Episode 319 - Alphabet Ears

00:00:00[intro theme playing]

Welcome

00:00:23Melissa Ellis: Welcome to episode 319 of the parkrun adventurers podcast. My name is Melissa Ellis and I am coming to you from Wurundjeri Country.

00:00:32Oliver Spake: And I am Ollie Spake and I am joining from Dharawal Country with the crickets.

00:00:38Melissa Ellis: Oh, crickets, not cicadas?

00:00:41Oliver Spake: Uh, we're the cicadas. Yeah, let's correct that.

00:00:46Melissa Ellis: How's the moving going, Ollie? Are we all moved?

00:00:52Oliver Spake: I think technically we're moved and we're on to the cleaning. Yes, it's been a busy time. I have put a few things on pause to help out and get us through this time. But, yes, for context, Hannah and James are in their new place and I did spend a big chunk of the weekend helping out at some key times, Mel.

00:01:17Melissa Ellis: Ah.

00:01:18Oliver Spake: 8 a.m Saturday one of those yeah wow future note to my kids if you ever need help moving house please don't schedule it for 8 a.m on Saturday but hey you know it's all for a good cause and it will be very nice once it's all set up and the other place is tidied and keys handed back

00:01:39Melissa Ellis: And your mum's in town.

00:01:40Oliver Spake: Yeah, mum's come through. Mum's also very good at cleaning and always helps out. So, yeah, she's staying tonight. So I've relocated podcasting duties to the front room of the house, near the caramilk steps. But, yeah.

00:02:00Melissa Ellis: Caramilk. We haven't heard about caramilk for a while.

00:02:03Oliver Spake: No, that's right. That's right. But yeah. So, look, that makes my recap very brief, parkrun Day just gone, Mel. I didn't have one. Aww. What about you? How was your parkrun Day?

00:02:18Melissa Ellis: Well, I ventured north early, as I stated last week, to Cowra parkrun on the lands of the Wiradjuri people. Cowra is a small town in the central west district of New South Wales on the banks of the Lachlan River, approximately 310 kilometres west of Sydney, also 189 kilometres north of Canberra or 694 kilometres northeast of Melbourne. Cowra was my NENDY and I headed off early on Friday morning and arrived just after lunch, giving me ample time to pitch my tent at the showgrounds and head off to explore. Significant to the township is the Prisoner of War campsite, which is listed as one of New South Wales' top heritage sites. The former camp was established during World War II. Most of the detainees were captured Japanese and Italian military personnel with a number of Indonesian political prisoners as well. In 1944, over 1,000 Japanese staged a mass breakout, which was to be the biggest in British and Australian war history. During the breakout, which was depicted in a 1984 TV miniseries, 234 Japanese were killed and 108 wounded. To the Japanese, the disgrace of capture could finally be overcome by dying in armed battle. During the breakout, five Australian soldiers were also killed. From the tragedy of war and the Cowra breakout came a long-lasting friendship between the people of Cowra and the nation of Japan. There is much in Cowra today which serves as a reminder to these events. Cowra is also the home to Australia's World Peace Bell. Located in Civic Square, the Australian World Peace Bell is a replica of the one that stands in the forecourt of the United Nations headquarters as a reminder of the continual need for all nations to work for peace. The Australian World Peace Bell was awarded to Cowra in 1992 for its longstanding contribution to world peace and international understanding. It is the only world peace bell in the world that is not located in a city. Hmm. Also worth a visit is the Cowra Japanese Garden and Cultural Centre, a simply stunning five hectare strolling garden, the largest of its type in the southern hemisphere. The garden was officially opened in 1979 and remains a place of peace and a symbol of reconciliation between Australia and Japan. The garden is connected to the site of the breakout and former prisoner of war camp by Sakura Avenue. Translating to Cherry Tree Avenue in English. This commemorative drive connects the Cowra Japanese Garden with the site of the POW camp and continues to the Australian and Japanese War Cemetery. I was greeted by a group of very friendly volunteers led by RD Leanne for event 202 at Cowra parkrun, which is situated within the Prisoner of War campsite area. The course is a double out and back with some definite elevation. But as is always the case, what goes up must come down, and that final downhill return was much welcomed. I was pleased with another post-injury PB, despite the hills and the warm conditions, taking 30 seconds off my time from last week.

00:05:55Oliver Spake: Well done, Mel. Thank you.

00:05:57Melissa Ellis: There were 39 finishers, which is in keeping with the average of 31, and I was one of seven first-timers on the day. Afterwards, the team enjoyed brunch at the Rose Garden Coffeehouse, which is back in the township. If you are planning to visit Cowra, make sure you allow ample time to explore and soak up the history. The area also features boutique vineyards, a regional art gallery, the Lachlan Valley Railway Heritage Centre, Canola Spring Tours, Heritage Walks and Cycle Trail Tours.

00:06:34Oliver Spake: It's not a small trip, to state the obvious. But I am always astounded by the strength of your research there, Mel. You put me to shame, not just obviously for the research, but the whole parkrun experience there. But, yeah. really appreciate it. It's going to have to go on the list, I think.

00:06:56Melissa Ellis: It needs to, Ollie. It's a really lovely place to visit and steeped in history. Of course, I was very engaged in all the military history and didn't get to spend as long as I would have liked in the area. I was on a schedule, as I always am, because I needed to get home. My daughter had an appointment later in the day on Saturday to try on wedding dresses. So I had to hot foot it home as quickly as my little car could get me down the hill.

00:07:28Oliver Spake: Well, that's a good reason to make it back very quickly to enjoy. What a big weekend.

00:07:35Melissa Ellis: It was. Oh, yeah, and I haven't even mentioned juniors.

00:07:38Oliver Spake: That's right. Did you get my prompt there?

00:07:40Melissa Ellis: Thank you. Thank you. That's a good segue. We had a brilliant morning at Eynesbury for our second birthday.

00:07:48Oliver Spake: Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday. Happy birthday. Eynesbury Trail Junior Heritage parkrun. Happy birthday to you.

00:07:57Melissa Ellis: Eynesbury Heritage Trail Junior.

00:08:00Oliver Spake: One job. One job.

00:08:02Melissa Ellis: Thank you. We did have a lovely morning. You know, we're a little event, but we have a big heart. We have the best volunteers. And one of our more recent volunteers, Janelle, made us the best cake. We didn't really have a cake for our first birthday, but it doesn't matter, made up for it with birthday number two, which was a lovely cake complete with a puddle and our Jemima Puddle Duck with all our Marshal positions marked. Oh, it was fabulous and very well enjoyed by everybody that was there. We had another of our regular volunteers, Suzanne, turn up with a picnic table and cups and paper plates and serviettes and cold water and everything for all the kids to enjoy. So we were very, very blessed with all the generous support from our community.

00:09:02Oliver Spake: Oh, that sounds lovely. And yeah, congratulations to everyone a part of that community for putting on a wonderful event.

00:09:10Melissa Ellis: Thanks.

00:09:11Oliver Spake: So it really was a big weekend.

00:09:13Melissa Ellis: Yeah. Yeah, it was. Yep, yep, yep, yep. But also going on, Ollie, doing my own segue here.

00:09:23Oliver Spake: You are, yes.

00:09:25Melissa Ellis: The Office Lady's Classy Challenge Cards. Now, I did refer to these last week as snazzy. I apparently was wrong, although I do think they're pretty snazzy.

00:09:36Oliver Spake: Well, maybe the stickers are the snazzy part.

00:09:39Melissa Ellis: We need to do a bit of a shout-out tonight because the Office Lady has asked us to mention that they are in the post. So everybody that ordered the challenge cards and stickers, they have gone in the post today. And if you have regrets, if you have FOMO, there are a very limited number of sticker sheets left over. So if you want to look on Facebook and find one of the previous posts about the challenge cards, either on Facebook or Instagram, you can comment and the Office Lady will send you a message with the ordering details. These are only, however, while stocks last.

00:10:20Oliver Spake: Yes, and a huge thank you to the Office Lady for coordinating them.

00:10:24Melissa Ellis: Absolutely. She has gone above and beyond. We are forever in her debt.

00:10:29Oliver Spake: Yes, yeah.

00:10:30Melissa Ellis: How did we get so lucky, Ollie, to get an Office Lady?

00:10:33Unidentified speaker: Oh.

00:10:34Oliver Spake: Don't question miracles, Mel. Just enjoy them and appreciate them.

00:10:40Melissa Ellis: Yeah, we do. We do. We absolutely do. Yeah, so.

00:10:44Oliver Spake: That's right. Yeah.

00:10:45Melissa Ellis: Recapping the last week, news and discussion. I don't know. I don't know. I don't think we want to mention the war. Yeah, we don't have to. I think it's been covered. We don't. We absolutely don't, Ollie.

00:11:00Oliver Spake: Yeah. It's been covered. We're here to talk about some adventures, and you know what? So are some other people. So there has been lots of wonderful parkrunning going on around the world, and we are fortunate, as we still play a bit of catch-up since our festive season break, we're fortunate to have a few roving reports to take us around the globe. So, Mel, I think let's let them talk us through their experiences.

00:11:20[background music]

Roving reports & the Channel 5 News crew

Roving report Alison Fraser — Perry Hall parkrun

00:11:33Alison Fraser (King): So today's my final parkrun trip of this adventure and I've chosen today to come to Perry Hall parkrun in Birmingham and I've done the parkrun and I'm sat in the back of my chauffeur's car with Emma who is Can you describe yourself, Emma, and your relationship with Perry Hall?

00:11:52Emma - former Event Director, Perry Hall parkrun: Yeah, so I was the Event Director here for just over seven years. And towards the end of November, I stepped down from that just so that I could concentrate on my ambassador role, really. So it's my first time back here today since then. And it's been great to have you here. And you got big cheers at the briefing for being all the way from New Zealand.

00:12:11Alison Fraser (King): The poor guy from Walsall just down the road.

00:12:13Emma - former Event Director, Perry Hall parkrun: Yeah, kind of, yeah. Who's the furthest away? No, not Walsall today, so um we parked walk today you were parkwalker and you said this was your first time in that role yeah um so as I say I was a Event Director for many years so I've done quite a few volunteers and um there's three roles that I've never yet done one was parkwalker one was Tail Walker and I've never marshalled either um so I think really it's because when I like to volunteer I like to be in the finish area and amongst that team and seeing the runners coming in and things like that so today an opportunity obviously I knew you was coming here and because of your accident you're unable to run around um at the moment and wasn't sure how long we'd get in the cafe so I said that I'd join you as parkwalker and go around and have a chat and yeah it was surprisingly really good fun I loved it yeah so tell the listeners about Perry Hall like how old is it and what kind of course is it So Perry Hall started in 2015 I think it was. It's on maybe around 350 events now. So the course, when I first took it on as Event Director it used to be two laps which was basically two laps around a muddy field as well. which was a little bit lonely especially for the walkers who was only getting about 80 walkers and runners at that time so it was quite a lonely thing on your second lap there was nobody else around you really so we decided to change the course and made it basically all on paths and that had a great impact on the number of walkers we now get and the number of runners because they prefer obviously to be on the paths and not ankle deep in mud especially in the winter Yeah, it's three slightly different laps with two out and back sections, which is really social because obviously you get to see runners going in the other direction, so yeah it's um we had really good feedback and and it's been like that ever since so about the last five six years we've had that course yeah I found it really sociable course today yep which made up for the weather oh yes yeah typical Perry Hall weather um we we always get the wind on the long out and back even if a beautiful summer's day you'll always get the wind on there but yeah um if you can enjoy it on a day like this you can enjoy it anytime yeah it was pretty wet for sure but

00:14:28Alison Fraser (King): as I was told on the way here it is winter so we can't really complain about the weather yeah and we were lucky in some respects the rain did stop it was forecast to be torrential all morning so it could have been worse yeah so today was your 373rd volunteer yeah and how many runs approximately do you think you've done uh maybe about 160 I think and you do like to go touring to different events

00:14:37[crosstalk]

00:14:53Emma - former Event Director, Perry Hall parkrun: yeah um so I'm currently on I think it's 93 different venues um 10 of those in Scotland so hoping to get my Cowell at Easter time in Scotland as well so so on the parkrun adventurers we do like to find out people's top three okay so what are your not claim you can't name your home parkrun what would be your top three parkrun courses okay yeah that's a good question in terms of courses because I genuinely don't have top three parkruns because every parkrun has its unique um feature that that draws you in whether it be a particular cafe or a course or the community or the size of the event so I literally don't have favourites but favourite course um so I would say um number one probably has to be um one called Somerdale Pavilion, I think it is, or Somerdale Pavilion, which is sort of near Bristol um For anybody who doesn't know, that's a curly whirly course. It's absolutely bonkers. You go around and then I can't describe it.

00:15:56Kia Malik: Curly whirly? Yeah, you go into this spiral.

00:16:00Emma - former Event Director, Perry Hall parkrun: Yeah, spiral. You go into it and you go into the middle and then come back out again and do that a couple of times. And it is just mental. You just look up the course map to see what that one's like. So that one is very memorable. And another one would be Severn Bridge parkrun, which is not too far from there. And obviously that's up on the on the Severn Bridge. If anybody again, Google the Severn Bridge UK and you'll see, you know, it's a big, quite a big, spectacular bridge and it's just a simple out and back course. But on this bridge is something really different to a run in the park, if you like. And thirdly, oh gosh, I'd have to say Loch Leven parkrun in Scotland. That was one of the first Scottish ones I did. And there I met Hilary Bennison, who is part of the With Me Now Facebook group as well. And she was very welcoming and it's got a lovely cafe there.

00:16:50Alison Fraser (King): so yeah cool all right Somerdale Pavilion, Severn Bridge and Loch Leven yes I've only done Severn Bridge so I'll add the other ones to Somerdale is on my list for a summer yes definitely cool thank you so much for your awesome hospitality Emma it's been wonderful coming to visit Perry Hall and I am going to get on the plane this afternoon and head back to New Zealand so I'll be back at New Zealand parkruns next week yeah thank you for choosing Perry Hall whilst you've been on your visit to the UK

00:16:57[crosstalk]

Roving report Johan Duvenhage — Living Colour parkrun

00:17:18Johan Duvenhage: Good morning, goeiemorgen, wellwenni adventurers. It's Johan reporting from the Living Colour parkrun in the Western Cape near Darling. I'm here today with the Malik family and the Malik family is a family of the two parents and ten kids of which we have three of the boys here today with the parents, and between the the family they've done more than 3 000 parkruns so I'm going to confuse the names so I'm going to let them introduce themselves and also tell us how many parkruns they've done how many different events and how many volunteers let's start with that good morning I'm Munib Malik I'm the father of the 10 kids and I've done 407 different parkruns and I've also done and so on 70

00:18:07Munib Malik: two or three volunteers, and I've done 38 different parkruns, but most of the parkruns was in the Western Cape.

00:18:16Johan Duvenhage: All right, and let's go to mum.

00:18:17Faldila Malik: Hi, I'm Faldila Malik. I've done 425 parkruns to date, 426 to date, and I've done 72 different volunteers and 38 different parkruns.

00:18:36Helmy Malik: Okay, and now the boys. Hi, my name is Helmy Malik. I've done 38 different parkruns and I've done 379 parkruns in total to this date and I've done 64 volunteers so far.

00:18:52Toir Malik: Hi, I'm Toir. I've done 38 different parkruns, 411 overall and I've done 64 volunteers.

00:19:02Kia Malik: Hello, my name is Kia Malik. I've done 418 parkruns, 65 volunteers and then I've managed to do 36 different types of parkruns.

00:19:18Johan Duvenhage: Fantastic. So you guys have started parkrunning from what I can think of the numbers around about the same time as parkrun started in the Western Cape?

00:19:27Munib Malik: Yes, we are from the Green Point parkrun and in the inaugural event we had the pleasure of meeting Bruce Fordyce there and then we were introduced and the wife doesn't want to miss any so that's the way we've been carrying on since July 2013.

00:19:45Johan Duvenhage: So what does parkrun mean for you? Why do you parkrun every week?

00:19:49Faldila Malik: Oh, parkrun keeps us busy. I have to literally drag them out of the bed. Come rain or shine, you got to do this. We got to do this. And if we go out early, we prepare ourselves the night before. And the morning we just get up and go. That's it. They must. They must. It's a must. Because what else are we going to do on a Saturday morning? Look at each other? No. Mm-mm.

00:20:16Johan Duvenhage: So mom is rough on you guys, you have to get out of bed early?

00:20:19Helmy Malik: Yeah we have to but for me it's more of the scenery at some of the parkruns and I really enjoy that and just getting to know other people as well.

00:20:30Johan Duvenhage: What do you enjoy most of parkrun?

00:20:32Toir Malik: I enjoy that I see a lot of people from different countries coming across the world and saying how beautiful Cape Town is and showing me someone that is from Cape Town how beautiful it really is as well. And for you?

00:20:46Kia Malik: It's just the experience all the time. I mean, meeting new faces, meeting new people. You get those people who always are from overseas, always willing to, I mean, if they can come all this way, I'm sure we can go all that way overseas just to go around and parkrun as well, you know?

00:21:03Johan Duvenhage: Well that sounds like there's a dare to dare to get the flight tickets ready to go somewhere.

00:21:13Munib Malik: What we enjoy in the parkrun keeps the family together too you know because it's a family time especially on a Saturday morning and we start out with this parkrun and we enjoy the time together. They participate in many other sports too but I mean I'm not up to playing golf and those things with them. I'm not at that league. So I enjoy with the time with the kids and so on. And it's really difficult, you know, because the other children are all married. And for them to get together and so on, to organise that is quite difficult, especially when it comes to far distances.

00:21:30[background music]

00:21:46Johan Duvenhage: So, guys, it was really very nice meeting you here at Living Colour parkrun. And enjoy the parkruns. And I see that's not too far for those 500 shirts, the blue shirts, on the way.

00:21:57Faldila Malik: No, no. Not too far, not too far. I just hope I get there. And when I get there, I need to fill up my 72 different, my volunteer. Because I want to go to 72, I want 100 as well.

00:22:10Johan Duvenhage: Fantastic. So all the best and we'll see you in the next Western Cape event. Adventurers, that's me signing off from Living Colour parkrun. Happy parkrunning. Till next time.

Roving report Jeff — Osborne Metro Park parkrun

00:22:25Jeff - US correspondent: Good morning, parkrun adventurers. This is U.S. correspondent Jeff. I am checking in from my car in the ancestral lands of the Wyandotte people along Lake Erie at the tippy top of the state of Ohio. I drove a little over five hours yesterday to be here in Huron for the 25th edition of Osborn Metropark parkrun. All week I was intending to visit a park right in Cleveland, which is more northeast along the lake, but the weather forecast there began to call for some slush and ice, so I changed my plans on Thursday. And even though it's still bitterly cold here, I'm looking forward to checking off a new event in my class to become an Ohio statesman in 2023. My friend and fellow parkrun ambassador, Emma Keer, is visiting this morning as well. And some other Michigan parkrunners made the trip with her. So hopefully it's not too windy to get some audio with those folks and with the team here at Osborn. But we'll see about that. All right, so I'll talk to you guys in a minute.

00:23:32Unidentified speaker: And then when we get down to the back, you've got to come turn around and make it one more time. So it's a two-lap course.

00:23:40Denise Parker: This is my 18th time volunteering.

00:23:43Jeff - US correspondent: Your 18th time volunteering. I'm here with Denise Parker and adventurers, and Denise is timekeeping today. How is it today? How's the turnout?

00:23:51Denise Parker: The turnout's good. We've had better, and we've had worse days than this that's been better, but we still have a good turnout. Awesome course. We're running on our winter course, which isn't as scenic as our normal course, but it's still a good course. It's still a good course. It's still a good course, but it's a lot of fun. I enjoy it.

00:24:06[crosstalk]

00:24:13Jeff - US correspondent: How did you get involved with the park right here?

00:24:16Denise Parker: Well, I moved from Wakeman to here, and I belong to the Friends of Erie MetroParks that Joyce is the president of. And Martin started it and looked for volunteers, and we heard about it, and here we are.

00:24:31Jeff - US correspondent: Have you been able to walk? Oh, yes. Okay, awesome. Yes, yes.

00:24:32[crosstalk]

00:24:34Denise Parker: I've been able to walk, done all the positions, been Tail Walker, walked the course. I live very close, so I can walk over here and walk the course. Yes, thank you.

00:24:41[crosstalk]

00:24:43Jeff - US correspondent: Thank you for that, reducing your carbon footprint okay how many times have you volunteered you said 18 18 okay so also you're getting close to your uh 25 milestone shirt here I didn't know if you got one or not yeah yeah yeah but I enjoy it yeah thank you so much for chatting with me okay thank you okay adventurers I'm back with

00:24:53[crosstalk]

00:25:05Martin - Event Director, Osborn Metropark parkrun: Martin and Morgan.

00:25:06Jeff - US correspondent: Martin and Morgan. And are you Co-Event Directors or you're the sole Event Director?

00:25:10Martin - Event Director, Osborn Metropark parkrun: I'm the Event Director, but Morgan is basically Co-Event Director.

00:25:14Jeff - US correspondent: Okay. And Morgan was the Run Director today. So how was it today?

00:25:18Morgan - Run Director / Co-Event Director, Osborn Metropark parkrun: It was great. It was a little bit chilly today, but there was no snow. My feet are a little bit cold. Same. I have a hand warmer, though, so at least my hands are warm.

00:25:31Jeff - US correspondent: I don't know if our Australian listeners will know about hot hands, but they are a remarkable invention, and we use them quite a bit in the Midwest and the United States. So, Martin, this is the 25th event for Osborn Metropark. You started back in July. What was the impetus for you all to bring a parkrun here to Osborn? To Erie County.

00:25:51Martin - Event Director, Osborn Metropark parkrun: Morgan and I, we did our first parkrun way back in 2015 in South Africa. The Doozy. Yeah, Doozy near Pietermaritzburg. And we loved it, so we did that several times. And I'm originally from England, so when I moved back to England, I did a few there a lot. And then when we moved here... Back in 2016, we had to travel an hour plus to get to our closest parkrun. So we wanted to, one, bring it to the community because we love the idea of parkrun, but also, two, kind of selfishly, we wanted to do a parkrun without having to travel an hour plus. So, yeah, I mean, that was the impetus, I guess.

00:26:30Jeff - US correspondent: And you all have quite a volunteer squad today, and you have some first-time volunteers today too, right? Yeah.

00:26:36Martin - Event Director, Osborn Metropark parkrun: Yeah, like three or four first-timers from the local community. And then another couple of first-time volunteers travelled down from Ann Arbor, Michigan as well, from the Lillie Park parkrun. So yeah, we're building up that community. People are getting the word out, which is great.

00:26:53Morgan - Run Director / Co-Event Director, Osborn Metropark parkrun: I think people are still surprised that it's every Saturday. And whenever they realise that, I think they realise it's something special to do.

00:27:02Jeff - US correspondent: It really makes it easier to keep up a routine. You know, it's going to be in the same time, the same place every single week. Well, first time volunteers, like the three words that every one Run Director wants to hear. I mean, just bring them on. Right. So this is a podcast about parkrun tourism and adventuring. What are some other parkruns you all done that are remarkable or stand out?

00:27:25Morgan - Run Director / Co-Event Director, Osborn Metropark parkrun: Um, well, recently we travelled up to Ann Arbor for their New Year's Day, um, parkrun. That was really fun. Just started the year off really, um, on a good foot. And, um, yeah, but I've, I've done, um, Mansfield, uh, which is just south of here 14 times. I need to get back there for 15. And, um, there's a few in Cleveland, um, that are very nice as well. And, um, but I, I mean, I, we've done some in England as well. And, um, I don't know. I don't like the Eastleigh one. It's just like three times around this grassy track and like it's muddy. Sorry for Eastleigh. Sorry, Eastleigh.

00:28:06[crosstalk]

00:28:07Martin - Event Director, Osborn Metropark parkrun: That's also my home parkrun where I'm from, so no offence taken. But the one close to there in Southampton, that's one of the biggest ones in the world. That's where I have my parkrun record and I did my 50th. They regularly have over 1,000 people, so that was probably one of my favourite experiences in parkrun.

00:28:27Morgan - Run Director / Co-Event Director, Osborn Metropark parkrun: Eastleigh, too. I mean, at that point, whenever I was running, I was really hard on myself, and the fact that the course was so muddy and slippery, that didn't help as well. But I'd like to do it again.

00:28:39Jeff - US correspondent: Exactly. If you went back, you may have a different perspective of it. Yeah, that makes sense. Do you guys have any plans for 2023 to do any...

00:28:47Martin - Event Director, Osborn Metropark parkrun: any touring um yeah next next month we're heading down to florida um to do the Weedon Island Preserve parkrun we've done that a couple times before but we're gonna do that that's mostly on boardwalk right yeah it's beautiful beautiful and it's so early as well so you get the sunrise and yeah it's beautiful got it you can't take a malibu to that one though no she she's not coming to that one Sippo Lake we want to do that yeah we want to do that one I'm just gonna make sure we get up

00:28:58[crosstalk]

00:29:05[crosstalk]

00:29:16Jeff - US correspondent: Morgan's going to take off. So thank you all for chatting with me.

00:29:19Unidentified speaker: Yeah, thanks, Jeff.

00:29:24Jeff - US correspondent: Alrighty, adventurers, that is going to wrap it up for me. I am fully caffeinated and I had a meatball sub and I'm ready for my trip home. I want to thank Martin and Morgan and the rest of the very lovely team at Osborn Metropark parkrun. If you are in the northern Ohio area, the Lake Erie area, Huron is part of the Sandusky metro area, which Sandusky is home to Cedar Point Amusement Park. If you're into roller coasters, you've probably heard of it. They have some of the tallest and fastest in the world. Not my thing, but it might be yours. So if you're in the area, now you know that you have a parkrun to go to and they have a summer course. So you'll be able to tell me all about it when you come. Thank you all so much for listening. And I really like seeing all of your warm weather pictures while we're freezing in January here in the U.S. So more tank tops, more ugly Christmas gear. Keep it coming all winter and I'll return the favour to you in July. Until then, talk to you later.

00:30:25[background music]

00:30:38Melissa Ellis: Thank you to our roving reporters, Alison, Johan and Jeff, coming to us from the UK, from South Africa and the US of A. Ollie, all the colours of the spectrum this week.

00:30:53Oliver Spake: That's right. What a trip. We've been all around the world. Yeah, it helps me make up for it. But why stop there?

Dazza's

00:31:01Oliver Spake: Let's go to Dazza's. Mel, so at Dazza's this week, he said, Hey, Rachel, where's the best park faff this weekend? Dazza is keen to hear all your answers. Come on in, get comfy and share your parkrun story. And coming in in New Zealand was Jack Corkill, who said, Morning, Dazza. Only stayed local for one week and now adventuring again, this time across to New Zealand to Puarenga parkrun. Had to go to the Smelly parkrun and got to meet Alison as well, who was run directing. Awesome run and hopefully the sun can stay out for a couple more weeks to do a couple more New Zealand parkruns. And Jack did share a photo of he and Claire in the selfie frame.

00:31:45Melissa Ellis: There was also a photo shared by Alison of the three of them, and I don't know about you, but I got a little bit of a thrill to see Jack and Claire over there visiting Alison at Puarenga.

00:31:57Oliver Spake: The Smelly parkrun. Is that a nickname that sticks?

00:32:01Melissa Ellis: I also want to go to the Smelly parkrun.

00:32:04Oliver Spake: I'm still dreaming up World Cup excuses to make it over there, that's for sure.

00:32:10Melissa Ellis: Yeah, it might be on my radar this year, I think. But we also heard from Barbara Luther, and she said, we had a very nice social morning with family members at Rockhampton parkrun. It was very special for Gemma Kai Askey and me to be there for our sister's 250th parkrun milestone. Now, I know, Ollie... Sister was in fact Dot and Barbara and Gemma were partaking in quite a bit of family celebrations. There was extra T-shirts made for the occasion. There was a group of kids also wearing homemade T-shirts in honour of Dot.

00:32:53Denise Parker: Yeah.

00:32:53Melissa Ellis: So well done. I believe Dot's 75 at least. So it's a great milestone for Dot.

00:33:01Oliver Spake: Very, very nicely supported there. And congratulations, Dot. Now. Coming in, one very liked post, Sam Schroder, who said, Good morning, Dazza. Luke and I had a beautiful morning at Picton parkrun. I had a run and Luke had a go at barcode scanning for the first time. He did an excellent job and enjoyed it. Then we had a delicious breakfast at Picton Social. And thank you, Sam, for the photo. A selfie taken by Luke of Luke and Sam.

00:33:34Melissa Ellis: Well done, Luke, stepping up for barcode scanning. We also heard from Sarah Jefferson who said, hey, Dazza, volunteerism, tick, 250 events, tick, yay, at University of WA parkrun wearing the 250 regalia. And we had a photo of Sarah in graduation gown with a 250 sash. Yes. Well done, Sarah.

00:34:02Oliver Spake: Woo. Looks very smart. Now, on the volleying front, and particularly appreciative for this particular volley this week, Karen Hamilton, who said, me and Darwin had the boss's vest and megaphone at Shalaba. And the photo shared was of Karen and Darwin with the megaphone. That is Karen with the megaphone and Darwin doing the RD thing.

00:34:29Melissa Ellis: Good photo too. I love seeing Darwin at Schlaba.

00:34:34Oliver Spake: That's right.

00:34:35Melissa Ellis: I love that. It's not really an acronym, but it's just... Schlaba.

00:34:40Oliver Spake: Schlaba.

00:34:41Melissa Ellis: Yeah. It's been adopted, would you say, by the locals as a shortened version of Shellharbour?

00:34:50Oliver Spake: Yeah, by some at least, I'm sure. By some. Shalaba.

00:34:54Melissa Ellis: We also heard from Erica Liotta, who was touristing. She said, big adventure to Bargara parkrun for me, included an overnight stay, waking up to a flat tyre. Yeah. Eight hours of driving and getting to parkrun seven minutes late, but still getting to run and scan my token. And Erica shared a photo with the selfie frame. We are so glad that you got to parkrun, Erica.

00:35:22Oliver Spake: Yeah, that's taking it beyond cutting it fine. Yeah, well done. Helen Rutter over in the UK said, all the way to Lordship Recreation Ground parkrun to see my London buddies. Park faff at the community hub was fantastic. Egg and mushroom butty and a cake. Well, it was my 150th different event, hashtag arbitrary, and Helen sharing the photo of herself and friends at the park faff table and with a further reply of a pic of a lake with two lovely white swans.

00:35:59Melissa Ellis: That's a Cowell and a half. That's no mean feat.

00:36:02Oliver Spake: Absolutely.

00:36:03Melissa Ellis: Definitely worth celebrating with a butty.

00:36:05Unidentified speaker: Yeah.

00:36:06Oliver Spake: and a cake.

00:36:07Melissa Ellis: We also heard from Johan. He said, I was off to Living Colour parkrun near Darling in the Western Cape. We have heard from him just earlier. It's dry season now, so the colours are a bit muted, but I did meet some pretty colourful characters. Fantastic cafe at the start finish of a rather demanding route with an initial headwind that had my eyes water. Wilson Index and Fibonacci number 21 ticked off and stopwatch bingo Excuse my terrible voice there, but well done, Johan, and congratulations.

00:36:48Oliver Spake: That's got to feel good.

00:36:49Melissa Ellis: Yeah, and Johan shared a beautiful landscape photo that he is renowned for.

00:36:55Oliver Spake: He is.

00:36:55Melissa Ellis: Including Michelle in her colourful outfit and Johan, Philippa and Lydia and, oh, no, I can't say their names. Moniabat. Moni Ebb, he probably said it in his roving report and I haven't listened closely enough. I need to study these things. I'll get my comments on point.

00:37:19Oliver Spake: Well done and well done. And we heard not so far west from where I am as South Africa but still fairly west, Chris Gore in WA saying, who said, Hi Dazza, not a lot of post parkrun faffing today as we had things to do after, but we did do a bit before the run. We were undecided as to where to run today. So Karen chose to do a run that would help towards our P index and headed out to Shelley parkrun. Shelley is a great out and back course along the Canning River, but it was a windy morning. The times on the outward leg were very good, but slowed down a bit coming back. We managed to get Azumi in and to tick that challenge chart box. And thank you, Chris, for sharing the photos, the two pics in the collage, and I believe one of each doing Azumi.

00:38:15Melissa Ellis: They should be your sister parkrun if they're called Shelly.

00:38:18Oliver Spake: Yeah.

00:38:20Melissa Ellis: You need to get on to that, Ollie.

00:38:22Oliver Spake: Well, yes, I have heard others close to home calling Shalaba Shelly. So that's why I'm probably a bit more fond of it being Shalaba because, yeah, otherwise I suppose there could be a bit of confusion notwithstanding obvious geographical differences there.

00:38:38Melissa Ellis: We also heard from Sarah Langley. She sent us an email this week, Ollie, and she said, Good morning, Mel and Ollie. It was a great weekend for parkrun celebrations as we celebrated Shepparton's ninth birthday and then left home at 5 a.m. on Sunday to visit Eynesbury Juniors on their second birthday. Always great to catch up with fellow adventurers and make new friends along the way, from Sarah Lynn and cousin Baza in Shepparton. And we had a lovely photo from Sarah of herself and Lynn with the I volunteered at Jiggy's sign.

00:39:19Oliver Spake: That's right. Very good effort.

00:39:21Melissa Ellis: We're milking that sign, Ollie. We're trying to spread the juniors word far and wide in Australia. We've only got five events here in Australia. We need to build juniors over here.

00:39:31Oliver Spake: And it does take a great deal of support. And I'm ashamed to say that I have not been one of those supporters yet, Mel, and I do apologise for that.

00:39:39Melissa Ellis: Get yourself down here, dude, with your kids.

00:39:42Oliver Spake: If I can get myself organised in that way, it would be wonderful. And hopefully many more of us also discover that to help bring it to life because it's no small feat apart from the feat of the participants who are predominantly small-footed being juniors.

00:40:02Melissa Ellis: So there are some good numbers at Junior parkruns. We shouldn't measure everything on the numbers that appear at Eynesbury. We had 14 kids this week. Now 14 is 14 and, you know, it isn't just about the numbers and it's 100% about the community and I just love my home event and I love seeing all the kids in the morning, but I also love the after event part of Junior parkrun, having coffee and socialising. So that's very much a part of my Sunday routine, which I love. But there is a lot of other junior events in Australia.

00:40:39Morgan - Run Director / Co-Event Director, Osborn Metropark parkrun: Well, not a lot. There's four others.

00:40:42Melissa Ellis: They get more juniors than us, but we shouldn't measure our success on the amount of kids that arrive.

00:40:49Oliver Spake: Yeah, that's right. It is all about the community and the experience for the kids, and it's great to see more volunteering supporting that. So, yeah, thank you, everyone, for joining us at Dazza's this week. Mel, how are we looking on the envelope front? Because I'm a bit nervous about the post-its here in front of me. I can take a look.

00:41:10Melissa Ellis: You haven't got an envelope. You know why you haven't got an envelope, Ollie? Because I've got the envelope today.

00:41:15Oliver Spake: Oh, not just my messy desk.

00:41:19Melissa Ellis: Fear not, my friend.

00:41:21Oliver Spake: Yes, thank you.

00:41:22Melissa Ellis: The envelope is here in my in-tray and let me open this week's envelope. Thank you. Okay. Coming hot off the heels of the Golden Globes.

00:41:38Oliver Spake: Does that mean we need a speech?

00:41:40[background music]

00:41:40Melissa Ellis: No, we don't go there.

00:41:42Oliver Spake: No, okay.

the Obi Award — Sarah Langley

00:41:43Melissa Ellis: This week's Obi Award goes to, drumroll, Sarah Langley. Sarah Langley.

00:42:00Oliver Spake: coming to us at junior parkrun with Lynn hewson but the Obi goes to Sarah because she's the one that emailed us so thank you that's right showing a different mode of transport to get to Dazza's this week see don't have to be on Facebook to join us in Dazza's absolutely not congratulations Sarah with the bonus prize

00:42:21Melissa Ellis: Yes, yes, we should say we still have the extra bonus. It's not snazzy, is it? It's classy.

00:42:29Oliver Spake: Yes, it is classy. So for a very limited time only, Sarah, you were very lucky. At least we think so. Again, thank you, everyone, for joining us at Dazza's. Now, Mel, I believe we have a return from last week's segment. Rachel is back.

00:42:47Melissa Ellis: Rachel is absolutely back, our very own AI. So good throw, Ollie, and I'll leave it to you.

00:42:50[background music]

00:42:55Oliver Spake: Okay, Rachel, what do you have for us this week?

Club Corner

00:43:08Rachel - Club Corner contributor: Welcome back. This is Rachel with Club Corner, where we talk about the what and why of parkrun clubs. Hey Rachel, what is an ND? Just joking. We all know about the English language alphabet. A, B, C etc. parkrun event names in Australia are written in English and are sorted using the English alphabet. Some parkrunners like to collect things, and today's featured club is called Alphabet Ears. An alphabeteer collects event names, sorted by the first letter of the English alphabet. The goal is to run walk or jog at events using all of the letters of the English alphabet. There is a parallel volunteer alphabeteer, and some people count both participations simultaneously. All the letters of the English alphabet are present for Australia, except one letter. In November 2022 there were 445 active events opened to the public and some letters are more popular than others. How popular! The letter C is used to begin 49 event names, and the letter M begins 44 event names. This continues all the way down to the letters I and V, both used only thrice each, and Z is only used once in Australia. But there is one letter not used at all. X. Some letters can be considered as scarce, they are present in half or fewer of the eight states and territories within Australia. Looking at Z, it's only at Zillmere in Queensland. Queensland also has two of the three Vs available. But if you want a Q, then New South Wales is your best bet as they have two of the four available. No state or territory has the complete alphabet available, so there are parkrun adventures required to complete this club-slash-achievement. In parkrun life, all non-milestone clubs are unofficial and unsupported by parkrun, so stay tuned for our future club corners.

00:44:51Melissa Ellis: Thank you, Rachel, hearing all about the Alphabeteer Club. Ollie, have you got all your alphabet yet? I don't.

00:45:00Oliver Spake: I certainly do not. I am still missing an I. I'm still missing a J. Yeah, I'm still a few off.

00:45:08Melissa Ellis: I'm just missing a Z, but I'll get there one day. But we've got mail.

00:45:14Oliver Spake: You've got mail.

Emails

00:45:15Oliver Spake: We do. Should I read the mail? Please. Well, our mail this week comes from Alison of the Channel 5 News crew over in New Zealand. And she said, Hey Mel and Ollie, Colin Thorne turned 99 on Saturday and set a new age grade record for New Zealand. He finished in 5604, 107.4% in the VM 95 to 99 age group. Wow. We also achieved a new record for parkrunners with 5,612 finishes. That's 256 more than our last record-breaking day on Christmas Eve. Three events broke their attendance record and our average time has increased by a second. For the last four weeks, it's increased from 31.11 to 31.21 since the launch of parkrun. Looking good for parkrun in New Zealand this year. Alison.

00:46:13Melissa Ellis: Oh, that is good news.

00:46:14Oliver Spake: Yeah, yes, and some impressive stats. I mean, that very gradual creep in the average time, that's been a very gentle change.

00:46:25Melissa Ellis: Absolutely good for them.

00:46:26Oliver Spake: Yes, thank you, Alison.

Consolidated Club Report

00:46:28Oliver Spake: Now, Mel, how are we looking on the club front?

00:46:30Melissa Ellis: Well, the Consolidated Club report for Saturday, the 14th of January, 2023, of a total of 367 members. Wow. 303 took part on this date at 168 locations. We had adventurers at 19 events in the UK, at two events in South Africa and one event in the USA, Singapore, Japan and Germany, there were adventurers at 37 events in the greater state, 35 events in the second greatest state, New South Wales, adventurers at 29 events in Queensland, nine in South Australia and West Australia, the ACT and the North Island had eight events. There were adventurers at six events in Tassie and New two at the South Island.

00:47:28Oliver Spake: Wow. Very close, but I appreciate the new title.

00:47:34Melissa Ellis: The second greatest state.

00:47:35Oliver Spake: Yeah, sure.

the Frond — Shellharbour

00:47:38Oliver Spake: All right, Mel, how are we on the frond fronts?

00:47:44Melissa Ellis: So, Ollie, we need to have a talk about this. Gather in, everybody. Gather in. It's time for a chat. So the two largest fronds this week are disqualified on account of breaking the unwritten rule by attending launches. So with those disqualifications, this means that Shellharbour does a Bradbury with six adventurers and wins the largest frond.

00:48:10Oliver Spake: Go Shellharbour.

00:48:13Melissa Ellis: What I would like to say is a very big thank you. And the thank you is to all the adventurers that knew that there were launches in Queensland and Victoria this week. They knew, but they didn't go. They made the decision to stay away, to let the events have their first week and settle in. So thank you to all those people that knew and made that decision. You're appreciated.

00:48:43Oliver Spake: Well said, Mel. And I think that there maybe is a certain individual over here that appreciates that by virtue of that unwritten rule, there is a certain outcome. But yes.

00:49:01Melissa Ellis: You win by default, you do.

00:49:03Oliver Spake: I win by default.

Launches and anniversaries"Where is the cake?"

00:49:04Oliver Spake: That's right.

00:49:05Melissa Ellis: But we should announce there was indeed a launch at Calembeen in Victoria, which gives a third event to Ballarat in Victoria and also Brisbane Valley Rail Trail Blackbutt in Queensland. So they were the two launches we had this last weekend.

00:49:26Oliver Spake: So welcome to the parkrun family, gang.

00:49:28Melissa Ellis: Absolutely welcome.

00:49:29Oliver Spake: Well, thank you for the stats, Mel.

00:49:33Melissa Ellis: I hope it didn't bring too bad a vibe to the stats it wasn't my intention I was trying to skirt around the elephant in the room this week

00:49:44Oliver Spake: I think that we understand that everyone has their own thoughts on, as we say, the unwritten rule. I think that in most cases, I'm sure not every case, but in most cases, event teams do appreciate not being overwhelmed with a large number of visitors at that new event. Plenty of views, plenty of views, of course, but yeah.

00:50:07Melissa Ellis: If we elaborate on this, Ollie, because With Me Now did have a discussion on this in their last episode as well. And, you know, we also try to align with the unwritten rule now in Australia for silent launches. It's not something that parkrun comes out and publicly states that

00:50:34Oliver Spake: It's an approach. And I think that as we are seeing, I haven't been at any of the launches, so I don't know. And that's launches in the last couple of years. I've absolutely been to launches previously. But It appears that launches currently are not necessarily overwhelmed with numbers. I've been to at least one very busy launch or a couple of busy launches, volunteering and running. And, yeah, I think, you know, particularly as a volunteer on one of those, I can appreciate that it might have been easier if it was a bit quieter. It was a great experience nonetheless. But, yeah, it might have helped things settle in, even though I was an experienced volunteer. But... Yes, I suppose it's, you know, something we reference as an unwritten rule because it is not clearly something that is necessarily reinforced and there are ways of finding out information, aren't there? So when that's available, given that we all do have our own thoughts and opinions, you know, there will be a variety of approaches.

00:51:35Melissa Ellis: Yeah, and I think to be a bit more direct.

00:51:39Oliver Spake: Are you saying I'm not direct? No one's ever said that to me.

00:51:46Melissa Ellis: We'd love you the way you are but, no, what I wanted to say was that events do go out of their way to keep their launches quiet and that is the policy from parkrun Australia. And it's also something that has been going for some time in the UK. Other countries don't have this issue. This issue is more related to the fact that launches were starting to get numbers that were unmanageable, I suppose. Now, in certain circles, it is thought by some that if an event appears on the parkrun map prior to the launch, it's fair game. You can go. It's there. It's on the map. Also, if the event reaches out to its local community for the trials event, to get the local community involved and to practice and go through the motions, then the tourists, they think that then that's fair game because the trials have been advertised so therefore it's out there in the public space. No, no, no, no, no, no. That is there for the local community and that's the whole purpose of it to reach out to the local community. That is not an open invitation to tourists, in my view. That is my personal view, and that is what I'm putting forward.

00:53:15Oliver Spake: Yeah, and I appreciate your view, Mel. And I think, again, from the perspective of a volunteer, I appreciate it because I think that we need to support our teams. If If, for example, there are ways that, you know, technology and processes and, you know, anything else that could be changed, you know, could help make it even easier to silently launch or to make it even easier to launch with everyone there, then it might change my view. But I think all things considered right now, I echo what you're saying. I appreciate that a large number of people do moderate engagement their attendance. So we give these guys a great welcoming and introduction to the parkrun family.

00:53:57Melissa Ellis: And I'm first to admit that for a long time, I was very upset about the shift in culture within parkrun in Australia that to make a launch a no-go zone. I didn't like that, Ollie. I wanted to still go and I did initially. I'm the first to put my hand up and say that I was reluctant to accept that new rule. I still turned up for launches for a little while because I didn't like being told I couldn't go. Not because I didn't appreciate the idea behind keeping it small. I think what it was previously, launches were somewhere where the tourist community all came together and it was a big meetup and all the tourists would turn up for a launch. And because when you're a tourist, you don't And well, you're a little bit different as an Event Director. And I mean, I'm different in the way that I have juniors on a Sunday. But generally, if you're a tourist, you're not at the same event every week. So you don't see the same people. But when you go to a launch, all the tourists would converge for the launch. And it was a big meetup and it was a big party and it was a big celebration and there was cake and it was exciting. And you would go there knowing that you would see a lot of people from your tourist community. And I didn't want to give that up.

00:55:26Unidentified speaker: Yeah, yeah.

00:55:28Melissa Ellis: I wasn't willing to give that up and it did take me a while. And everybody is on their own journey and everybody has to come to that realisation in their own time and I get that. And if we can do anything on this podcast with the voice that we've got, it is to appeal to the tourist community to say it's time to consider these things

00:55:50Oliver Spake: issues and maybe to step back if you can and wait to event two to event three to event four whatever you don't have to go to the first event and I also think you've got an excellent point um it's the experience and it's the connection and I've got a bit of a hunch that a lot of individuals potentially most individuals that might listen to this podcast really enjoy parkrun And the connection and the experience that comes through that. So, yeah, that's why that is so crucial. And, you know, we can't claim credit for things like Palm, of course, you and I, because we were attendees at the first Palm. Well, someone else's great idea, but that's, I suppose, proactively what we like to try and encourage to help provide that opportunity to connect in a way with some slightly more established events for people that do travel long distances and do like that experience. And there are some other great examples of catch-ups and meet-ups that people do coordinate and, again, thankfully through some of the different channels are able to connect. But Yeah, hear your appeal, Mel. And yeah, I'd say until such time as there maybe is a smoother way for events and teams to feel much, much more confident and comfortable and things to be set up to support them. Yeah, I back you on that. Yes.

00:57:16Melissa Ellis: Thank you.

00:57:17Oliver Spake: And ask that everyone takes that considerate approach. Of course, everyone's going to have their own circumstances, but a bit of consideration goes a long way.

00:57:25Melissa Ellis: Absolutely. And yeah, excuse me for being on my soapbox, but we've got a voice and like, we'd be silly not to use it for the greater good for parkrun. And yeah, a big shout out to all those adventurers. You knew damn well there was launches and you didn't go. So go you.

00:57:44Oliver Spake: But that said, Mel, there's a whole lot more parkrunning still going on next week and, yeah, we look forward to a whole range of experiences and we hope that we do get to hear in the coming weeks about some of those great new events.

00:58:01Melissa Ellis: Yes. And I also wanted to mention there was a full sweep this week in the ACT. So the ACT is relatively compact when it comes to representation in the Adventurers Club. But we had adventurers at all eight events in the ACT this week. So I thought that was worth a mention.

Sign-off

00:58:22Oliver Spake: Yeah, what coverage. Very nice. Have any of those ACT adventurers or events with adventurers inspired you to head back north again next week, Mel?

00:58:34Melissa Ellis: No, no, no, no, no. So I am adventuring again, Ollie, and I am heading west. Is that right? Yes. I had to think about that. You know, my geography isn't great. I'm heading west. I am going back. So it doesn't feel right to say I'm heading west to South Australia, but I actually am because South Australia is west of Victoria. I am heading to Goolwa with Zoe and I'm bringing a friend along with her. We're going to be staying a week over there and enjoying all the fun that there is to explore. We'll be going to Junior's. We're going to Thorndon on Sunday.

00:59:15Oliver Spake: Very nice.

00:59:16Melissa Ellis: I'm so excited. I'm going to be the Tail Walker and Zoe and her friend Alicia are going to be joining me and experiencing another junior parkrun. So that is all the fun that is going on in my world. What about you, Ollie?

00:59:31Oliver Spake: I'm going to be run directing at home at Schlaba. Schlaba. That's it. I get the boss jacket this week and don't get Darwin. But nonetheless, look forward to getting back home and enjoying another stint out there with the crew.

00:59:47Melissa Ellis: Excellent. Excellent. Do you have adventures in your future?

00:59:52Oliver Spake: I hope so. I hope so. Yeah, I have nothing planned, which is quite, I mean, I have something planned in April, of course. But, yeah, it's a big blank spot right now.

01:00:07Melissa Ellis: That's okay because you had a busy last quarter of 2022. So, you know, this is just settling back before the next push.

01:00:18Oliver Spake: It's been a big effort keeping up with all you guys. Like, you know, regular listener, but adventuring, yeah, hasn't always been the top of my game and wore me out, Mel.

01:00:31Melissa Ellis: That's okay, Ollie, because you don't have to be an adventurer to enjoy the podcast. You can listen and you You can just enjoy virtually.

01:00:39Oliver Spake: Quite right. It's quite right. And, hey, there are a lot of tourists and adventurers that come through and visit me, which is absolutely thrilling as well.

01:00:48Melissa Ellis: Oh, yes. Your guest book. It's very impressive. Yes.

01:00:52Oliver Spake: It's a longstanding one, and I hope it continues to stand long. But, okay, well. We'll step off the soapbox and I'll shut up now. But thank you, Mel, for another week and for sharing your parkrun adventures. And thank you, everyone. As always, you can contact us via Facebook or our email, which is parkrunadventurers at gmail.com. Yes, that is it for another week. We'll see you all next week for more adventures.

01:01:15[outro theme playing]

01:02:17Unidentified speaker: Bye.