, I've got to get there.

00:32:43Oliver Spake: Oh, look, all the cool trolls have been there. And Tanya Bailey, didn't get a nottie this morning, had to be on a surf life-saving officials course. Well done to everyone who made it to Z.

00:32:56Melissa Ellis: And thank you, Tanya, for being a surf life-saver.

00:33:00Oliver Spake: Yes.

00:33:00Melissa Ellis: Important job. But, Ollie, we also heard from some... parkrunners who had big runs this week. Yes. First off the mark, Simon Mackley, our very own Quizmaster. I became a little lost on the way to Zillmere and ended up in Manhattan, 42.2 kilometres later. I found lots of Xs though, Bronx and Radox to name a few.

00:33:29Oliver Spake: Well done, Simon.

00:33:30Melissa Ellis: Yes, and we hope you're recovering well. Yes. Well done. Tony O'Connell. Hi, Dazza. Latte, please. Did a little thing today. Ran 500 notties plus a lap of Oz. Even better, I ran with friends and had real park faff. I'm very jealous.

00:33:49Oliver Spake: I wish I was there. Very modest. Very modest, too.

00:33:54Melissa Ellis: And Joe Richards helped zelebrate TOC's little achievement today. There were a couple of tutus, supported local cafe. Skinny latte with an extra shot, please. Dazza was zo good running where it's always zunny. And Chantal Hosking visited the sunny stump for a Freedom Run today with a few friends. First time for a while that we have caught up.

00:34:24Oliver Spake: Well done to the support crew there. Meanwhile, back on the Zeds, back on Zillmere day, the aforementioned Sam Schroder. Hi, Dazza. We had a lovely morning listening to the pod, logging a nottie and dressing up for TOC's amazing achievement at Zillmere. Now home for Luke to cook eggs, Benny, while I change the dates I had booked for a week in Shellharbour and book flights for Tassie in March instead. Don't worry, Ollie, this just means we'll see you twice, palm22 and a postponed caravan trip.

00:34:58Melissa Ellis: Oh, no, we upset Sam and Luke's travel plans.

00:35:02Oliver Spake: Look, I'm not one to discourage people for coming to Shellharbour, but I think Sam and Luke have found a happy medium and I'm excited. February and March is going to be the tourism time, so I look forward to spending it with you guys. Also, Val, after her coffee, checked back in. Thanks, Dazza. That coffee was good, as was the mud puddles, as I walked and talked the Railton course for their fourth birthday celebrations. Fitting it was, as that is where we met TOC on the inaugural event. Well done, TOC, on completing the second lap of Australia. And Pippa, happy Zed Day. A proper parkrun for all my friends. Playing fields, tarmac paths, skiddy muddy hill down, skiddy hill back up, repeat, with deluges, not showers. A very hot coffee, please, Dazza, while I dry out. Also, no fancy dress, too wet even for ducks, and Bernadette Bennett, finishing my nottie alphabet by joining you all at a Z via a beach 5K at Woolgoolga. It has been such a joy to see who I've been serendipitously crossing paths with all along the way. Thank you, adventurers, one and all.

00:36:33Melissa Ellis: And thank you, Bernadette, for joining us on the journey. We also heard from Bruce Purdy. What a great morning for a Zillmere nottie with Nadine, the girl who was catching a few Zs and a strange looking zebra superhero. And Nadine also commented, first time I've ever completed a nottie with a zoo animal, or in my pyjamas for that matter. Was great to celebrate Septober Z-Day with Bruce in person. Rounded out the morning with breakfast and the hopes of real parkrun to come in the near future. Thanks for playing along, everyone. But big thanks to Nadine and Bruce who really have got behind Septober and kept all of us in the states that are in lockdown, motivated and having something to occupy us while we can't actually parkrun.

00:37:28Oliver Spake: Oh, look, and I think the visual said it all. They gave us a real lift.

00:37:32Melissa Ellis: They did, didn't they? That was really good. And kudos to Donna, who I believe was behind the camera to create that gif.

00:37:41Oliver Spake: Yeah, spectacular effort by the Brain's Trust, but by so many others too. So thank you everyone for a lot of fun at Dazza's.

00:37:49Melissa Ellis: Yeah, thanks to everybody who joined in on Septober because, you know, it's that community, it's all the people that got behind it that made it fun for all of us in lockdown. And we know, we know there's parkrun going on around Australia. We're thankful for that. We're happy for that. We're happy to embrace all those events. But we've also been very conscious in supporting the parkrunners that haven't been able to parkrun and giving them something to aspire to in these weeks of parkrun barren. I don't know. What do you call it? The desert that is not parkrun. Yeah.

00:38:31Oliver Spake: Yes, yeah. Look, and, you know, we've all, everyone has experienced it in some way. And absolutely, as you say, Mel, it's fantastic to see parkrun going on. And, you know, please keep the reports and the experiences coming. But it's a great balance to have, you know, the experience. Yeah, the creativity and the fellowship along the way as we all get back to, I suppose, parkrun that we're more accustomed to before too long.

00:39:02Melissa Ellis: Do you think it will ever happen, Ollie? Ever?

00:39:06Oliver Spake: Yes. Yes. But, yeah, I think as we've come to learn, Mel, we can always be surprised. So it's nice to have a bit of fun along the way.

00:39:20Melissa Ellis: Absolutely.

00:39:21Oliver Spake: Yeah. And, look, great segue. Speaking of fun, here's my favourite segment. It's time to catch up with The Informant.

the Informant

00:39:30The Informant: This is The Informant. These are unofficial stats. They are only current at the time they are collected, and may differ from the stats you read elsewhere. Post-COVID records have settled down this week, with just the number of 500 milestones being broken, moving up to 8 from a previous high of 4 on the 21st of August, all of these being overseas runners. There were 214 runs held in Australia, up 3 on last week. This was out of 1,404 worldwide across 18 countries. There were 4 launches, 1 in Austria, 1 in Germany and 2 in the United Kingdom. Aussie attendance was up by 408 to 21,266 out of 152,507 worldwide, which is down around 20,000 on last week. Down under we had 2,184 PBs, while 686 people participated for the first time. 47 juniors reached their Junior 10 milestone, 93 people reached their 50 milestone, 52 reached their 100 milestone, and 20 people reached their 250 milestone. Nine people called bingo. Tammy Taylor was quickest with 164 events, while Sean Mountie was the slowest on 255 events, which is still considerably quicker than the theoretical 280. We have five new statespeople this week. In the Northern Territory, we have Christopher and Nizza Doering, Naomi Hermawan, Neil White, and Denise Brent. And in South Australia, we have Mark Finlay. In the top 20 most events list, Kevin Muller moves up one to be equal 15th after running at Hervey Bay. On the overall biggest mover chart, we have three people moving up 10 places to 161. Steve Bennett, Tanya Bennett, and Lou Streets. Another week of high activity on the Wilson Index with 216 increases. Biggest mover is Nick Smith, who went from 0 up to 37. Next on the list was Bridget Hewittson-Bevis, who jumped 28 from 124 to 152, and also into first place on the Queensland rankings, and other short reports so that we can all get back to our Sudoku. If you want to see these stats in full, download your own spreadsheet, look for The Informant on Facebook, or visit the blog at www.theinformant.me. That's The Informant, all one word, dot M-E. This has been The Informant, and my spreadsheet is bigger than yours.

00:42:28Melissa Ellis: Thank you to our informant. It is always good to hear from our informant, whoever it is. We never know, Ollie. We're never quite sure. But be it the cheerful or the OG, good to hear from them.

00:42:43Oliver Spake: It's part of the fun. It is. The surprise, the suspense for us at least.

00:42:48Melissa Ellis: I know. Yes. Because we don't have any control.

00:42:51Oliver Spake: Yeah, that's right.

00:42:52Melissa Ellis: They run their own race.

00:42:54Oliver Spake: Despite what you've heard, everyone. Yeah, we don't have management control here.

Consolidated Club Report

00:43:00Melissa Ellis: But, Ollie, we have some stats to report of our own. Excellent. Would you like to hear?

00:43:08Oliver Spake: Read away, Mel, please.

00:43:11Melissa Ellis: Our Adventurers Club is still at 57 members.

00:43:15Oliver Spake: Aha, okay.

00:43:16Melissa Ellis: It hasn't changed.

00:43:17Oliver Spake: Nope.

00:43:18Melissa Ellis: No movement, but I am happy to inform you that we have figured out who our one extra was last week. Our lovely Val Warwick from Tasmania. Yes. She owned up to being the plus one last week.

00:43:36Unidentified speaker: Aha.

00:43:37Melissa Ellis: In the adventurous stats. So thank you, Val. Thank you for coming on board.

00:43:42Oliver Spake: Yeah, it's nice to have you with us. I must admit, I saw Val's comment and I completely missed the context. So yeah, now it all makes sense. Thank you.

00:43:52Melissa Ellis: On the Consolidated Club report, we had 21. And on the Notties last week, there were 23, Ollie. So not a lot of movement. That's pretty similar to the week before.

00:44:10Unidentified speaker: Mm-hmm.

00:44:11Melissa Ellis: With the (not)parkruns this week, Wyndham Vale.

00:44:15Oliver Spake: So, Ollie, there was a bit of competition this last week. There was, wasn't there?

00:44:20Melissa Ellis: There was. I was watching daily or more than daily, like hour by hour, with the events for the (not)parkruns. But Wyndham Vale ended up topping the list at 38, closely followed by Cooney and Zillmere at 34. So that's a big thing for Zillmere.

00:44:49Oliver Spake: For a parkrun that's active right now, yes.

00:44:52Melissa Ellis: Zillmere's active, but also Zillmere has never had more than four not parkruns logged.

00:44:58[laughter]

00:44:58Unidentified speaker: LAUGHTER

00:45:01Melissa Ellis: That is testament to the amount of people that turned up and ran their (not)parkrun for Zillmere for the Zed Challenge.

00:45:08Oliver Spake: That's right.

00:45:09Melissa Ellis: Or for the Alpha Nottie, for the whole septober, if you like.

00:45:14Oliver Spake: Yeah. So thank you to the team at Zillmere for having us, whether you realised it or not.

00:45:21Melissa Ellis: We should get someone from Zillmere on to have a chat, Ollie.

00:45:25Oliver Spake: Ah, yes. And look, lovely team there. So, yeah, let's look into that.

00:45:31Melissa Ellis: I'd like to get to Zillmere in real life.

00:45:34Oliver Spake: Yes, there's something I'm actually ahead of you on, Mel. There we go. You've been there. I've been to Zillmere.

00:45:40Melissa Ellis: done Ollie I'm so proud that's one of my two Queensland events yes oh wow nice yeah okay well you can't come you've done it I'll have to find another friend no well look um

00:45:55Oliver Spake: Yeah, that's a very strong effort. So, again, congratulations to all the Septobras and anyone else that maybe unwittingly joined us at Zillmere. Wyndham Vale, great performance. And I will say I did have a W, Notty, on Saturday. So, yeah, it was fun to visit Wyndham Vale.

00:46:16Melissa Ellis: Did you go there?

00:46:17Oliver Spake: I did.

00:46:18Melissa Ellis: Oh, wow. You were part of the 38. Yeah. That's a bit exciting. I'm pretty sure Abby will be excited about that. I wonder if she knows. Oh, I'll tell her.

00:46:29Oliver Spake: It's been good to hear that Abby's back to school as well. So that's very exciting. Yes. Getting back to things.

00:46:35Melissa Ellis: But our long jump, our long jump, Ollie. Yes. Down to Shellharbour.

00:46:40Oliver Spake: Yep.

00:46:41Melissa Ellis: Fifteen? That's pretty respectful. That's quite reasonable, yes. But Tool and Creek?

00:46:48Oliver Spake: Yep.

00:46:49Melissa Ellis: Do I need a sound effect?

00:46:53Oliver Spake: Oh.

00:46:54Melissa Ellis: Tool and Creek had none. Nobody came to Tool and Creek. I've got a bone to pick with the adventurer listeners. All these people doing Septober and nobody came for tea to Toolern Creek.

00:47:09Oliver Spake: Is it that our proactive septoberers, if that's the right plural, is it that they all were ahead of schedule? They all went previously.

00:47:23Melissa Ellis: Well, maybe because Bec did say she did Toolern Creek, but I think that must have been last week.

00:47:31Oliver Spake: Well, yeah, either that or someone has a vendetta and has been not meaning to insinuate that anyone is tampering with the official not parkrun results.

00:47:43Melissa Ellis: But could I just say, last week Toolern Creek didn't have the highest amount of notties either. So if Bec was one of them, like, thank you, Bec. But still, like, hello, everybody else. Get on board. What are you doing? There's no love for Mel. It's all the love for Ollie.

00:48:07Oliver Spake: I don't think I can claim it.

00:48:08Melissa Ellis: You were on the spot, didn't I?

00:48:10Oliver Spake: I don't think I can claim it. But, look, I hear you. I hear you. I mean, now that I've got the chance to catch up, you know, given I was gifted a tea, I thought, well, okay, I need a different letter. But, yeah, no, I think that's, it's time. I'll have to come back.

00:48:32Melissa Ellis: Ah, well, let's jump to New Zealand.

00:48:35Oliver Spake: Yes, yes.

00:48:37Melissa Ellis: Would you like to tell us New Zealand's?

00:48:39Oliver Spake: I'd love to. Okay, thank you. I'd love to. Once again, well done, Team New Zealand on the (not)parkrun numbers. So leading on 54 for the week was Hamilton Lake. Whangarei on 40.

00:48:53Melissa Ellis: You do that so well.

00:48:57Oliver Spake: Thank you. And Anderson, third on 30. So some impressive numbers still from our friends and family over there in New Zealand.

00:49:08Melissa Ellis: New Zealand has got strong not parkrun figures.

00:49:13Oliver Spake: Yes. Hopefully for all of us it's just a transition back to parkrun, to real-life parkrun. But, no, we'll have to see how we perform next week. Not meaning to be competitive, but, yeah, let's see.

00:49:26Melissa Ellis: Is it ever going to happen, Ollie? Are we ever going to get parkrun back?

00:49:30Oliver Spake: Absolutely, yes, in due course.

00:49:33Melissa Ellis: I really do miss it. Like, it's hard. I'm sorry to digress. And I know we're all about both real parkrun as well as the situation with the events across Australia that can't parkrun. But speaking for those who can't, who haven't been able to for an extended period of time, I miss it so much. And... Sixty weeks now over the last two years this week, 60 weeks that we haven't had parkrun in Victoria. We've nearly matched the UK. They were 60-something, I can't remember, maybe 67-something.

00:50:15Oliver Spake: weeks in total so we're nearly there and it's tough there's no doubt about it it has been a real challenge for you know so many and we still live with obviously some some differences in in what parkrun is and the environment around it too I'm very fortunate and thank you to everyone that continues to join us on the on the journey from parkrun to not parkrun and and back again and But I'm with you, Mel. It will be fantastic to have a bit of taste of that ourselves and for other listeners, like we saw in South Africa. We're seeing signs of hope, as obviously we've talked about in the last few weeks, for some of our local, yours and my own states, and I think close to that, the ACT as well. New Zealand, hopefully in the same boat coming back soon, but I know I've jinxed them before, so I'm really sorry, guys. But it will be incredible when it's back. We've seen and shared in some of that enjoyment. We've experienced it ourselves as well. So I look forward to that. But, yeah, I'm with you, Mel. It's quite different. And, yeah, I think there's nothing wrong with feeling a bit of sadness along the way. It's just one of the challenges we're facing at the moment.

00:51:38Melissa Ellis: What a roller coaster it has been these last couple of years.

00:51:42Oliver Spake: Yes, certainly it's been a great time to enjoy a podcast about parkrun.

00:51:48Melissa Ellis: And thank you to all the listeners that have stuck with us. We started as brand new hosts at the start of this year. You had to get used to us. And thank you for all those who have come along for the ride because we haven't had for a lot of this year actual parkrun to report on. We haven't been able to get out to tour and report as we would prefer to. We hope that we've brought you content and we've brought reports that have been relevant and that we've been able to entertain. And hopefully there's more to come. But thank you to everybody who's stuck with us. We appreciate that.

00:52:30Oliver Spake: Well and truly. And look, it feels like we're signing off for the year. Guess what? We're not.

00:52:36Melissa Ellis: No, no, no. This is just a moment to reflect. I mean, we're on the verge of coming back. Yes. And we're conscious of that. But we also know that people may be, I don't know, how do you say, Olly? Yeah. less interested because there isn't as much actual parkrun content as they might like.

00:53:03Oliver Spake: Yeah.

00:53:04Melissa Ellis: Is that fair?

00:53:05Oliver Spake: I think everyone has been experiencing unprecedented things. And I'm sure that, speaking from experience, there are times that I don't want to think about parkrun. There are times when I just need to kind of face what's in front of me, as I think many people have. And, yeah, I get that. But at the same time, I think I've particularly enjoyed so far having the opportunity to hear people some of the experiences that people are enjoying at parkrun. Some of the new parkruns out there, some of the incredible insights from people as well. So it has been an interesting and challenging time for us and for everyone. But Mel, I think that just adds to the excitement of coming back soon.

00:53:52Melissa Ellis: Yeah. One day soon, hopefully Victoria has a date that is before the end of this calendar year. I'm hopeful of that. If not, I'm going to be coming to New South Wales every week. Hello, New South Wales. Luckily for me, it's a three to four hour journey to the border, so it should be doable. That's how desperate I am.

00:54:17Oliver Spake: You just rock up at your local at Albury. That's the way.

00:54:19Melissa Ellis: Exactly. 100%. Hello, Albury. I'm not fussy. I can pitch a tent.

Sign-off

00:54:26Melissa Ellis: It's easy.

00:54:27Oliver Spake: Look, Mel, it's around the corner and we hope it is for everyone else as well. But rest assured, we look forward to continuing to enjoy our November and our November challenges. So do let us know, Mel, if you've come to a landing on what your challenge is.

00:54:44Melissa Ellis: Yeah, I know. I've still got... done my parkrun today and I haven't decided yet I'm thinking I'm leaning towards I think it was beck's idea which was the n do all the parkruns in Australia that start with n I'm leaning towards that so might have to log my first n parkrun today on the 1st of November

00:55:12Tracey Wood: which is incidentally my daughter Olivia's birthday.

00:55:15Melissa Ellis: So happy birthday, Liv.

00:55:18Oliver Spake: Happy birthday, Liv. Well, Mel, I might have to take some inspiration there or potentially from the brain's trust. So I'll come back on that one. I will do some notties. Now I've got a nice shiny 5K course there to try and discovering the whole local legend opportunity there. So, yes, I promise to continue catching up my septober in the meantime, though. But Mel, I suppose that's it. As always, everyone, you can contact us via Facebook or our email, which is parkrunadventurers at gmail.com. But that is it for another week. We'll see you all next week for more adventures.

00:57:06Unidentified speaker: Hi Mel and Ollie. I heard TOC run all the way around Australia two times. Well done TOC. I think he must keep running even when he is sleeping. Bye adventurers. Stay safe.