Episode 341 - On the buses

Welcome

00:00:24Oliver Spake: Welcome to episode 341 of the parkrun adventurers podcast. I am whoever, no, I am Ollie Spake and I am joining once again from Dharawal Country.

00:00:36Melissa Ellis: And I am Melissa Ellis and I'm coming to you from Wurundjeri Country. Welcome back, Ollie.

00:00:42Oliver Spake: Thank you, Mel. Thank you for having me back. I wasn't sure if I'd be invited back after the stellar job from Sarah from the West Side. She did do a good job, didn't she? She did. She did. It was great to get to listen. So thank you again, Sarah, for stepping in and, yeah, shining a light on the West Side and then obviously gallivanting off overseas.

00:01:04Melissa Ellis: It was all happening over in the West. Yes, yeah, yeah. So much going on over there.

00:01:09Oliver Spake: There certainly has been. But, yeah, nice to catch up again. Very nice to catch up again, Mel.

00:01:15Melissa Ellis: Hopefully you've got some things to report back to us that you've been up to.

00:01:19Oliver Spake: Well, I was going to say it feels perhaps a little underwhelming that, you know, Possibly don't have a whole lot, but I'll give it a go because, look, I did have the opportunity to go on one adventure while I was on podcasting holiday, but I did also stay close to home as well, of course. But, Mel, yeah, look, I had been to Southern Highlands Botanic Gardens, which is also on Dharawal Country, so it's not too far from home. I'd been there for a longest run previously but had been long meaning to get up there and go there on a real-life parkrun day. And so the parkrun day before last, the family and I ventured up the Illawarra Escarpment, which is behind me and about one hour in the car, off to just outside of Bowral to, as I mentioned, Southern Highlands Botanic Gardens parkrun. The convenient excuse was mum had been house-sitting up there, a very nice chilly Highlands house-sit for her up in a little town called Burradoo. So it was a good excuse for us to go up and make most of the coffee shops and everything thereafter. But I even managed to convince Hannah and James to get in the car and come on up. So it was a bit of a family affair, except that Cathy and Zali did stay in the car instead of taking part in parkrun.

00:02:44Melissa Ellis: Oh, don't worry, that happens at my house all the time.

00:02:47Oliver Spake: Yeah, no, that's it. It's not Zali's cup of tea at the moment. So, yeah, we got out there a very brisk morning. Ava has continued her parkrun enthusiasm. My seven-year-old is loving parkrun currently. She was happy to be out walking the course this time as much as she loves barcode scanning and walked it with Hannah and James first, for the first three k's but I suppose as the advantage goes for your out and back style courses Mel she got to opt out at three k's which is well and truly her limit currently so um yeah thank you to a very understanding crew who uh yeah didn't seem to mind at all when she opted out but uh Yeah, given the course is sort of like a triple-pronged out and back, it was a very handy option for a cold morning where you could strip off the jacket and drop it by the car as you head past for your final two Ks.

00:03:47Melissa Ellis: But, yeah, we were also met there by the Office Lady, by Sam, Luke and young Asha.

00:03:54Oliver Spake: And, yeah, got to be on the scene as Sam absolutely smashed her PB. So congratulations, Sam.

00:04:00Melissa Ellis: Well, this sounds like fun. Family all around, pod family and real family.

00:04:06Oliver Spake: Well, that's it. That's it. So it was nice. And it's been a strange habit whenever mum has been house sitting. I certainly hope no owners of the house as she house sits are listening, but... Whenever she house sits, we tend to go there and she hosts us. So we had a nice outdoor lunch in the winter sunshine in the garden afterwards. And the kids got to play with Gucci and Prada, the two cats, the two resident cats of the house sit. But... Yeah, look, that was actually a busy weekend. That was dance concert weekend for both my younger daughters. So that kept me quite busy. I did have the opportunity to join the first three events of the local Longest Run, which was a nice highlight and good to see some familiar faces again there. But as I said, Mel, yeah, this parkrun Day just gone. I was back home. I volunteered as the Event Day Course Check. and then ran the course again. So, yeah, it felt like a rare treat, not just one parkrun but two at home. So I really got to lap it up. But it was also a pleasure to be there for one of our favourite volunteers, potentially our favourite volunteer at home, M Scholar's 250th volunteer milestone. So, yeah, I have to pause there and say a huge thank you to Em for everything she has done. I think in those stats are 97 official First Timers Welcome, so I'm sure many more unofficial, but it really cements her as the face of Shellharbour parkrun, the welcoming face.

00:05:45Melissa Ellis: Fabulous. Congratulations, Em. That's a mighty achievement. I guess you'll be getting that 250 volley shirt?

00:05:54Oliver Spake: Yeah, hopefully. Hopefully. I hope she's already ordered it, Mel. But we'll wait and see. We'll hopefully get a picture of it on Dazza's sometime soon. Look forward to it. Yeah, a bit of a local one for me. Yours wasn't as local, was it?

00:06:08Melissa Ellis: It was not. It was not. So this week's adventure started with a hiccup. So tourist tip number one, book your airport parking well in advance. As I discovered late Thursday evening that every single airport parking on-site and off-site was booked out due to the school holidays. Panic. Luckily for me, I was calmly navigated through my ordeal by a level-headed Office Lady who Googled... an airport shuttle bus that stopped in Meltown. It was a 7.5k walk from home so I just set my alarm a little bit earlier Friday morning and chalked that one up to experience. So travelling to our destination of Kangaroo Island, South Australia, took literally all day and involved buses, planes, ferries and more buses. But I'm not going to bore you with any more than that. Suffice to say that it was a long journey and we well and truly met our daily step count. And yeah, I was travelling with Sam who was waiting for me when I disembarked at Adelaide Airport. Fast forward to Saturday morning. We were staying at the Seaview Motel in Kingscote on the lands of the Ngurundjeri people which was a short 70 metre walk to the Kangaroo Island parkrun start line literally across the road. It was event 256 for the small community which averages 18 finishes each week and we were amongst a crowd of 19 which included 14 first timers. The course itself starts and finishes at the Kingscote Tidal Pool with the rolling bitumen path hugging the coastline for a 2.5k out and back toward Brownlow KI. We were very lucky to have mild conditions on the morning, although not warm enough for me to brave removing any layers. What was the attraction to Kangaroo Island Mel? I'm glad you asked Ollie. One attraction was in the added degree of difficulty required to get there with the island being only accessible by the aforementioned ferry that runs twice a day from the mainland. Adding to that, Kangaroo Island, also known as Karta Pintingga, literally Island of the Dead in the language of the Kaurna people, is also Australia's third largest island after Tasmania and Melville Island. Don't need to get to Melville. The island was separated from mainland Australia 10,000 years ago and Kingscote is the biggest town, established in 1836 and SA's first colonial settlement. It was dubbed Kangaroo Island in 1802 by explorer Matthew Flinders due to the endemic subspecies of the Western Grey Kangaroo and is one of South Australia's most popular tourist destinations with over 140,000 visitors each year, according to Wikipedia. While this was a brief visit for us and lack of time and transport inhibited our ability to explore the island features, Seal Bay Conservation Park, Flinders Chase National Park, Kelly Hill Caves, Little Sahara Sand Dunes Wildlife Park, penguin centre wildlife sanctuary honey farms the emu Ridge eucalyptus distillery and it's also considered one of south australia's best scuba diving locations with features such as the leafy sea dragon and gorgonian corals Honestly, there is so much to explore, so do yourself a favour and plan to spend a decent amount of time there. And that is my recap.

00:09:33Oliver Spake: This isn't very constructive, but it sounds like you might have enjoyed a few more days there, Mel.

00:09:41Melissa Ellis: I know. Yeah, I don't always get it right, Ollie.

00:09:45Oliver Spake: But you got some things right. It sounds like a nice time.

00:09:48Melissa Ellis: I got some things right. Yes. Yes. In hindsight, it would be enjoyed a lot more had there been time to really explore the island. But I also see it as a scouting expedition. Yes. So, like, I've got the lay of the land now. When I go back, I sort of know what I need to be doing and what's a good idea and what's not a good idea. So, yeah, I can plan a return trip and do it in style.

00:10:15Oliver Spake: That's right, unless you go to Melville Island first.

00:10:18Melissa Ellis: Oh, yeah. Where even is that? I'll have to look it up.

00:10:22Oliver Spake: It's in the Northern Territory, Mel.

00:10:25Melissa Ellis: Very good.

00:10:25Oliver Spake: Yeah, but look, it seems I missed some pretty big events. So thank you again, Mel and Sarah, for recapping those over the last couple of weeks. I believe in news and discussion, we have got some achievements to mention though. So some congratulations on some cows.

00:10:44Melissa Ellis: Yes, we wish to congratulate Eman and Natalie Sopa, who both achieved their Cowells this last weekend. I know Natalie was in Canada. I can't recall. Oh, Eman would have been on the Gold Coast somewhere.

00:10:59Oliver Spake: Gold Coast, Surfers, yeah. Surfers. That's right.

00:11:02Melissa Ellis: Right. So well done to them. And Lee Cabarita, that's her port name. She managed her half Cowell.

Roving reports & the Channel 5 News crew

00:11:11Melissa Ellis: yes out of Picton yeah so congratulations everyone yes but with that in mind we have a roving report to bring you now I will uh put a disclaimer on this roving report I've split it in half so this week we're going to hear half of Sarah Jefferson's roving report from Presint 18, Putrajaya so let's have a listen to that now

Roving report Sarah Jefferson — Presint 18 parkrun

Talking to Hema — Run Director, Presint 18 parkrun, Putrajaya, Malaysia

00:11:42Sarah Jefferson: I'm here with Ima this morning in Malaysia, the Run Director. Thanks for having us. Lovely to have you here this morning. Thank you for talking to us and featuring us on your podcast. What a beautiful course. Can I get you to describe the course here for the listeners, please?

00:11:58Hema - Run Director, Presint 18 parkrun, Putrajaya: Well, it is a very beautiful course. It's really basically straight out, a couple of U-turns and then come back again. And it's alongside the beautiful lake in Putrajaya where there's lots of room to cycle and run and lots of lovely... smelling beautiful smelling plants and trees I really love it my favourite role is to actually do the Marshal position at the end so I can enjoy the walk and enjoy the whole course before everybody else comes along so I really enjoy the peace that the that the lake brings

00:12:30Sarah Jefferson: And there was also a waterfall. I saw a bit of water dropping down from some of the little kind of cliffs. Well, I haven't noticed that, so you're very observant. You can just hear the water splashing. I never noticed that, so thank you. I'll look for it next time. Yes, yes. There's also a few scenic things on course as well.

00:12:46Hema - Run Director, Presint 18 parkrun, Putrajaya: Could I get you to describe those, please? Yeah, well, I suppose the highlight is the pink mosque. If you time the run right or your walk right, you can see the sun rising up and it's just absolutely beautiful. It glows, basically, and it features in a lot of our photographs and really is a great symbol of our parkrun. It's beautiful.

00:13:06Sarah Jefferson: Given that this is the only parkrun now in Malaysia, have your numbers fluctuated much at all?

00:13:11Hema - Run Director, Presint 18 parkrun, Putrajaya: Yeah, well, to be honest with you, the first one that started up has shut down, unfortunately, and it's quite far from this one, so we can't really expect people to come. It wouldn't be environmentally the right thing to do, but we're hoping that we may get another one soon. But the numbers, they have gone down, but I think... Ultimately, the core parkrun team has remained very strong and I know that we'll grow again. So I'm very hopeful that the future, albeit it's been slow, but I'm sure we'll get there in the end.

00:13:45[other]

00:13:45Sarah Jefferson: Yep. And we just heard some chanting in the background then. Is the finish line always this energetic? LAUGHTER

00:13:49[laughter]

00:13:50Hema - Run Director, Presint 18 parkrun, Putrajaya: Actually, it's usually much louder because we normally have a huge core team and everybody knows everyone. I mean, we've been told it's the friendliest parkrun. So normally it's even louder, I would say. So you have to come back and experience it on a different day. Yes. Yeah, we'll highly recommend. So if you're in Malaysia, you've got no choice but to come to this parkrun.

00:14:09Sarah Jefferson: That's right, very near the airport. Yeah, but it is, we often think about our top three parkruns on the parkrun adventurers and I think this is definitely in my top 10. I'm not sure about top three yet, but it is stunning. Well, thank you. Thank you for having us. Thank you for coming.

Talking to Washington — Visiting parkrun tourist from Brisbane (home event South Bank); 30-time marathoner and…

00:14:23Sarah Jefferson: I'm here with Washington. How was your parkrun today?

00:14:26Washington - visiting parkrunner from Brisbane (home event South Bank): Yeah, it was really good. The weather is really cold compared to other days, but yeah, really good. I love running around here at Presint 18 here with KL.

00:14:37Sarah Jefferson: I love it that you're saying it's cold. I'm like sweating.

00:14:41Washington - visiting parkrunner from Brisbane (home event South Bank): No, I've been here for three weeks now, so now today is cold. Yeah, climate time.

00:14:45Sarah Jefferson: Okay, fair enough. And you're from Australia, is that right?

00:14:48Washington - visiting parkrunner from Brisbane (home event South Bank): Yes, I'm from Brisbane, so that's my home park, South Bank.

00:14:52Sarah Jefferson: South Bank, awesome. And so what brings you to KL?

00:14:55Washington - visiting parkrunner from Brisbane (home event South Bank): I'm here for holiday, so I'm visiting some friends and running around here in Malaysia.

00:15:02Sarah Jefferson: Have you travelled to other countries to do parkrun?

00:15:05Washington - visiting parkrunner from Brisbane (home event South Bank): Yeah, I've been to New Zealand. I've been to Germany.

00:15:10Sarah Jefferson: Oh, awesome.

00:15:11Washington - visiting parkrunner from Brisbane (home event South Bank): Yes, when I did Berlin Marathon last year.

00:15:13Sarah Jefferson: Oh, how did you go with the marathon?

00:15:15Washington - visiting parkrunner from Brisbane (home event South Bank): Oh, it was nice. I was with Kipchoge when he broke the world record last year.

00:15:20Sarah Jefferson: Incredible.

00:15:20Washington - visiting parkrunner from Brisbane (home event South Bank): Yeah. Wow. That was one of the highlights of my marathon career. Yeah, for sure.

00:15:27Sarah Jefferson: So career means you've done more than one?

00:15:29Washington - visiting parkrunner from Brisbane (home event South Bank): Yeah, I've done like 30 marathons now. I'm supposed to run the Gold Coast today or tomorrow, but yeah, I'm here.

00:15:36Sarah Jefferson: But you're kind of in Malaysia, so it might be hard.

00:15:38Washington - visiting parkrunner from Brisbane (home event South Bank): Yeah, because, you know, Gold Coast is like an hour away from Brisbane and I've always been running Gold Coast every year.

00:15:44Sarah Jefferson: Yeah, you can do that another year, right?

00:15:47Washington - visiting parkrunner from Brisbane (home event South Bank): Yeah, I know.

00:15:47Sarah Jefferson: What about any of the other world majors?

00:15:51Washington - visiting parkrunner from Brisbane (home event South Bank): I qualified for Boston this year, but I didn't go, so maybe next year.

00:15:56Sarah Jefferson: Okay, so does that mean that holds over, or have you got to qualify again?

00:15:59Washington - visiting parkrunner from Brisbane (home event South Bank): No, the time that you had, it's valid for like two years, so you can re-qualify if the quota is met.

00:16:09Sarah Jefferson: Yeah, wow.

00:16:10Washington - visiting parkrunner from Brisbane (home event South Bank): Yeah, that's something. Yeah, Boston's always been one of those marathons that everyone wants to have.

00:16:17Sarah Jefferson: Yes, for sure. For sure. And is parkrun part of your weekend all the time?

00:16:24Washington - visiting parkrunner from Brisbane (home event South Bank): Oh, yes. I've been parkrunning since 2014. So this is like my 322nd. Oh, wow.

00:16:28Sarah Jefferson: Congratulations.

00:16:30Washington - visiting parkrunner from Brisbane (home event South Bank): Yeah, something like that. So, yeah, that's where I started, like 5K, then, you know, progressed to 10K and half marathon and, of course, marathon. And now I'm doing ultras, like hundreds. Yes, hundreds and 50K. Wow.

00:16:44Sarah Jefferson: Wow. Well, I saw you out on course and you had so much energy to give to everyone else and support them.

00:16:48Washington - visiting parkrunner from Brisbane (home event South Bank): So good on you. I always love coming to parkrun. You see a lot of people like, you know, every week they try to come out and do a 5K. That's something that, you know, to keep you fit and healthy, which is good, you know, good for your physical and mental health.

00:17:04Sarah Jefferson: Yep, and all about the community, isn't it?

00:17:06Washington - visiting parkrunner from Brisbane (home event South Bank): Yes, yes, that's right. It's not just running. It's also like, especially volunteers. I would like to thank volunteers every week to make parkrun possible everywhere in the world.

00:17:15Sarah Jefferson: Definitely, definitely. Well, thanks for sharing your incredible story. Good luck with the Boston Marathon next year. We'll hold you to that. Yes.

00:17:23Washington - visiting parkrunner from Brisbane (home event South Bank): Yes, yeah, I'm really, that's one of my dreams, a marathon in Boston. Incredible. All right, thank you so much. Good luck, thanks for sharing. Good to know that there's some Aussies running around here in Malaysia as well. Definitely.

00:17:35Sarah Jefferson: Wherever there's a parkrun, you'll see Aussies, I say.

00:17:37Washington - visiting parkrunner from Brisbane (home event South Bank): Yes, of course. We have like 400 plus parkruns in Aussie.

00:17:40Sarah Jefferson: Yeah, we're pretty lucky, aren't we?

00:17:41Washington - visiting parkrunner from Brisbane (home event South Bank): Yes, we are. Thank you so much. Yeah, no worries. Thank you. Have a good day.

00:17:51Oliver Spake: And thank you very much to Sarah from the West Side. Not on the West Side.

00:17:56Melissa Ellis: No, on the north side.

00:17:57Oliver Spake: On the north side and a bit. But, yeah, catching up with the RD there, Hema. And Washington from the Gold Coast.

00:18:07Melissa Ellis: But, Ollie, I need to explain a few things to you since you've been away. I was planning some things, didn't tell you about them, didn't want to fire you, but hopefully you don't mind. No.

00:18:19Oliver Spake: I did hear, yes. I did hear.

00:18:22Melissa Ellis: I'm looking to put some more structure into our, see, this is the problem. I haven't got the words for it.

00:18:30Oliver Spake: Well, that's where the crowdsourcing comes from, right?

00:18:33Melissa Ellis: Yeah.

00:18:34Oliver Spake: Yes. Our introduction. Yes. Our welcome.

00:18:38Melissa Ellis: See, you know.

Emails

00:18:41Melissa Ellis: But anyway, we had an email. We've got mail.

00:18:44[other]

00:18:44Unidentified speaker: You've got mail.

00:18:45Melissa Ellis: So we had an email from David Bravos and he has said, Hey team, I threw together a quick mission statement for the pod. I for one would call it a manifesto. And it reads, we encourage, unite and celebrate the amazing parkrun adventurers community. We look at the transforming potential of both running and adventure via engrossing tales and thought-provoking discussions, revealing the incredible tales and victories of people who have discovered their community, their world and themselves through parkrun. We want to inspire our listeners to embrace their own sense of adventure and take on new challenges and enjoy the benefits of personal growth with every episode, all the while building a welcoming, inclusive community that thrives on shared experiences of travelling for parkrun, parkrunning to travel or just turning up on Saturday mornings. And he goes on to say, I get the feeling that whatever you end up with will include a quality joke or pun, none of which I could think of.

00:19:44Oliver Spake: Dave. I think he's articulated a few things fabulously there. What I really like is that it does cover many different angles and, you know, those inspiring stories and people finding their own way to adventure and Yeah, I think, yeah, it means that it's many things to many people, Mel. And, you know, whilst I did say I was thinking when I heard you put out the call, I was thinking of it as a welcome. I think it does extend because we're on many mediums. So I think, Dave, that's a fantastic job at saying, really putting a lot of the essence of what we're all about into words. And yeah, I could see it coming in very handy.

00:20:34Melissa Ellis: But only we...

00:20:36Oliver Spake: We had more. We had more. And look, Mel, a bit mysterious from an anonymous source. So what was the Office Lady saying about the informants? No? But these are not, I believe, from the informants. Just a clarification. Someone else anonymous. And they have offered a few options. In a bit more of a welcome this time, saying welcome to the parkrun adventurers, a podcast all about parkrun and adventuring. Another one, welcome to the parkrun adventurers, where our weekends are spent at parkrun and adventuring is our hobby. And a third, welcome to the parkrun adventurers, the pod that takes you around the globe parkrun by parkrun.

00:21:24Melissa Ellis: Oh, some good options there too. I think we're going to have a good time collecting all these ideas.

00:21:32Oliver Spake: That's right.

00:21:33Melissa Ellis: Hopefully we can pool the collective knowledge of the adventurers community and come up with something.

00:21:40Oliver Spake: And I like Dave's suggestion, a joke in there. So, yep, keep them coming. Thank you very much, known and unknown contributors. But, Mel, we have more emails. We have this email here from Ingrid Botha, and she said, Hi, Mel, Ollie, and the pod team. Picture it, 1990, the Glen Innes High School cross country. I'm running along Hunter Street thinking someone is going to see the colour of my face, say, that's not normal, and pull me from the race. So why then, 33 years later, was I so excited to hear about parkrun coming to my hometown? After hating running most of my life, I'd had a midlife crisis and discovered parkrun. While I still don't love the actual running bit, I love what parkrun does for my health, both physical and mental health. I wonder what difference would it have made to have something like parkrun available when I was a kid. I was pretty inactive, but I have a sister who liked to run, so maybe she would have joined parkrun and maybe I would have come along. Maybe I would have discovered that running was less about soul-destroying laps of the school oval and more about doing your own thing at your own pace for your own reasons with dogs and tutus optional. Maybe not. But for both my sister and I, it would have provided an opportunity to develop a lifelong healthy habit in a small country town where such opportunities are rarer than in the city. I'm excited for the country kids who now get to grow up with a parkrun in their town. I'm excited for my sporty school friend who probably won that cross country in 1990. who no longer has to travel rural highways to the next town if she wants to parkrun. I'm excited for my non-sporty school friends who get to discover parkrun as an adult. I'm excited this is happening in rural communities all over Australia and around the world. And I'm excited that the parkrun community gets to discover my hometown with its standing stones and fabulous bakeries and festivals. I haven't been back home yet to run the new course, which is on the same hill we ran up on the school country course. When I do next get home, I'll be smiling a lot more than last time I went up the hill. And if my face is going to turn a funny colour this time around, there's a good chance I'll be wearing a tutu that matches. Kind regards, Ingrid.

00:24:14Melissa Ellis: That's fabulous. And can I just say the title of that email read, email for the pod if you want to use it, where I don't mention us at all. But I did.

00:24:26Oliver Spake: You did.

00:24:26Melissa Ellis: Of course, we're referring to the fact that Australian Standing Stones is the acronym for the parkrun in Glen Innes.

00:24:34Oliver Spake: That's right. And, yeah, I think that that's a touching email. Thanks, Ingrid, because it is such a good point. And I, for one, haven't been to enough rural and regional parkruns. You've been to several more than I, Mel, and are a huge advocate of for what it can do and for the attraction of going to places like that, that Ingrid is obviously promoting as well. But it's exciting. I do look forward to seeing more and discovering more.

00:25:03Melissa Ellis: Yeah, she put it very well, very well articulated, Ingrid. The pride, I think, she feels that parkrun's come to her hometown. Yeah. Okay, so that finishes our mail for this week.

Club Corner

00:25:16Melissa Ellis: And it's time now, Ollie, for us to listen to Rachel.

00:25:20[13 seconds of audio that could not be transcribed]

00:25:33Rachel - Club Corner contributor: This is Rachel with Club Corner, where we talk about the what and why of parkrun clubs, and I am coming to you from Arrernte Country. Harking back to Club Corner number 5, today I'm going to talk about word-related clubs. Rather than talking about spelling things, I am going to sample some of the word-related puns slash clubs out there. My favourite of these is the, the club, where you participate at all of the clubs with, the in their name. They are, the avenues, the beaches, the entrance, the ponds, and the terrace parkruns. Nice one, eh? Another group is, royalty, which Mel was talking about around the time of the coronation. Your options include, Kingscliff, Kingston Park, Prince of Wales, Queen Elizabeth at Casino and Queens Domain. But can be extended to include, Jubilee Way, and Queanbeyan, haha. And then we have events with Queensland in them, like, Gladstone Queensland, Ipswich Queensland, and Mansfield, Queensland. Another cute club is the Rainbow Club, those with any of the ROYGBIV colour names. Blue Gum Hills, Gainsborough Greens, Greenbank, Greenway, Orange, Redcliffe, and Redland Bay parkruns. The last of these clubs I will give as an example is to run the zoo, e.g. Birdsland Reserve, Cormorant Bay, Frog Hollow, Horseshoe Bay Reserve, Kangaroo Island and Wallaby Track parkruns and remember in parkrun life all non-milestone clubs are unofficial and unsupported by parkrun so stay tuned for our future club corners

00:27:00Oliver Spake: And thank you very much to Rachel for our latest instalment of Club Corner. And safe to say, I don't believe I'm a part of any of those clubs, Mel.

00:27:09Melissa Ellis: I don't think I am either. You're not on your own there.

00:27:13Oliver Spake: No, that's right. That's right. But I do like the creativity of some of them, some vibrant colour in them.

00:27:20Melissa Ellis: Yeah. Have you created any of your own challenges? You know how you can do that in the 5K app?

00:27:25Oliver Spake: I haven't actually gone to the level of creating it. I thought I was coming up with a nifty little, you know, WWW challenge as in, you know, the internet challenge. But then I found out I had more W's than three.

00:27:40Melissa Ellis: It's not really fun to create a challenge that you've already achieved three times over.

00:27:45Oliver Spake: That's right. Yeah.

00:27:48Melissa Ellis: Goodness me. Yes, have you? I did. Yes, I created the Pooper Scooper Challenge when I heard Helen mention it.

00:27:55Oliver Spake: Of course you did.

00:27:56Melissa Ellis: All those months ago. And the funny thing was because the 5K app will give you updates on your progress on challenges, I got a little bit confused one time and I thought that it had been taken up and made as an actual real challenge and I got a bit excited and then I realised, oh, no, that's just the one I created. But I haven't achieved it yet. I think I've got three more number twos to get.

00:28:23Oliver Spake: Okay. Well, I'll have to be creative. Look, to be honest, I think the one that comes to mind, and I don't know why, but I remember when I worked in shipping, well, planning shipping. It wasn't as exciting as shipping, but I remember the term of all going well, weather permitting, and I'm sure that there were more words behind that. But, yeah. AGWWP was a regular acronym that we used to use as a little caveat that, you know, depends on the weather. So, yeah, maybe I'll have to come up with the AGWWP challenge.

00:28:58Melissa Ellis: That could translate well for a parkrun morning, couldn't it?

00:29:02Oliver Spake: Yeah, that's true. That's true.

00:29:04Melissa Ellis: Weather permitting all going well? I like that. So create it in your 5K app and confuse yourself.

00:29:11Oliver Spake: Excellent. Excellent.

00:29:12Melissa Ellis: You probably got it three times over.

00:29:14Oliver Spake: Yeah. Have I done an A parkrun? I should know that. I don't know. I don't think I have. Have you done Albert? Yes, you've done Albert Park.

00:29:25Melissa Ellis: Oh, of course I have. Oh, dear me.

00:29:28Oliver Spake: One job. Lucky you've got me. Yes. Oh, yeah. There we are.

Consolidated Club Report

00:29:32Oliver Spake: Another one I've already achieved. But never mind, Mel, because there are lots of other achievements going on across the Adventurers Club.

00:29:40Melissa Ellis: Yes, and the adventurers Consolidated Club Report for Saturday, the 1st of July 2023, saw a total of 435 members, not 3,391. Whoopsie. I suspect that's... 331 took part on this date, I think, at 171 locations. There were 24 events in the UK...

00:29:52[16 seconds of audio that could not be transcribed]

00:30:08Melissa Ellis: three in South Africa, and one each in Austria, Canada, Ireland, Malaysia, and Singapore. Locally, we had adventurers at 34 events in Victoria, 37 events in Queensland, 10 in South Australia, eight in Western Australia. The ACT and North Island had four, there were two in Tassie, and the South Island and Northern Territory had one. Oh, and 38 in New South Wales.

the Frond — Shellharbour parkrun (Frond of ten); Mt Penang and Wyndham Vale parkruns (Fronds of seven)

00:30:35Melissa Ellis: there was a Frond of ten at the very one and only Shellharbour. So lots of adventurers at home.

00:30:47Oliver Spake: There certainly were.

00:30:48Melissa Ellis: Under your guidance. You were our dean.

00:30:51Oliver Spake: Well, I was not, no.

00:30:53Melissa Ellis: Oh, no, you ran. You were one of them.

00:30:55Oliver Spake: I was one of them, yeah.

00:30:57Melissa Ellis: That is correct. But there was also a Frond of seven at two separate events. One in Mount Penang, which I think is New South Wales. Is that correct?

00:31:09Oliver Spake: You're right. Yes.

00:31:10Melissa Ellis: So Caro Vos, Susan and Dexter Roddick, Sally Gutierrez, Richard and Lydia and Ian Knox. And down in Victoria at Wyndham Vale, we had Andrew and James Reynolds, Daryl Smith, Kevin Green, Donna Markwick and Renee and Abigail Jackson.

00:31:26Oliver Spake: Oh, so, yeah, a couple of New South Wales fronds there too.

00:31:30Melissa Ellis: There was.

00:31:31Oliver Spake: Thank you, Mel. 339, yeah, that was the number.

00:31:34Melissa Ellis: Oh, okay. I said, oh, Friday, I've got it. Goodness me. I got it all wrong this week.

00:31:39Oliver Spake: No, but thank you very much and, yeah, thank you to you and for Craig for the Consolidated Club Report.

Launches and anniversaries"Where is the cake?"

00:31:46Oliver Spake: Help.

00:31:47Melissa Ellis: But, hey, there's a new event. There is, Ollie. We had word and results for a new event in Broome in WA. It is called Town Beach parkrun and it launched with 96 in attendance, meaning no more statesmen in WA.

00:32:05Oliver Spake: So, yeah, one more reason to go to Broome now.

00:32:08Melissa Ellis: I'm sure there's lots to do in Broome.

00:32:10Oliver Spake: Oh, there certainly is. There certainly is. But they don't make it easy for themselves out there in the west. But well done to everyone from Town Beach parkrun.

00:32:19Melissa Ellis: Yes, we'll bring you more, no doubt, in the weeks and months to come as the adventurers filter through and give us more of an idea of what it is like up there.

Sign-off

00:32:30Oliver Spake: I was going to prompt our looking forward, Mel.

International Ugly Christmas Singlet Day

00:32:33Oliver Spake: Ah, right. Because it's July and for the last couple of years we've seen a bit of a festive tinge to July and very happy to say that there will be another festive tinge to this July, Ugly Christmas in July, which for those of you that have been wondering is officially or unofficially the 22nd of July, Mel.

00:33:01Melissa Ellis: Absolutely. So dig out those Ugly Christmas Singlets and stick them over whatever you can find, your winter thermals. Yes. And wear them loud and proud on the 22nd of July. And those buffs, Ollie, you can layer up in your buffs again. Yes.

00:33:17Oliver Spake: They make great mittens. They do. You can wrap them, just fold them once and wrap them and they fit over your hands and then you can make them little... An ankle warmers. Wristlet kind of bracelets. That's what I'm trying to think of. Bracelets. Yes. And in case you're wondering... No, there are no new releases this July. So it's an opportunity to, as you say, Mel, to dig out those existing ones and, yeah, celebrate the festivities in the ugly.

00:33:50Melissa Ellis: Yes, indeed. But in other news, next week there will not be a recording. We're going to have a week off, so there is going to be a break before the next episode.

00:34:00Oliver Spake: that's right so just as well we've got that reminder out there for ugly Christmas and uh yes that'll give everyone a week to to catch up or um I don't know listen to the birds uh or just uh yeah I don't know the back catalogue I've got nothing the back catalogue highly recommend the back catalogue but uh

00:34:24Melissa Ellis: But, yes, no, I'm going to have a week's break from editing, so that's the reason for the week off.

00:34:30Oliver Spake: And very appropriately to enjoy the week of Mel.

00:34:34Melissa Ellis: Yes, thank you. I will be. I'll have my mum visiting me, so it'll give me the opportunity to spend a bit more time with mum and not tucked away in my office trying to spend my spare time with the edit. Yes. And I'm off on an adventure the weekend after that, so I will need to have my head in the game. I need to be booking my airport parking, Ollie. I can't be leaving these things till the last minute. It gets me in trouble.

00:35:03Oliver Spake: Well, it gets your steps up, but go book that parking, Mel. Yes.

00:35:08Melissa Ellis: Must book the airport parking for WA. But anyway, next parkrun day, Ollie. So don't ask me. I don't know. I haven't sorted it yet. I have no idea where I'll be. Can't help you out there, but what about you? I will probably be at home.

00:35:28Oliver Spake: All right. I don't have any commitments per se. I know the week after I'll be run directing, so I'll be at home then and probably the week after that as well before I start gallivanting around for the World Cup. But, yeah, this weekend might just be a quiet one at home. We'll see. Right.

00:35:47Melissa Ellis: Well, I hope you enjoy. You're obviously not RD.

00:35:52Oliver Spake: That's right.

00:35:52Melissa Ellis: So you can have another run.

00:35:54Oliver Spake: Yeah, at the very least a run. I've finally been getting back out there to have some more runs and get active because I've been ignoring the fact that I had, of course, signed up for City to Surf and I've got to buy a costume now, of course.

00:36:10Sarah Jefferson: Oh, that reminds me.

00:36:13Oliver Spake: Thank you to those that very kindly reminded me and asked me and even to those that have offered to help in acquiring Sid's costume. Helpers, supporters, enablers, you're all wonderful.

00:36:31Melissa Ellis: So they do listen.

00:36:33Oliver Spake: Oh, yes, yes. Somehow all five pod listeners managed to know. Yeah.

00:36:41Melissa Ellis: Excellent. Excellent. I look forward to that.

00:36:44Oliver Spake: I haven't organised anything yet, but, you know, it sounds like a good idea. Quacks like a duck. Must be a good idea. The other thing I've been ignoring is I've got the Sydney Marathon to run and kind of need to be able to run for that. So I've been getting out and running again. So a bit of training and a few more parkruns will help that. Absolutely.

00:37:08Melissa Ellis: Good. Yes, I did see you did a 10K run. Sunday? Did you do that on Sunday?

00:37:14Oliver Spake: Yeah, yeah, just meandering around. Yes, not like our fast Gold Coast marathoners. Well done to everyone, by the way.

00:37:21Melissa Ellis: Well, you're doing more than me. I'm very underprepared for City to Surf, but hey, if I don't edit next week, then maybe I have some running time.

00:37:31Oliver Spake: That's right. Just think of how many laps to the airport shuttle you could do in that spare time. Sorry, too soon. Okay, yes. Well, I suppose, yeah, in terms of looking forward, I'm trying to think, is there anything else? It's July. We've still got a while before September. No?

00:37:51Melissa Ellis: Okay. I don't know. NAIDOC week? NAIDOC week's coming up.

00:37:55Oliver Spake: It is NAIDOC week.

00:37:56Melissa Ellis: Is it this week? Oh, well, there you go.

00:37:57Oliver Spake: It is NAIDOC week. Yes. I am looking forward, you know, fortunately through work to have a few opportunities to celebrate and learn through NAIDOC week. And I believe the theme this year is for our elders. So, yeah, it will be nice to enjoy a bit more.

00:38:17Melissa Ellis: Well, I think it is enough for one week. We can wrap up now. As always, everybody, you can contact us via Facebook or our email, which is parkrunadventurers at gmail.com. That is it for another week, and we'll see you all next week for more adventures.