— open the full-size coverEpisode 336 - Kagerzoomie
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Episode 336 - Kagerzoomie · 2023-06-01
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Source: https://log.5kadventures.net/transcripts/ep336.html · The Adventurers Log · An independent project, not affiliated with or endorsed by parkrun.
Welcome
Melissa Ellis: Welcome to episode 336 of the parkrun adventurers podcast. My name is Melissa Ellis and I'm coming to you from Wurundjeri Country.
Oliver Spake: And I am Ollie Spake and I am joining from Dharawal Country.
Melissa Ellis: Hello, Ollie. How was your weekend in Sydney? How was your vivid?
Oliver Spake: Ah, look, it was... I think, you know, a bit of a treat to get to spend two nights in Sydney and have a little getaway away from the kids. But, yeah, seeing the lights are vivid is always a highlight. And it was nice to have the extra time to wander around. I think we covered a lot of distance both evenings. But, yeah, really enjoyed seeing the different installations that were there.
Melissa Ellis: Is it something that is featured at night when it's dark? So I can imagine that if it's a light show, that's not much good during the day.
Oliver Spake: Absolutely right. By and large, that's right. So I think generally speaking, it comes on at about 6 p.m. because in Sydney, things are dark at that time. And, yeah, it lasts until late, late into the evening. So it's great to see the city come to life, you know, the trains and the light rails end at a particular point and the swathers of people just stream down the streets towards us. The different installations, you know, towards the Harbour's Edge and other, you know, iconic buildings that are just lit up with great different interpretations and lights. But the exception, Mel, was this year there was a new installation in some disused tunnels, rail tunnels in the Wynyard area of Sydney. And it was a ticketed event. But, yeah, Cathy and I bought tickets and went and checked out Dark Spectrum, which was incredible. sequence of different immersive experiences with lights and music and robotics and smoke and all sorts of things over about a kilometre's worth of tunnels underground. That sounds cool. And we did that at midday. So yeah, that was fun.
Melissa Ellis: And that sounds like it would be only something that you wouldn't have regular access to being where it is. So that behind-the-scenes type feeling.
Oliver Spake: Yeah, yeah, exactly. I think my understanding was that they were never actually put into use in any sort of capacity for rail tunnels. There's no tracks or anything and a lot of effort went into cleaning all the rats and mice and muck out of the tunnels. So, yeah, it was a really unique experience. So, yeah, a lot of fun. Thanks, Mel. What about you? How was your weekend?
Melissa Ellis: I also had an awesome weekend. I did a lot. I'm exhausted, to be fair. Yes. And it all started on Friday when I travelled to South Australia on the lands of the Kaurna people, having secured cheap flights a while ago, only to discover a friend of the pod, Brendan Peel, had done the very same. Now, I had the luxury of travelling Friday morning, which had me landing in Adelaide around 7am, giving me a full day to explore the CBD, something that I'd not done before. One thing I have learned on my tourist travels is that the local library can be quite a haven for a visitor. With the weather being on the cool side, my phone battery low and still too early to check into my accommodation, the library offered a warm, safe environment to charge my phone and spend some quiet time reading a magazine before heading off again exploring. It's also quite easy to walk from the airport into the CBD, being approximately seven kilometres to Rundle Mall, the heart of Adelaide's shopping precinct. Brendan flew in on an evening flight and was kind enough to offer to pick me up in his hire car Saturday morning for the 30-minute drive out to Anstey Hill Recreation parkrun. We did have a roving report from Greta in episode 264 at Event 7 in December of 2021, so you can have a listen to that. But to recap, Anstey Hill Recreation parkrun is almost a complete loop in a 360 hectare bush recreation park of the same name, approximately 19 kilometres northeast of Adelaide, and lying at the edge of the Mount Lofty Ranges. The park is a significant reserve and is home to both rare and vulnerable native plants and animals. The course enjoys substantial elevation, trending upwards for the first three kilometres, and despite foggy conditions, the views of the Adelaide CBD were visible. My Garmin registered 207 metres of gain and the only kilometre I managed to run was the last one but I wasn't worried at all as there were plenty of others walking the hills happy to exchange comments on the level of difficulty the course provides. There were 31 participants, skilfully overseen by EARD Anne Fry and her small team of seven volunteers. Anstey is dog friendly, but there are no toilets on site, so you'll need to stop off on the way if you're travelling from further afield. Afterwards, we headed to a local cafe and joined Anne for brunch before more exploring, which included a visit to the big rocking horse at, now I don't know how you say this town, Gumeracha, I'm going to say that, but please feel free to write in and let me know if I am wrong. Also, the State Theatre Company's costume and vintage sale, plus Freedom Walks at South Para Reservoir and Nantu Wama parkruns. Now, the benefit for me, flying in early Friday and flying out late Saturday, meant that I had two full days in Adelaide whilst only being away overnight, something I think I'll aim to continue, although that 6am flight out of Tulla was a killer. I might scale that back a touch. Yeah. I also threw in a trip to the movies.
Oliver Spake: Oh, yes.
Melissa Ellis: Something I don't get to do very often.
Oliver Spake: What did you see?
Melissa Ellis: Probably wasn't the wisest choice. It was called Maybe I Do. Oh, okay. Okay. It had Richard Gere.
Oliver Spake: Ah, classic then. Yes, absolutely.
Melissa Ellis: Yeah.
Oliver Spake: It sounds like you really made the most of being in Adelaide, Mel. It is a lovely town.
Melissa Ellis: I pack in everything.
Oliver Spake: Yeah.
Melissa Ellis: It is absolutely lovely and nice chill environment too. A little less hustle and bustle than you find in Melbourne and Sydney.
Oliver Spake: Thank you, Mr Peel.
Melissa Ellis: Yeah.
Oliver Spake: Certainly comes in handy.
Melissa Ellis: Oh, no, he was the perfect host.
Oliver Spake: Yes. Oh, wow. Yeah, look, I suppose it was remiss of me not to say, I actually did manage a parkrun as well.
Melissa Ellis: Yeah, we did that out of order, Ollie. You were supposed to do yours first. I don't know how I got onto mine. Sorry about that.
Oliver Spake: I got distracted. You talked about, you know, the pretty lights and I got all distracted by them.
Melissa Ellis: Yes. Tell us about your parkrun day.
Oliver Spake: Yeah, because I hadn't set which parkrunner was to visit. I have been gradually, very gradually trying to tick off the different Sydney parkruns. I have a lot still to go, but they are predominantly in the north and west of Sydney. And I had some contemplation as to whether I would jump back in the car and head out or make an early start and head out. But needless to say, after a late night looking at the lights, I was swayed to keep it a little closer to where I was staying in the CBD. So I got up and caught the light rail up to Moore Park at the stop there for my second visit to Centennial parkrun, which is, of course, on the land of the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. And we have heard a bit about Centennial parkrun before, but needless to say, I think it's always worth a mention of the beautiful trees, the grassy fields there, and nice waterways that surround the track, which is, I think, deceptively trail-ish. For a track that's around a park in a city, I think, you know, I was... Take for granted, just, you know, it is a little bit more like an off-road track. But yeah, lots of lovely wildlife. Got to see the horses there, the geese and what looked like black swans. I was very excited by that. I stand corrected if they were in fact geese as well. I was parkrunning. At least you saw them, unlike the koi. That's right. That's right. But, yeah, it was sunny and fresh, and I joined a large group, given it had been a couple of years since I had last been for the first-timers briefing. On count, I believe there were 86 first-timers of the 381 finishers, so a healthy dose of freshies to Centennial parkrun there. Maybe they were there for Vivid as well. I'm not sure. I didn't ask them. But, yeah, absolutely loved the course, had the opportunity to score a PB, which was a great delight, and made it back to the hotel to have a shower at 8 a.m., which felt really quite unusual.
Melissa Ellis: Wow. So when you say a PB, that's what I was going to ask you. When you say a PB, you don't mean an all-up PB. You mean a course PB? Oh, yeah.
Oliver Spake: heavens no yes uh course PB by somewhere around two minutes which was yeah which was nice uh but yeah all-time PB is uh it's not sweating the possibility of me breaking it anytime in the foreseeable future or ever not in this reality uh never say never never say never that's right that's right it's just it's not panicking But, well, I suppose around the parkrun traps, there's been a little bit going on. We had another special day.
Melissa Ellis: We did, and it's today, Ollie, being the 29th of May when we are recording, and it is in the Netherlands. They've got Whit Monday, and they've got, on my count, 11 events marked as running on their website, their special events calendar on their website so Whit Monday is a religious day celebrated the day after Pentecost and is widely observed as a public holiday and we've got a bit to hear as we've got some adventurers out there enjoying these special days making us all jealous yes yeah that's right but well done to everybody that was able to enjoy Whit Monday over in the Netherlands
Oliver Spake: Yeah, and I suppose a little closer to home, it has, of course, as of time of recording, it still is National Reconciliation Week in Australia. And, yeah, it was nice to see a lot of people acknowledging that.
Dazza's
Melissa Ellis: We did have a swather of adventurers joining us at Dazza's this week to acknowledge the traditional lands on which they ran, walked or volunteered.
Oliver Spake: That's right. So, to recap a little bit, I'll do my very best. So, Mel Fletcher achieved her 250 and Alphabet on Terrible Country while partner Stu chalked up his 50. So, congratulations to them both. Richard and Sally park walked on Wanarua Lands on David Bravos tested his ankle on Wurundjeri slash Woiwurrung land and Claire Corkill and Joe McLean kept it local on Dharug Country. R.D. Bec Bailey had things in hand on Dharawal Country while Andrea Booth visited Boonwurrung lands and Sonja Pohlman did likewise at Worimi lands. Bernadette Bennett stayed local at Awobigal and Worimi Country. Andrew Johnston and Martine Barrot touristed to Ngunnawal Country and Jonathan Morgan had fun on the land of the Kaurna people. Jodie Maisie volunteered locally on Wurundjeri Country. Billo did same, same, but different. And Georgina Devine ventured to Awobigal. Additionally, we had Monty Slade, who got into the spirit, giving us a thumbs up from Stanhus. Did I pronounce that right, Mel? Stanhus. I hope so. Okay. Monty, please correct me. Yes.
Melissa Ellis: Give us a thumbs up, Monty. Yes.
Oliver Spake: Yes, that's right. We'll assume it's for this one. The last word goes to Spencer from Yarrabilba parkrun who said, For about a year now, we have included in our run brief an acknowledgement and all the Run Directors have their own. Mine is... We'd also like to acknowledge the traditional landowners and whose land we gather on in good health and fun, the Yugambeh people. The name Yarrabilba comes from the Bundjalung language, meaning a place of song. something to consider. Lovely. So thank you very much, Spencer. Thank you, everyone, for reporting in to the many different lands and countries that you did parkrun from and for joining in the celebration of Reconciliation Week.
the birthday boy: But yeah, just a snippet of Dazza's.
Roving reports & the Channel 5 News crew
Oliver Spake: And Mel, I think it's time to continue with another snippet, this time a roving report from over there on the other side of the planet. We're going to hear from TOC.
Roving report Tony O'Connell — Zuiderpark
Tony O'Connell: Howdy parkrunners, it's TOC from Inverloch. We've come across, we're in the Netherlands this week, it's the O'Connell World Tour. We've come to Zuiderpark, I think is how you pronounce it, or it could be Zuiderpark, or there's all types of interpretations.
Talking to Claudia — wheelchair racer; Bushy Park parkrun (UK) regular, first finisher at Zuiderpark in a…
Tony O'Connell: On the start line today, I was about five rows back, and there was a lady in front of me, and she's just absolutely blistered the pace out in front of us, and I'd like to say, G'day Claudia, how are you?
Claudia: Good, thank you, how are you? Good.
Tony O'Connell: Claudia, you're in a wheelchair. You had a racing wheelchair today. First time I've seen one of those at a parkrun. A little bit confined at the start.
Claudia: Yeah, so it's the first time I've ever done parkrun in my racing chair. I'm used to doing it in my day chair and I'm used to doing a lot more off-road courses because we have a lot more of those in the UK. So I came here to do my Zed a few years ago and thought this would be perfect for a racing chair. It's wide, flat and just rounded two laps so it's quite nice.
Tony O'Connell: Richmond, Hawaii.
Claudia: Yeah, yeah, perfect. So I thought, well, when we come back, dad wanted his Z, he hadn't done it yet. So I said, well, I'll come bring my racing chair and give that a crack, hoping to beat the world record for women's wheelchair in parkrun. And yeah, I think I did that today. I'm not sure yet.
Tony O'Connell: So potentially world record for parkrun?
Claudia: Potentially, yeah, yeah. It's hard to get data on the wheelchairs, but yeah, I think I did 13-something today, which is past my expectations, so I had no idea how fast I'd be.
Tony O'Connell: You absolutely blistered, as I said at the start line. You were about five deep at the start, and you just sort of nudged your way through, or wormed your way through, and then you just went bang, and you were gone. Yeah, a little bit slow to get going. Once you started, man, I thought I was just going to sit in behind you, because I was using you as a little barricade to get through the crowd, and you just disappeared.
Claudia: Well, I wasn't really sure, because I had no context of what time I was going to do, so I think I was sort of like, well, I kind of wanted to do around the 15 minutes, so I thought, well... Runners can sort of do that, but I didn't know obviously how fast the runners were going to be. But yeah, I got a bit bogged down at the start, but only because obviously my acceleration off the start line is a bit slower because I have to get the wheels going. I had to be a little bit politely assertive at the start, but everyone was really good, which was really nice actually, because everyone was really friendly and moved very kindly out of the way. And then I just, once I got up to speed, just sort of didn't look back there and kept pushing.
Tony O'Connell: I don't know if you heard, but there was a runner from the UK just behind you yelling out to clear the path. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, giving a bit of a nudge to people as well, which was really great.
Claudia: Yeah, everyone was really, really supportive, which was always helpful.
Tony O'Connell: So your home runs bushy. Yep. How do you go getting around bushy in the chair?
Claudia: So I started bushy parkrun as a runner and then when I became a wheelchair user I was my I didn't want to change parkruns because I was now in a wheelchair I wanted to do Bushy Park so I started off doing like 50 minutes at Bushy Park and then Depending on the weather, if it's middle of summer and it's dried out, or if it's middle of winter and it's frozen over, I think my PB there is about 20 minutes something. So I went from about 50 minutes to about 20 minutes. So not bad, but it does very much depend on the time of year. Because if it's a bog, it's going to be slow.
Tony O'Connell: And today you've belted out something with a 13 in front of you.
Claudia: Yeah, and got the number one position token, which I've never had before. I don't think I'll be seeing again anytime soon. So, I mean, this is the thing about, you know, being in a wheelchair and doing parkrun is, I mean, I've done one that was literally just around vineyards and it was a bog and it took me an hour and 15, hour and 20 minutes, I think. And then you can come somewhere like this and I can do 13 minutes something. So, you know, I think it's the variety and that's the thing I enjoy the most about it. It's the different challenges of the courses, so.
Tony O'Connell: Well done, Claudia. It was really great to see you just take off. As I said, once you put the hammer down, you just disappeared into the Netherlands.
Claudia: We couldn't see you. No pun intended. And, yeah, good luck on future courses. Thank you very much. Thank you.
Talking to Danny Norman — parkrunner at the Zuiderpark post-parkrun cafe
Tony O'Connell: Howdy, parkrunners. We're in Park Horse, the post-parkrun cafe. Just sitting here with Danny and the team having a bit of a chat about numbers today. Danny, what did you think of the numbers today?
Danny Norman: There were a lot of people. There was a big swather of people here. I haven't seen such a large swather in all my time at a Zed location for parkrun. I can't believe there's just so many. So yeah, got a lot of people, but here we are, park faffing away and enjoying it. There's even a swather of people in the cafe and outside the cafe still hanging around, just having a good old faff.
Tony O'Connell: Yep, thanks, Danny. That sounds like it's got it pretty well nailed for the day.
Danny Norman: Absolutely. Thank you very much, TOC. It's lovely to meet you. And hello to everyone listening to parkrun adventurers. And hi, Mel and Ollie, if you're listening. Take care, guys. And what a wonderful, wonderful day it's been.
Melissa Ellis: And that was great to hear from TOC out at Zuiderpark. Interesting, Ollie, Google Translate literally translates that word into South Park parkrun. So I wonder if those people from the Netherlands get a compass point for going to Zuiderpark. But, yeah, TOC spoke to Claudia who did fast time in her racing chair. I haven't been able to establish if it is being recognised by parkrun as the world record, but she was first finisher in a time of 13.36. Yes. Very speedy.
Oliver Spake: Yes.
Melissa Ellis: And also hearing from Danny Norman, so thanks for the shout-out. Danny, nice to hear from you. And, yeah, they're discussing the numbers there also at Zuiderpark.
Emails
Oliver Spake: Mel, we've heard from some others because we've got some mail. You've got mail.
Melissa Ellis: We do. Who have we got first?
Oliver Spake: Yeah, so first we have heard from Sarah L who said, Hi Mel and Ollie. It was a glorious morning at Shepparton parkrun because as fate would have it, I achieved both my 100th run and 50th volunteer milestone on the same day. Would the informant have any insight about how common a double milestone is? My 250th run is now estimated for April 2026, but hopefully the 100th volunteer role will be earlier than that. I'm very keen for all the adventures that will occur along the way.
Melissa Ellis: Sarah L. Congratulations, Sarah. Feel free to come back to Eynesbury Juniors anytime you want to bump up that volunteer ratio.
Oliver Spake: Ah, yes, yes, yes.
Melissa Ellis: So that was really good. Yeah, we can ask the informant. We'll see what they can rustle up with those stats. But we also, Ollie, we heard from Brett Bailey. Unsurprising because, well, as you will hear, let me read it first. It says, Hi, guys. Not sure what happened with last week's stats as Tanya and I both certainly ran at Pegasus. Must have been a glitch there somewhere. Also, I have to do zoomies right hand down as I often have 40 kilos of dog on leash on my right arm. So it's a bit tricky to lift the arm above the horizontal. I was unaware there was a hemispheric protocol. Lol. Love your work. Cheers, Brett. Yes, Brett, we do have to apologise. We did have a glitch in our stats report that had omitted the South Island, hence our confusion last week when you did not appear. Thank you for letting us know.
Oliver Spake: Yes, and I think that's a very good reason for an angled zoomie there. A Brunner-weighted payload is an obvious reason to tilt like that.
Melissa Ellis: Now, Ollie, we've got some late mail.
Oliver Spake: Yes. I mean, what we were just saying earlier, it is a special day in the Netherlands today.
Roving reports & the Channel 5 News crew
Oliver Spake: So, yes, it's extra special now because we're going to hear from TOC again. Thank you very much to TOC, who's very much the roving reporter on the scene. And we've been fortunate to get a bit of an update and a roving report coming to you immediately from Kagerzoom parkrun. So before we cut across to the birthday boy, let's have a listen to TOC.
Roving report Tony O'Connell — Kagerzoom
Tony O'Connell: Howdy, parkrunners. It's Toccy from Inverloccy here, and we're at Kagerzoom today for a bonus parkrun on Whit Monday in the Netherlands. It's one of the things, like Australia has Christmas Day, the Netherlands celebrate their extra day on Whit Monday. And I've just discovered, thanks to Jelena, a resident of... the Netherlands that came from New Zealand, that talking in Dutch is the ultimate bogan. So here I am. I'm here. Let's have a crack at Kagerzoom and I'll catch up with some people later. Cheers. Righto, parkrunners, we're walking around at the finish line here of Kagerzoom.
Talking to Amanda Murray-Hynde — core team member, Chevin Forest parkrun (Otley, Yorkshire)
Tony O'Connell: And I've got Amanda Murray-Hynde with me. And I've got to say, I've been looking forward to meeting you. It's been, I've seen the name come up, I've heard it on the podcast, and I thought, I've got to see her. And when you said you were coming here today, I thought, yep, this is it. I can't believe that.
Amanda Murray-Hynde: That's madness. So how are you Amanda? I'm absolutely brilliant. And I can't believe you're here and the fact you're saying those words. That is madness. Anyway, hello and welcome.
Tony O'Connell: So how did you find the parkrun today? Google Maps.
Amanda Murray-Hynde: Google Maps. Yay! That's one for Danny. Yeah, it's great. I did it as a freedom last year when I came over to do Kralingse Bos and Zuiderpark. Zuiderpark. No, it's the pronunciation. Thank you very much. Sweet above. Sweet above. Yeah. So, yeah. And how was the run today? Brilliant. I started right at the back because I forgot to slap my watch. So I was behind the Tail Walker, said hello to Amy who was giving out tokens, caught everyone, swethered through the crowd and caught up to lovely Steve and Nicky T. Steve's Nicky T's dad and he has done his 500th today and like something like his 464th location or something mental anyway. So we...
Tony O'Connell: And he's been very generous. He's even brought the Celebrations chocolates.
Amanda Murray-Hynde: Loads of Celebrations chocolates. And so we paced him through to a great time for him. So that was fantastic.
Tony O'Connell: Excellent. And give us a bit of a spiel about the parkrun where you're on the team.
Amanda Murray-Hynde: I'm on the core team of the Chevin Forest parkrun in Otley in Yorkshire. And it is Yorkshire flat. It's got a lovely, beautiful... I shouldn't really do hand action through a podcast, should I? It's got a beautiful upward incline, shall we call it, and it's got a lovely trig which is trig point which the ordnance survey maps used to be mapped by in the 50s and fantastic views across Yorkshire it's stunning so as soon as you say it's got a trig on it you know it's upwardly flat yes a small incline only two laps very friendly as are all the parkruns and you know everyone has an open invitation to please please come along and see us excellent
Tony O'Connell: All right, well, we're going to head off now to the cafe. Okay. Great to meet you.
Amanda Murray-Hynde: I've just got to say Bramley's family because that's where I come from. That's my home. That's my family. So I can't leave them out, can I? Can't skip that bit. Excellent. So that's wonderful. So, yeah. Thank you. Cheers. Bedankt.
Talking to Claire — Newcastle-upon-Tyne parkrunner; core team of the forthcoming Denton Dene parkrun
Tony O'Connell: Back again, guys, and I'm with Claire. Claire, you had a run around the course today. How many courses have you done? How many different events?
Claire: That was my 84th different venue.
Tony O'Connell: Okay, so you're homing in on the cow. You're doing quite well.
Claire: Yes, I'm getting closer.
Tony O'Connell: And I did ask your name of your home park, and I'm not even going to try to pronounce it, so you have a go and tell me. What's your home parkrun?
Claire: Tell me what my parkrun is. It's in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, U.K.,
Tony O'Connell: Okay, and how many of the different events have you done around that area over there?
Claire: Oh, God, I've lost count. I mean, I've done 28 parkruns in the North East out of the 34 that there's currently. I'm currently on a core team of a new one that's coming up soon.
Tony O'Connell: Okay, so getting involved in a core team, that's always great fun.
Claire: Yes, I'm going to be part of the core team of a new parkrun called Denton Dene.
Tony O'Connell: Excellent. I guess we won't sort of say how soon that's coming up because there's a lot of UK listeners to the podcast and we know we don't advertise inaugurals. But give us a bit of a description of the new one. What sort of course is it? Is it a flat or is it hilly?
Claire: It's a bit hilly, but it's hilly and kind of flat. It's at the west end of Newcastle. It's a two-lapper. It's a local community parkrun.
Tony O'Connell: I'm sort of getting this sense that every time someone from the UK says it's a little bit hilly but it's flat, it's got a lot of hills in it. It just gives me that sense.
Claire: It's a bit mixed, really, so it should be a good one. It should be a good local small community parkrun. Cool.
Tony O'Connell: All right, well, we might mosey along to the cafe and get a coffee. Yes, nice to meet you. Well done. Thanks, Claire.
Talking to Johnny Armstrong, Anne Field, Carl James and Kerry James — parkrun tourist; home parkrun Normanby Hall, North Lincolnshire; parkrun tourist; home…
Tony O'Connell: Howdy parkrunners, we've found the cafe, we've gone through the line, we've finally got coffees and I'm sitting here with a group of runners largely in Welsh tops but we've got one that's a little bit different so I'll just go around the table and get you to introduce yourself and where your home parkrun is.
Johnny Armstrong: Hi, I'm Johnny Armstrong, my home parkrun is Normanby Hall in North Lincolnshire.
Anne Field: Hi, I'm Anne Field and my home parkrun is Sandy Water in Llanelli, Wales.
Carl James: I'm Carl James. My home parkrun is also Sandy Water.
Amanda Murray-Hynde: And I'm Kerry James, and again, home parkrun, Sandy Water.
Tony O'Connell: So the three in the Welsh Tops are all from the same parkrun. You made the journey over, obviously, for the extra day. Did you come over and do Saturday as well, or was it today a one-off?
Carl James: No, we flew over on Sunday, yesterday. So three of us flew from Bristol, one flew from Manchester. So some of the sensible ones like us got into town about three o'clock in the afternoon. One individual decided to rock up at about midnight.
Johnny Armstrong: Did I make it in time for the pub? Yeah, we made it in time for one last bite.
Carl James: There we go then.
Tony O'Connell: Obviously you've made it in time for the pub and the parkrun, so you've timed it. Yeah, you've got there.
Johnny Armstrong: All successful as far as I'm concerned.
Tony O'Connell: It's a bit of a luxury that Australians probably look at where you can jump across to another country so quickly for the special events, where we're to jump across to another country, the shortest one in New Zealand is a five-hour flight. So it's a little bit of a luxury. How do you find it? For us, we've come over for a couple of days. Oh, we've come to Netherlands for a couple of days. How do you guys find being able to jump across like that sort of thing?
Carl James: Yeah. As you said, it's so easy. We jumped on a plane in Bristol. We were in the air for less than an hour and we landed in Amsterdam. Four weeks ago, we did the same thing. We flew out of... Gatwick. Gatwick. Flew out of Gatwick and went to Oslo and did a run there. And it's amazing the difference in the weather in four weeks. We ran snow in Oslo and it's about 20 degrees and lovely and warm here. But yeah, we... We've done quite a few around Europe, so we've done Norway, we've done Holland a couple of times, we've done Denmark, Sweden, we're going back to Denmark and Sweden next week, and we've done the German Unity Day as well in October. And like you said, it's so, we take it for granted, we didn't even catch a train, we caught the train to The Hague last year, straight out of St Pancras in London, so it was... It's a different ball game altogether.
Tony O'Connell: It's amazing connections that you've got. And I guess looking outside, we're in a cafe, looking outside, there's a fair bit of sun out there. We did see a lot of footage from that Norway extra day where it actually snowed during parkrun. To be fair to say, the last couple of weeks have been pretty stunning over through Europe.
Anne Field: I think the mindset is a massive change. 18 months ago we drove 10 miles to a parkrun that we'd never been to before and we thought we were the other side of the world and there we are. So it's completely different. In 12 months we've expanded the boundaries.
Tony O'Connell: And now you've done multi-countries. In the last month, you've been to a couple of different countries.
Carl James: I think some of it, mind, I think some of it reverts back to COVID. I think when we were all locked down with COVID, when you can't do something, you realise what you're missing and you want to do it. So as soon as things started opening up, it was going to make the most of this. We've got all this stuff on our doorstep. Let's do it, grab the opportunity while it's there and it's people look at the staff sometimes we've come over on a Sunday we go home on a Tuesday we're only here for 48 hours if that and people look at the staff the locals say you've come all the way here to run 5k but it's not about that it's about an excuse to go to a city a place that you would never go to an experience yeah I'd never even heard of Leiden before and there we are staying there the past
Johnny Armstrong: Passport control always look at us a bit strangely when they're saying, what's your reason for visiting Holland or wherever it may be? And parkrun, parkrun, parkrun, parkrun, parkrun. And, yes. Is it International parkrun Day?
Tony O'Connell: It's not a cult, but... It is.
Carl James: It's bordering on, I think. It's bordering on.
Tony O'Connell: Well, guys, it's been great chatting. Thanks for having a chat. And, yeah, we'll maybe see you at a parkrun around somewhere. Enjoy your day. Thank you.
Launches and anniversaries"Where is the cake?"
the birthday boy: Howdy, it's the birthday boy here with some of the goings on for June 2023. In case you were wondering, a birthday boy is never late, nor are they early. They arrive precisely when they mean to. June in 2023 has six parkrun days. Yes, six. But there are only four parkrun days for us non-international folk, with week one on the 3rd of June, week two on the 10th, week three on the 17th, week four on the 24th. International folk have special events on the 5th of June in Denmark for their Constitution Day and on the 6th of June in Sweden for Swedish National Day. There will be several trains between their capital cities, so I expect that there will be loads of parkrun chat occurring in those carriages. A reminder first with the standard anniversary caveat. Events may celebrate what they like, when they like. So please check all details with the local source, i.e. their webpage and or their Facebook page. This is especially true for dress ups, cakes, et cetera. Is there anyone joining Main Beach on 12? Still no, while we wait for New Farm in September. Now let's check out the first anniversaries. Week one has Kirkdale Reserve in Victoria. Week two, we have nothing. And the same in weeks three and four, nothing. And now for parkrun independence events, their 11th anniversaries. This month has a special day for Newy in Newcastle, in New South Wales, with their newest anniversary of 11. Legs 11, congrats. If you're a fan of 10th birthdays, then you have plenty to choose from in June. Canning River, WA. Sandon Point, New South Wales. Mitchelton, Queensland. North Shore, Queensland. Gladstone, Queensland, in Queensland. And Logan River, in Queensland. As per the request to include junior parkruns, in June we have Thorndon Junior parkrun turning three. If you're in South Australia, why not give them ahoy as the roster is never full. As with all parkrun adventures, the parkrun cancellations page is a valuable tool. See parkrun.com.au forward slash cancellations. The official cancellation page contains information for the coming weekend plus two further weeks. So be sure to check it again mid-month if you're adventuring later in June. Well, see you next month for some more birthday boy banter. And be sure to let Mel and Ollie know if you have any requests.
Melissa Ellis: That all sounds like a lot of fun over there. I am very much suffering from FOMO, Ollie. Now, we got confirmation on the pronunciation of South Park.
Oliver Spake: That's right. It's good to have learnt that because I've been getting that one wrong for quite a while.
Melissa Ellis: Yep. And a little bit of a discussion about how easy it is for those Europeans to just jump countries. Yes. More FOMO.
Oliver Spake: But I did enjoy just hearing a little bit about some of the home parkruns over there. Definitely some elevation, undulation, and all those wonderful things. But, yeah, congratulations to everyone out there enjoying the special day. And, look, speaking of special days, thank you also to our birthday boy.
Melissa Ellis: Yes, bringing us what's coming up in June. Two more special days for those spoilt Europeans. They've got Denmark's Constitution Day coming up on the 5th of June and Sweden's Swedish National Day on the 6th of June. I've just repeated what the birthday boy already said.
Oliver Spake: That's right.
Melissa Ellis: There you go.
Oliver Spake: It was that good, yep.
Melissa Ellis: And a happy birthday to Thorndon Juniors, turning three.
Oliver Spake: Big cheer for them. But, Mel, here's something that you won't be repeating.
Consolidated Club Report
Melissa Ellis: Oh.
Oliver Spake: It's the Consolidated Club Report because no one's said it yet.
Melissa Ellis: Well, you just did, Ollie. So now I'm repeating that the adventurers Consolidated Club report for Saturday, the 27th of May, 2023, featured a total of 429 members. 337 took part on this date at 173 locations. There were 25 events in the UK, five in the Netherlands, three in Italy, two each in South Africa and Austria, and the USA, Canada and Germany had one. Locally, we had adventurers at 35 events in Victoria, 31 events in Queensland, eight events in South Australia, seven events in WA, the ACT and the North Island had four, and there was one each in Tasmania, the Northern Territory and South Island. That's a clean... Oh, what is it? A bowling strike.
Oliver Spake: That is a strike, yes.
Melissa Ellis: Hmm. Yeah.
the Frond — Shellharbour — 10 Passionistas
Melissa Ellis: But where was our fronds? Well, I'm glad you asked.
Oliver Spake: I was going to.
Melissa Ellis: There were 10 Passionistas at Shellharbour and two events had fronds of six. They were Tuggeranong.
Oliver Spake: Yep.
Melissa Ellis: In the ACT, who had Andrew Johnston, Will Barlow, Martine Barrot, Roberta Winters, Rebecca Gordon and Alistair Buchanan. And Westerfolds down here in the great state with Billo, Sally Heppleston, Marg Prowse, Tanya Pollard and Michael Charlton.
Oliver Spake: Yeah, fantastic. And a shout out to some of the volunteers. We know some of our adventurers were certainly helping out, particularly at the... Medibank event at Tuggers with the team on the line being two of our close friends.
Launches and anniversaries"Where is the cake?"
Melissa Ellis: Absolutely, there was. So, yes, but it was lots of celebrations going on because there were three launches this last weekend, Ollie. And where were they, Mel? Well, I'm glad you asked. They were in Victoria. Funnily enough, we had Woodlands Historic Park in Greenvale that had 171 attend to their launch. Now, Woodlands Historic Park is going to be the closest parkrun to our major airport, Tullamarine. So that's going to be very popular, I would say. Also is a regular location for some trail runs, some local trail runs. So... No doubt those trails are already well utilised and I'm looking forward to getting out there and investigating. Now, we also had Maroondah Dam parkrun launch with 147 participants. That's out in Healesville, filling in a nice little gap out that way. And also Kilmore Racecourse walking track in, of course, Kilmore with 92 out there checking out that location. So I will bring more on those new events as I visit in due course.
Oliver Spake: Thank you and congratulations to the teams behind those events. Well done in getting them up and running and, yeah, we look forward to hearing more about them. Speaking of up and running, Mel, it's getting closer. It is almost longest run time. We have mentioned a couple of the longest runs and I have been seeing a few updates. I'm a little nervous that maybe the list that we've got isn't the full and complete list, but I might do my best and just recite those. I'm not sure how many people, how many of our adventurers are considering heading out to the longest run. And I trust many of you will be well and truly across the details now. But there are some good options, Mel.
Melissa Ellis: Well, just read them in date order. That's all I'm concerned about, Ollie, because I'm looking at that list and it's doing my head in. Yeah.
Oliver Spake: That's okay. That's okay. One job, date order. Absolutely. So, look, let's kick it off in the south, the Victorian state. On the 11th, there appear to be, well, a lot. Yeah, I'm not sure the right word for that, but a lot of smugglers in Melbourne. So, the western suburbs and is that kicking off at Toolern Creek? Yeah. The Western Suburbs one.
Melissa Ellis: It would not surprise me. Now, I haven't checked the events in order, but it is often the case that they do start out at Toolern Creek.
Oliver Spake: There we are. Yeah, so Sunday the 11th, we have the West starting in Toolern Creek. We have Gippsland also on the 11th and the North East slash Bright on the 11th. So that's the Melbournian longest runs that I am aware of, Mel. Have I missed any that you know of?
Melissa Ellis: No, but I'm interested you kept saying Melbournian when Melbourne, it's Melbourne, Ollie.
Oliver Spake: I'll have to practice that. I've got a little bit of time left to practice that. Also on the 11th, Sydney is having its longest run. So there is a Sydney longest run, events to be confirmed as of my last check, but looking forward to that. And a newbie, Central Coast and Lake Macquarie, Lake Mac on Sunday the 11th. So some options to the north of me, Mel. I think there are still some plans happening there, up to seven events or seven events not confirmed as far as I can tell. But they would be great to check out as well. I'm at a concert the night before, so I'm not sure if I will make the start of the Sydney Longest Run or what the plan will be.
Melissa Ellis: Just stay up all night. Simple.
Oliver Spake: Yeah, the concert's in the south, as in south for me. So yeah, logistically, it's a bit of a challenge, but I'll work it out. So a healthy dose for the 11th. And then following that, the following week, our Queenslanders are getting into the action. So the 18th of June, we have Brisbane Northside on Sunday the 18th, as well as the sunny coast. So if anyone wants to trek north, that's your Queensland weekend. And rounding it out, Sunday the 25th of June, Adelaide joins the action. So Adelaide's longest run on Sunday the 25th, as well as the Sydney South Coast, the Coast to Cows, which is my local, and will incorporate the Wollongong and Southern Highlands-based parkruns, including my very own favourite, Shellharbour.
Melissa Ellis: Fabulous. So Sydney's got three and Melbourne's got three.
Oliver Spake: Yeah. How about that?
Melissa Ellis: Well, Victoria. Shouldn't say Melbourne. You wrote Melbourne. I didn't do that.
Oliver Spake: That's right. That's right. Well, I did copy and paste. So credit to the Longest Run Australia Facebook page. Please jump on there if you haven't already. Check out the updates. That is a great source of information and the event invites are posted in there. So look forward to seeing some or many of you out along the way. I'm not sure I will complete a full Longest Run this year, though, Mel. I have a dancing concert in the middle of the day on the 25th.
Melissa Ellis: Oh, what dance are you doing, Ollie? Well, a bit of tap, a bit of ballet. So cute.
Oliver Spake: But, yeah, and thank you to the organisers who dream up these wonderful organic events and to the people that follow along because, let's face it, it's a great idea.
Melissa Ellis: I'm actually not sure if I'm going to get to any either, being that they are starting on my doorstep. But I will have juniors on Sunday morning, of course, and guests coming down from Toowoomba. So I'll just leave that with you to guess who that might be. Yeah.
Oliver Spake: Can't think. Can't think. So, yeah, we hope to hear. If you happen to be out at a longest run over the month of June and there's a bit of a story or a bit of an event, please feel free to record a roving report or give us a bit of an update in Dazza's or in our mailbox.
Sign-off
Oliver Spake: Absolutely.
Melissa Ellis: But this is the time of the pod where we check in with each other about where we're going to be on Saturday morning, Ollie. But it's a little bit exciting this week.
Oliver Spake: I'm excited, yes.
Melissa Ellis: Because you're going to be in town. Are we announcing that? Are we going to say where we're going to be?
Oliver Spake: Yeah, I think we're going to say where we're going to be. I'm looking forward to joining some Melbournians.
Melissa Ellis: It's Melbourne. Melbourne.
Oliver Spake: you are you are going to come down and I'm going to meet you out at Woodlands Historic Park parkrun and we're going to get our number twos that's right I haven't had many number number twos so um I and you mentioned trail so I'm particularly excited about that what's the course like Mel well I haven't been there yet
Melissa Ellis: report back next week good point I'm gonna here I'm gonna take a stab it's gonna be um off-road um it's gonna maybe be undulating with some elevation how's that sounds perfect that's that's magic crystal ball see how I go
Oliver Spake: Excellent. We might see some kangaroos. Oh, well, no, that would be a lot of fun. But, yeah, I'm looking forward to that.
Melissa Ellis: But somebody else is having a lot of fun next weekend.
Oliver Spake: Yes, yes. Our Office Lady is running a little run. Yes. Just a little. The Simpson Desert Ultra up in Birdsville, which I still haven't got my head around. And the training she has been doing, I mean, she's going to absolutely smash it. But really looking forward to seeing and to following her efforts there. I'm sure it is going to be a spectacular time.
Melissa Ellis: Absolutely is. Now, it's described as an ultra marathon event in the heart of the Australian Outback. Sam is going to be taking part in the 50 kilometre event. There is, of course, a variety of distances of 175 and 25 kilometres. It is touted as something for those new to the ultra scene as well as those more accustomed to the gruelling nature of such events. So it takes place near Birdsville in southwest Queensland on the edge of the Simpson Desert and is said to traverse a variety of terrains. So namely sand dunes, Ollie. Oh, wow.
Oliver Spake: That hadn't occurred to me. Oh, Sam. Yeah. That sounds amazing.
Melissa Ellis: Oh, Sam, what have you done? No, we are absolutely proud of her. We know she's going to do amazingly. We're all behind you, Sam. We wish you all the very best. You've put in all the hard work, all the hard training. And yeah, now all you've got to do is get it done.
Oliver Spake: Bring it on. Yeah.
Melissa Ellis: Bring it on.
Oliver Spake: Yep.
Melissa Ellis: So that's it.
Oliver Spake: That is indeed it. Thank you, Mel, for a catch-up. I look forward to catching up in person this parkrun day, but that brings us to the end of our pod. And, of course, that means, as always, if there is more, if anyone would like to send us a mail for next week, you can contact us either via Facebook or the socials or our email, which is parkrunadventurers at gmail.com. But for another week... That is it, and we'll see you all next week for more adventures.
[music]
the Swather Wars
Unidentified speaker: We've got a swather of feedback this week, Benjamin.
Benjamin: With what?
Unidentified speaker: Emails, messages.
Benjamin: I know what feedback is. What's a swather?
Unidentified speaker: It means many of things.
Benjamin: Are you sure?
Unidentified speaker: Yeah, I'm sure.
Benjamin: Like you've been wrong a swather of times.
Unidentified speaker: No, I don't think you're using it right.
Benjamin: You're a swather of ditzy.
Unidentified speaker: No, that's not. You can ask anyone. Except the Office Lady.
Benjamin: Why not her?
Unidentified speaker: I don't know. She seems a bit angry about people using it.
Benjamin: Hmm. Well, in that case, it's my new favourite word.
Unidentified speaker: Why's that?
Benjamin: Never liked her. Kept taking my comfy chair. Anything to get her goat.
Unidentified speaker: Get her goat? I didn't know she has a goat.
Benjamin: Get her goat to irritate someone.
Unidentified speaker: Old man, you're making no sense at all. Time for your nap.
Benjamin: It's a well-known phrase.
Unidentified speaker: Sleep well, beige man. I'm going out for a caramilk.