Episode 434 - It’s Upside Down

00:00:00[intro theme playing]

Welcome

00:00:26Sarah Jefferson: Welcome to episode 434 of the parkrun adventurers podcast, a podcast about life, if your life is all about parkrun. My name is Sarah Jefferson, joining you from beautiful Noongar Boodja, Noongar Country.

00:00:39Simon Mackley: And I'm Simon Mackley, coming to you from Quandamooka Country.

00:00:43Sarah Jefferson: Hey Sarah, nice to chat to you again. How's things on the West Side? Hey Simon, things on the West Side are good. It's official though, I have a crawling baby.

00:00:54Reginald Yardley Pomphrey III: Cool.

00:00:57Sarah Jefferson: My baby's growing up very quickly. She now loves pot plants, standing up against the washing basket, also hitting the high notes, screaming really loudly when she's getting into her food as well. In the past month, we've also been to sleep school. I got a bit rough there for a little while. And anyway, I think we're up to about 60 different foods. So it's been very messy, but lots of fun. Nice run. How are you in sunny Queensland?

00:01:30Simon Mackley: Well, things are pretty good here. The weather's definitely changed for spring. I had a good run yesterday at Bridge to Brisbane with 35,000 of my closest friends, you know.

00:01:40Sarah Jefferson: Are very popular. Oh, no, tell me about it.

00:01:45Simon Mackley: But, you know, the weather is certainly getting nicer here. It's mid-20s all day today. So I was making my colleagues in Victoria and New South Wales very jealous. I bet.

00:01:57Sarah Jefferson: You would have been making colleagues in WA jealous too. It's been a bit fresh over here today as well. Oh, that's a shame. It's okay. It has to be for a little while because soon, once November hits, we have the six months of sunshine.

00:02:11Simon Mackley: Yes, of course. Of course, and we get the probably six months of humidity.

00:02:15Sarah Jefferson: Right. I know which one I would prefer. Not saying, yes, anything.

Streaky September

00:02:23Sarah Jefferson: Have you been streaking this September, Simon?

00:02:26Simon Mackley: Well, no, I actually haven't been. I'm not getting out as much as I like at the moment. I'll be honest, I didn't even look at the Bingoe card until today. What about you?

00:02:36Sarah Jefferson: Well, I guess you can start looking at it halfway through the month as we're recording on the 15th of September.

00:02:42Simon Mackley: Yes, I can. Exactly.

00:02:43Sarah Jefferson: So better late than never. However, I have been. One of my streaks consisted of walking literally up and back about a 200-metre footpath outside my house while I had Hadley in the carrier who refused to go to sleep. So I just walked up and back, up and back, patting her bottom and I also left the front door open so that the cat could be let out the front door as well, trying to make him happy and the baby happy. I'm not sure about myself, but anyway, it's not about me at the moment, is it?

00:03:16Alice: No, it's not.

00:03:17Sarah Jefferson: But the best thing is that I did get out there for a streak and I guess it looks different for everybody. So that's why I'm still participating and that's why it's a really great thing to be out there streaking.

00:03:30Simon Mackley: Exactly. And yeah, there continues to be sort of finger cutters as the month goes on. But yeah, it's been great to see people out there meeting dogs and streaking their PJs, doing that double streak as well. And when there was a full moon, and I'm assuming that means a full moon in the sky, Sarah.

00:03:49Sarah Jefferson: Well, I hope so. And I guess so. However, these challenges are open to personal interpretation, aren't they?

00:03:57Simon Mackley: They sure are. Have you seen the latest ones that have come out tonight, the new four?

00:04:02Sarah Jefferson: I did have a quick glance, but would you like to share them?

00:04:06Simon Mackley: Yeah, no, I was just going to say, so the new ones that came out were to strike after 11 p.m. There's one to strike before 6 a.m. There was spot a bird and run the date. Now, I'm thinking that based on two of them being pretty much night or very early morning challenges, it's probably one that can be merged with a friend for a little bit of extra safety in case, yeah, those timings, the after 11 and before 6 a.m. may not be...

00:04:36Sarah Jefferson: entirely safe to be going in that time oh yeah I do like that great tip I think that's a really good one to do with a friend I can see actually quite a few people going out in their pjs with a friend as well I guess safety in numbers not looking like the only cuckoo person in town But I don't know about the after 11 p.m., Simon. I mean, sure, I am kind of waking at random times at the moment, but going out for a walk when I'm waking up to feed a baby is completely different than going outside to do 2Ks in the dark.

00:05:12Simon Mackley: Yeah, trying to settle her if she's crying as well at 11, 12, 1, 2, whatever. Yeah, you don't want to be waking the neighbours, I guess.

00:05:22Sarah Jefferson: Yeah, doing a 2K streak.

00:05:24Simon Mackley: Yeah, exactly. Sarah, where have you been since we last chatted?

00:05:28Sarah Jefferson: Okay, so I have been to some local parkruns. I've been to Lake Claremont for a Wilson number. And then I went actually back to Cottesloe parkrun for a few parkruns, which was really nice. Stayed close to home. Unfortunately for me, they had their 500th birthday this weekend. Yeah. just gone. However, I actually did go on an adventure, so I wasn't there for that. So, on Thursday afternoon, I jumped on a plane and headed over to Canberra for 48 hours. There were a few reasons for my visit. Firstly, there is currently a Mr. Squiggle and Friends exhibition on at the National Museum. So, for those listeners who have no idea what I'm talking about, Mr. Squiggle is is still one of the longest running TV programs in Australia, which lasted 40 years. So the show began in 1959 and it lasted until 1999. The show was based on a puppet with a pencil nose who would often draw pictures from a simple squiggle sent in by Australian children. So the puppeteer, Norman, would often then exclaim, or Mr Squiggle, I guess, would exclaim that the picture was drawn upside down And then they would flip it around to reveal the picture. Throughout this time, there were more than 10,000 drawings. So quite amazing to one, the talent of a puppeteer. He came up with all of the ideas himself, but not only was he using the puppet, he was actually drawing a picture upside down. Incredible. So the exhibition was phenomenal and I highly recommend seeing this if any adventurers are in the area. Yeah.

00:07:08Simon Mackley: So all I've got to say to that is, Miss Jane, Miss Jane, it's time for a spacewalk, Miss Jane. So I'm sure that you weren't being hurried around by a blackboard to get through the exhibit either. Yeah, that would have been really cool. That would have been definitely a big childhood memory for me.

00:07:23Sarah Jefferson: Yes, incredible. So the blackboard was one of the puppets for context, and Miss Jane was one of the hosts, I guess, as well, who would hold Mr. Squiggle's hand. A human host. One of the only things.

00:07:34[crosstalk]

00:07:36Simon Mackley: He's not a puppet, yes.

00:07:38Sarah Jefferson: That's right. No, I wasn't being hurried through. I definitely took my time. So that was my first reason. Second reason for visiting is that Matt is aiming to donate plasma and blood in each state and territory of Australia. So he's now ticked off the ACT.

00:07:54Simon Mackley: That is phenomenal. That is a weird challenge. I know we have lots of weird challenges as parkrunners, but that is very altruistic. So how many has he ticked off and how many has he got to go?

00:08:07Sarah Jefferson: So he has completed all states and territories except for Tasmania. So he's only got Tassie left to do. Okay. So, yeah, he's nearly there. And I guess the third reason was parkrun, of course. So on Saturday I ventured to event 164 of Umbagong District parkrun on the lands of the Ngunnawal people. Nangawal. Nangawal. Thanks, Simon. Okay. And why Umbagong? Did I hear you ask, Simon? Well, it was selected as my second U, meaning that I've nearly completed my second alphabet. Anyway, while we were there, we met up with Jack, Claire and Amelia Corkle for the event. I hadn't actually met the Corkle family before. But I reached out and they were very happy to come along and meet us. I won't go into the course too much, but let's just say that it was quite hilly. And yes, both Claire and myself did this with prams, even though the path is relatively narrow. So we talked the whole way, shared our birth stories, talked about bubs, how the year has gone for us, parkrun adventures and life really. I also asked the Run Director if there were any platypus in the river along the course, and apparently she has seen a few platypus. I did actually think that it looked like there could be platypus living in there. I don't know if this is a thing, but it looked like it could be platypus-y, I guess. We didn't have time to go back and check, but we did head to breakfast at the Hungry Bunny Cafe afterwards.

00:09:44Simon Mackley: That sounds like a great parkrun meetup with the corkles. Is there any other reason that you were there?

00:09:50Sarah Jefferson: There was one more reason, but it was lovely to meet them. And our final reason for heading over to Canberra was to attend Floriade, which is the National Flower Festival. And it did not disappoint. Lots of beautiful flowers with each garden bed designed around the theme of science and nature. It was incredible. It was even actually better than I had imagined. Anyway, enough about my adventure. What have you been up to since we last spoke?

00:10:17Simon Mackley: Well, I have stayed local myself, actually. I went to Scribbly Gums Conservation, Opera and Logan River. All of those were pretty much to keep bumping up my P-index, which I'm proud to say I'm now only two away from hitting my P-9, or for those of you who don't know what the P-index is. I've almost done a minimum nine times at nine different parkrun locations. So I've got two left at Logan River to do that. And then I'm guessing I'll start working on number 10.

00:10:49Sarah Jefferson: Fantastic. You have been working very hard this year, chipping away at your P index. So well done.

00:10:54Simon Mackley: Thank you. Shall we talk about last episode? So... Mel mentioned in the third part, I think it was, that there was background noise. And I'm wondering if anyone else actually heard it. Because I was in the car and I'm sure I heard it. But then when I listened back to it on the headphones, I didn't actually hear any of the background noise of the peregrine falcon watching. So, yeah. Did you hear it, Sarah?

00:11:21Sarah Jefferson: I didn't hear it. No. Okay.

00:11:24Simon Mackley: Fair enough.

00:11:25Sarah Jefferson: So... Be interesting if other people heard it because otherwise you're hearing things, Simon.

00:11:31Simon Mackley: Yeah, must be, exactly. Like I said, I was listening to it in the car, so maybe there were emergency vehicles behind me that I was not letting through.

00:11:39Sarah Jefferson: Or a falcon, a bird, whatever, nearby. Exactly.

00:11:44Simon Mackley: The other thing is that I will totally take on board what TOC said about the percentage correction of how many UK parkrunners were adventurers. So thanks for calling that out. In my brain, I was thinking about 2,000 events in the UK and not over 2,000 events around the world. But I will 100% take that on board that I screwed up the percentages in my head on the fly.

00:12:09Sarah Jefferson: Also last pod, Mel and TOC were talking about parkruns in Singapore and they were talking about West Beach parkrun so remembering I've just been to Singapore and I'm sure that they were referring to West Coast Park parkrun in Singapore so if you were listening thinking I haven't heard of that parkrun in Singapore you are correct West Beach parkrun is in fact in the state of South Australia So just clarifying that we knew what you meant, Mel and TOC. We're just clarifying this for the listeners that you were referring to West Coast parkrun in Singapore.

Watching the stopwatch bingo of Melissa Ellis

00:12:44Simon Mackley: And a new segment that I'm calling watching the stopwatch bingo of Melissa Ellis. So for those of you planning to look at home, Mel has had another very close call with completion. This past week, she finished with a 0-3 and not the 0-0 that she wants.

00:13:04Sarah Jefferson: So close, but so far.

00:13:06Simon Mackley: Yeah.

00:13:07Sarah Jefferson: Are we going to get sacked, Simon?

00:13:08Simon Mackley: I think we are. I think I've really, yeah, pushed it. But I sang it and Mel should be happy with that.

00:13:16Sarah Jefferson: You did some beautiful singing, of course. And that was worth it. We are moving swiftly on because we have a little bit of news to discuss. So we've all heard about Mundy Regional parkrun, right? Lots of people aren't even keen to do this parkrun once, let alone 42 times without stopping. Well, on the 27th of September, Tom Radnich is setting out to do just that. Sorry, he sets out to do Mundy 42 times without stopping. This will equate to 210 kilometres in length, 8,859 metres of vertical climbing and ascension to equal Everest. And why would Tom do this? He will set out to tackle this challenge to raise money for World Leukemia Day and pay tribute to the founder of this parkrun course, Jeff Hansen, who sadly lost his life only 12 days after our diagnosis in 2022. So Tom has shared that his idea of taking on voluntary struggles, make those involuntary struggles in life easier to manage. So if you're keen to be part of this or just want to go along to support Tom, he'll begin this challenge at 8am on the 27th of September. Good luck, Tom.

00:14:29Simon Mackley: Yeah, that is a massive challenge. And yes, I couldn't imagine, like I've never been to Mundy, but I can only imagine like doing that 42 times. Yeah, that's, that's huge.

00:14:43Sarah Jefferson: Mundy is set to be arguably one of the, you know, the world's toughest parkruns. For those who would like to hear just a little bit more about how challenging Mundy Regional parkrun is, our South African correspondent, Johan, shared a detailed comparison of some of the hardest parkruns events after he completed this course after palm23. So in episode 338, he set out to explore and answer the question, is Mundy the hardest parkrun in the world? So if you haven't had a listen, it is worth it. Even if you just tune in around the 30 minutes and 50 second mark, to be precise. If you haven't listened or you have listened, maybe tune back in just to hear and refresh your mind about that course because it's quite a course.

00:15:29Simon Mackley: Yeah, I'm definitely going to go back and listen because I don't remember Johan doing that, but I'm sure once I start listening, it will all come flooding back. We might head across the ditch now. So parkrun New Zealand stats for September the 13th, courtesy of Alison from Across the Ditch. In New Zealand, there were 62 parkruns with 9,085 parkrunners and 982 volunteers, plus any pending results. The biggest New Zealand parkruns were Hagley at 475, Waitangi at 392 and Lower Hutt with 290. And the smallest, there was actually a tie between Lost Lagoon and Lake2Lake Trail, both at 15 and South End Reserve had 16.

00:16:17Sarah Jefferson: Back to Australia. So at the time of doing our show notes across Australia on the 13th of September, we had 519 events totalling 69,374 participants. We also hosted five junior events with 397 finishes and 98 volunteers. On the 6th of September, the smallest parkrun was Waterloo Plains in Queensland with just seven, and the largest was the Ponds with 783. On the 13th of September, the smallest parkrun was Railway Park, also in Queensland, with five, and the largest, again, was the Ponds with 840. Ponds is huge. Yeah, I wonder how many were at Albert, Melbourne. I didn't even look at that this week, but the pond is huge.

00:17:05[background music]

Roving reports & the Channel 5 News crew

00:17:06Simon Mackley: Yeah, I think it might be time we threw to roving reports. What do you think? Sounds good.

00:17:12[15 seconds of audio that could not be transcribed]

Roving report Lyndell Murray — Scribbly Gums Conservation parkrun

00:17:27Lyndell Murray: G'day parkrun adventurers, it's Lyndell and today I have ventured down to the lands of the Quandamooka people, yep, out Simon's way, and I'm at Scribbly Gums Conservation parkrun, I think that's right. I'm going to check in with Kylan, who's the Event Director. How did I go?

00:17:45Kylan: Yeah, perfect, Lyndell.

00:17:46Lyndell Murray: How are you going today?

00:17:49Kylan: Yeah, very good. I got out for a run myself after doing the course set up this morning. So the kids are home in bed and I got to do one solo this morning. So yeah, really enjoyed it and a great morning for running the last weekend of winter.

00:18:03Lyndell Murray: Yep, and it's pretty warm, it's not too cold.

00:18:06Kylan: Yeah, absolutely. Gorgeous morning, perfect conditions for running.

00:18:09Lyndell Murray: Yep, sun's out, guns out, we're ready to roll here. Now, tell me a little bit about Scribbly Gums Conservation parkrun. The name kind of gives it away. It's in a bushland out in the Redland Bay area.

00:18:22Kylan: Yeah, it does. So it's basically out here in Alex Hills and it's a beautiful parkrun, mainly on the fire trails, a 5K loop course. Got about 90 metres of elevation across this course. And yeah, you might see some wildlife if you come down and see it. We've seen kangaroos. We were lucky enough one week to see a koala, but very, very rare sightings and a whole heap of natural birds. And we love this park here at Scribbly Gums.

00:18:50Lyndell Murray: Yep. And dogs allowed here. There was a cacophony of park dogs this morning at the start.

00:18:58Kylan: The dogs were in good voice this morning at the start line raring to go. Yes, absolutely. So, yeah, we do have dogs here, but obviously the same parkrun rules apply. But, yeah, bring the dog down if you do have one and, yeah, we'll definitely accommodate. They love the run here. Yeah, it's one big loop as well pretty much there's just a little out and back but just one big loop all around the park so you get to see it all really you do you do um so yeah yeah absolutely you do do the round um if you do want to adventure sort of after or you do want to explore it we've had people come down do the parkrun then they've come back on a Sunday and decided to explore more of the park and you know found themselves doing 10 or 15 kilometres because there's so much to explore here around the trails but our trail run does stay to that main so it gives you a taste of of the trail yeah and not too tricky either so yeah no or very very well um signpost um we've got about yeah we've got about 15 markers out there with arrows um so yeah you're not going to get lost if you come down um yeah we've you know give us the feedback otherwise

00:20:09Lyndell Murray: My feedback is 10 out of 10. I didn't get lost and I'm, well, I don't get lost often to be honest, but the signs were really clear for sure.

00:20:15Kylan: Yeah.

00:20:16Lyndell Murray: Yeah. All right. Tell us, so you've got your set up in the morning. You must have a great community of volunteers here.

00:20:22Kylan: look we could not do this without volunteers we've got a a good team of about uh 10 different volunteers to do the course setup so different pairings different partners um friends um husbands and wives all that sort of thing that work out and we've got a roster and we do that roster about six months in advance um just to make sure that everybody's sort of set up and and done but Yeah, great volunteer community for that side of it, of the setup.

00:20:40[crosstalk]

00:20:51Lyndell Murray: But always looking for more.

00:20:52[crosstalk]

00:20:53Kylan: But on the actual day, yes, for marshals and for Timekeepers and all the regular things on the day outside of that course setup. Like every parkrun, we're always, you know, shouting out for help. So, yeah, so I'm looking ahead to sort of next week and, you know, we've sort of got about five or six spots still available. But, yeah, we like to sort of fill that roster. Before we leave on a Saturday, our goal is pay it forward to the next Run Director as much as possible and get that roster filled because it's just a great thing to do, right? Yeah, so yeah but volunteering is part of parkrun um and I think when you sign up for parkrun for us initially yeah it was it was the running um but then you know it turns into you know this is more than running this is you know the volunteering it's a community um so if you're signing up for parkrun yeah absolutely get your runs in do your touristing but hey just remember that it thrives and it only operates on volunteers as well yeah

00:21:54[crosstalk]

00:21:54Lyndell Murray: The singing to the converted here. Our parkrun adventurer community are pretty good at volunteering, which I'm really proud to say. Yeah, awesome. Now, that's a great segue into touristing and your story and how you got into parkrun, obviously through running, but you've done a bit of touristing. I'm going to put you on the spot here and ask you to name a top three parkruns, whether it's based on the experience or the course or something funny that happened, not including Scribbly, of course, because that's your home.

00:22:24Kylan: yeah all right cool yeah absolutely so in scribbly's my home obviously um but yeah when it comes to a top three look I I sort of go back and I really liked the Ocean View course um just for something different um through the vineyards up there and the drive up there and um and yeah it was just a really good experience and it was a challenge um but just a different sort of thing uh different parkruns so yeah I enjoyed Ocean View um I would say that um probably milan in Italy would be one Milano Nord Milano Nord yes yes so I did Milano Nord um and and that was just an experience it's the first international one that I'd done um and you know it was nine o'clock in the morning and we went for gelato afterwards and it was just a a a great italian experience um but to do parkrun so yeah so that I'd have to say that was it um and look I can't go past what I love where I started um the capella bar course um I I love the park there I've done well over a couple of hundred parkruns there as well um and I always try and do my best and I love love that run um out at capella bar as well so outside of this one yeah

00:23:02[crosstalk]

00:23:47Lyndell Murray: So good. So good. Alrighty. Is there anything else? We're probably over time, but is there anything else, Kylan, that you would like the parkrun adventurers to know about Scribbly Gums?

00:24:00Kylan: No, I just, I think if you do come down, yeah, just come down, respect the nature that's here and enjoy the park. We don't have huge numbers. We sort of get 70 to maybe 100 a week and we like it. But yeah, we're always welcoming for tourists and people to come and check it out. So yeah, I'm glad you guys came down today and checked it out. And yeah, we might see you around the place.

00:24:25Lyndell Murray: Absolutely. Absolute pleasure. Thank you so much, Kylan, for talking to me today. And thank you so much for everything that you've done for your community, both here and your previous run at Capalaba. Thank you so much.

00:24:35[background music]

00:24:36Kylan: Yeah, no worries. Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

00:24:38Lyndell Murray: Great.

00:24:38[14 seconds of audio that could not be transcribed]

Roving report Tony O'Connell — Point Hut Pond parkrun

00:24:53Tony O'Connell: Good morning parkrunners, it's Toc from Inverloch and I've ventured up to the ACT. I'm at Point Hut Pond parkrun and it is an absolutely sensational day. The sun is shining, this lake is gorgeous. I'm going to say this one has gone up into my top in my ACT parkruns. I'm here with today's RD and ED. Anya, how are you today?

00:25:16Anya: I'm very good, thank you.

00:25:18Tony O'Connell: That's excellent. We're waiting for the Tail Walker to come in. We're standing in the sun having a bit of a chat beside the lake which is gorgeous. Can you give the people a little bit of a description of your course please?

00:25:31Anya: I would explain our course as a bit of a cross-country like course. It begins on a grassy section and ends up on a bit of a path, a bit of dirt. It goes around a gorgeous pond. It's a figure eight course so you're not doing any up and back sections. The views are absolutely phenomenal around the pond, particularly in winter where we have the frost and the mist that rises off. We have a lot of birds and wildlife around here, so there's plenty to see as you walk and run around Point Hut Pond.

00:26:10Tony O'Connell: And just the vibe around your parkrun, it was pretty positive. It's pretty upbeat out here. I really enjoyed the group of people that you've got out here.

00:26:19Anya: Oh, thank you. We are a very, I'd say, we're not a big parkrun. We still get numbers around the 150 mark. I think because we are small, we really do involve the community. We... We make sure that everyone feels inclusive. We talk to everyone. We're just a very happy, vibrant bunch of volunteers and crew and just, yeah, overall the parkrun has a very outgoing feel.

00:26:50Tony O'Connell: That's excellent and it certainly reflects in even the volunteers out on course, the Marshals, everyone. So Anya, what's your parkrun background? I heard you talking to someone before and I think you mentioned that you've done over 200 volunteers and yet you've got 16 finishes, I think you said?

00:27:06Anya: That's correct. So I started to volunteer with parkrun because I could never line up my runs with parkrun. So I decided that I would volunteer and I've just ticked over the 200 mark. I prefer to volunteer because I give back to the community. It's my way of giving back to everyone that sets up and runs these parkruns, gives them the opportunity to get out and about on a deeper personal level, running has saved my life. So I went through a very rough period in my life and running saved me. So by me giving back to the community, I'm hoping that I may make a change to someone's life, whether it's a hello or a supporting, cheering them on, involving them into something. So they're not alone. So that's kind of my story, why I do parkrun.

00:28:04Tony O'Connell: I'd say you definitely reflect that because when we turned up, you were making a point of saying hello to every person that turned up at the parkrun. You were going around working a crowd. It was great to see because we walk up and... Usually, because we get to a parkrun earlier, usually the RD is the first point of call you get with a parkrun and that sets the tone for the day. And that encouraging welcome and that that we got here at Point Hut was brilliant.

00:28:30Anya: I find it very important that everyone feels included, particularly new people that, you know, they turn up, they're a bit, cautious they stand in the back you can tell by their body language they're not sure um so it's really important to to build that rapport with that individual so they come back and they don't feel frightened and that you know parkrun isn't this big scary thing We're all here to do the same thing, right? Get out in the fresh air, walk, run, hop, skip, jump, whatever you'd like to do. But, yeah, definitely here I try and ingrain with all my RDs that make sure that no one feels left out.

00:29:10Tony O'Connell: And I'd say to anyone that's looking at coming up to Canberra, I'd definitely encourage them to come down to Gordon, down to Point Hut Pond. Thank you. It's a great little place, great vibe. And our tail walk is just coming in, so I think we'll head off for coffee.

00:29:24Anya: Thank you very much. And I welcome everyone to come and visit me in Canberra.

00:29:25[background music]

00:29:28Tony O'Connell: Thanks for the chat.

00:29:29Anya: You're welcome.

00:29:30[14 seconds of audio that could not be transcribed]

Roving report Alison Fraser (King) — Caroline Bay parkrun

00:29:44Alison Fraser (King): Kia ora koutou, it's Alison here reporting in for the parkrun adventurers. I've crossed the Strait and I'm in Timaru on the South Island of New Zealand. I've just run Caroline Bay parkrun, which is one of the newer parkruns for this year. And with me is the Event Director, Colin McPherson. So thank you so much for your parkrun, Colin. [Te Reo Māori: ""Kia ora koutou" — hello / greetings to you all (addressing three or more people)."]

00:30:04Colin McPherson: Pleasure, pleasure. Yeah, nice to have you here.

00:30:07Alison Fraser (King): Tell us about Caroline Bay parkrun and how it got started.

00:30:11Colin McPherson: I've been doing parkruns since my first one in Scotland in 2017. And when I shifted back to Timaru in 2018, we had a trip up to Wellington just before New Year's and like a couple of years ago uh and did Waitangi Park like I managed to knock it and put it into one of my long uh long run um covered Waitangi and just got that real massive uh kind of feel good like kind of vibe about it and uh and looking coming on coming away from Waitangi like um I was just like looking at well what's available locally to do more parkruns and there was nothing at that time between Rolleston and Dunedin um so I was just like I just got this idea to like why not have one here we've got a great setting um and try and fill that East Coast to the South Island. So it started, I got a bit of encouragement from some work colleagues and friends that knew that I'd posted something on social media that really wanted to get stuck in, like to set parkrun up here and that encouragement just blossomed into something, let's go, like and see if we can make it happen.

00:31:22Alison Fraser (King): I know a lot of people when they say Timaru don't think it's anything special but Your parkrun is stunning.

00:31:29Colin McPherson: Yeah, we're really lucky here. I mean, we got the short laps, the three laps here, but we can pack a punch with beach and we can see the mountains. We've got the sea there, nice flat course, the sound trail area, palm trees, the beautiful playground that's just opened up in the last year or two as well. we're very fortunate here to have all that in one.

00:31:56Alison Fraser (King): So you mentioned your first parkrunning was in Scotland. How did you get into parkrun in the first place?

00:32:03Colin McPherson: So I'd learned just before I moved back to Scotland for a couple of years that my hometown in Livingston in Scotland, they'd set up a parkrun event some years before I found out about it and it was based on local handicap race that I used to do in the summer as a kid and just seeing the participation numbers there when I was a kid it would be maybe 30 or 40 like through the Wednesday nights in summer but seeing that they were regularly getting a couple hundred people like a running event I was like I want to get there and see what it's all about when I move there so yeah In the Depths of Winter, did my first one in Scotland. And it was just, again, you're just like hit by this massive wave of positivity. And it's like, this is what it's all about. And yeah, so it probably planted a seed there that it was just like, this is something I really want to do, experience more of.

00:32:57Alison Fraser (King): Have you done quite a few different parkruns?

00:32:59Colin McPherson: Not a whole heap, yeah. Livingston I've done like three times. My wife Paula's from Southland and we regularly visit family down in Gore and Invercargill. I've done Gore a couple of times down at Hamilton Park. Really nice event, nice small event, but it has all the parkrun features, the park and then by uh following the kind of river and it's I really enjoy that one it's like a little hidden gem down there um and Waitangi Waitangi park at Wellington and and hamner hamner forest we're so lucky here in New Zealand we've got some beautiful parkrun courses yeah yeah and yours has gone into my like on my list of I'd love to come back and run this one again Yeah, it's awesome to hear. Thanks so much. It's nice to, we've been pretty blessed with the weather for most of the, well, pretty much all the events we've had. We've had beautiful days, even during winter. But no, I really appreciate the comments here. And we hear it a lot. We kind of feel we're really proud to have this here. But there's also amazing venues out there as well. I totally agree. There's going to be fantastic events that we've got throughout New Zealand.

00:33:31[crosstalk]

00:33:39[crosstalk]

00:34:05[background music]

00:34:07Alison Fraser (King): Cool. Thank you so much for your time, Colin.

00:34:09Colin McPherson: No trouble. Thanks very much. Take care.

00:34:10[12 seconds of audio that could not be transcribed]

00:34:22Sarah Jefferson: We are back from our roving reports, where we heard from Lyndell at Scribbly Gums Conservation parkrun, who interviewed Kylan, the Event Director. He shared all about the different types of wildlife you can see at this event, a description about the trail, as well as a little bit around how they manage and organise their volunteers. We also heard from TOC, talking to Anya at Point Hut Pond parkrun, in the act anya described the course and the local community which sounds totally incredible and welcoming and talked about her 200 plus volunteers and how running really did save her life and how she hopes volunteering will make a difference to other people's lives that was quite inspiring to hear and what a lovely person she sounds like And we heard from Alison King, who talked to Colin McPherson at Caroline Bay parkrun. He shared about how he got involved in parkrun and how scenic the Caroline Bay course is. So thank you to them. And just a shout out to our roving reporters who are always out there on the ground obtaining content for our listeners to enjoy. So thank you all.

Dazza's

00:35:35Simon Mackley: Definitely. Thanks, roving reporters and Channel 5 news crew. So we have chosen five comments from each of the last two weeks Dazza's posts.

00:35:44Sarah Jefferson: On the 6th of September, Dazza said, the thing about parkrun is it's at the same time every week, so it's the perfect solution to fight procrastination day. You had no choice this morning but to get up and get to it. Whether you ran, walked or volunteered, wherever you went and however easy you took it, come on into Dazza's and tell us all about it. All of your other commitments can wait, I'm sure.

00:36:09Simon Mackley: And first from a random selection, we heard from Lance and Robin Plain, who were at Pirrama parkrun. They wrote, no procrastination this morning. Tourists run at Pirrama, making that our 200th location. The Tail Walker didn't turn up, and the RD asked Robin to step in at the last minute. No problems, was happy to help out. Dazza, make mine an oat latte, please. And there was a picture of Robin tail walking with the Anzac Bridge in the background. Thanks, Robin, for stepping in at the last minute and saving the day. And congratulations on your 200th parkrun location. Yes, congratulations on that.

00:36:48Sarah Jefferson: We heard from Rhianna Wick Gamble, who was somewhere out at sea. She shared parkrun at sea on the Crown Princess this morning, 48 laps, three more weeks to go. And there was a photo of Rhianna with eight others in a self-made selfie frame. There is a beautiful sunrise in the back of this photo as well. Now, I'm wondering if they actually brought this frame onto the boat or if Rhianna brought this on or if it was actually a thing on every Saturday morning. I haven't seen this frame before, Simon, but I would like to know a little bit more about it. I did actually Google it and it appears that it might even be a thing at sea, all unofficial, of course, but it seems like it might be a Saturday morning thing and Yeah, I guess kudos for getting out and running 49 laps around a deck while surrounded by water.

00:37:39Simon Mackley: The craziness. So next we heard from... Jonathan Morgan, who was at Parkville parkrun in Victoria. Jonathan said, some interstate parkrun tourism at Parkville parkrun, plus a bonus visit to the MCG to see my very first AFL game. I'm British, so I'm used to seeing proper football being played with a round ball. And there was a photo of Jonathan and another man, a friend we're guessing, in the Parkville selfie frame. This parkrun in Parkville is going to throw me. How incredible to experience a game at the MCG, especially finals footy. It is a true Aussie experience.

00:38:21Sarah Jefferson: We heard from Johan Duvenhage in Sasolburg Stadium parkrun SA. Hopefully I have pronounced that okay. Johan shared, we were off to Sasolburg Stadium parkrun to meet the team and ED Susan Conrady. The wind was cool, but the vibes lekker, but we never got a group photo. There was a lovely photo of Johan and his dog Levi in the parkrun selfie frame. Even though he didn't get a great photo, we'll still think that this photo is a great one. Now, I have to admit that I had to look up this word lekker, and again, hopefully I'm pronouncing it okay, and I found that it is derived from Dutch and Afrikaans, and it is also commonly used in South African English. It means nice, good, great, pleasant, depending on the context.

00:39:09Simon Mackley: Heard from Ian Thompson from Basingstoke Juniors in the UK. Ian said, did my 250th volley at Basingstoke Juniors this morning. High fives aplenty were distributed. My boy on his way to a quickest run since his four-week run break. And there was a photo of Ian's son wearing the crocodile ugly during his run. And congrats on 250 volunteers, Ian.

00:39:33Sarah Jefferson: Congrats, Ian. Jumping forward to the 13th of September, Dazza said, today is Positive Thinking Day. It's a day to focus on the amazing things you have done and can do. If you're here, you've likely covered 5K or helped an amazing community get together. Great job. You're amazing people are all welcome into Dazza's. So why not come on in and tell us how amazing your parkrun day was and or how amazing you are.

00:40:03Simon Mackley: First of all, we heard from Sam Schroder, the original Office Lady, and she was at your Pioneer Dairy in New South Wales. Sam shared, my amazing thing today was to walk five kilometres holding my sweet love's hand and receive a token at the end for the 250th time. A lovely park faff afterwards included celebration cookies and delicious lemon slice. Thank you, Ingrid. And there was a photo of Sam with seven friends surrounding the parkrun selfie frame without a cloud in the sky. Sam was wearing a tutu and a very big smile. Congratulations on the 250th parkrun, Sam. And this comment by Sam in Dazza's was liked and loved 38 times, which is a lot. Says it all. The community are all congratulating you too, Sam.

00:40:52Sarah Jefferson: Congratulations, Sam. And it was the perfect way to dive into Dazza's, I guess, by starting with Sam and celebrating her and her achievement. We heard from Tony Everingham at Stones Corner parkrun. Tony said, feeling positive about giving myself the final push to the finish at Stones Corner parkrun this morning amongst 384 other participants. Tony shared a photo of himself wearing his 100 shirt with thumbs up, a smile and a bit of a sweat on his forehead, proving he really was pushing it to the end. Well done on the final push, Tony. Way to go.

00:41:29Simon Mackley: And next we heard from Steven Warwick at Merredin Peak parkrun in WA. Steve wrote, I positively think that Merredin Peak parkrun is truly one of the great events around. I'd been looking at the recent results and knowing my latest times, I offered to fill the vacant role of finish tokens, though I'd still like to run first. When someone else had taken the positive step of putting their hand up for the role, they asked me if I could get there early and help set up. I was positively surprised at their offer to give me a volunteer role, as I wasn't expecting credit for giving them a small hand. The volleys were incredibly positive in their encouragement as I completed the first out-and-back section and then as I finished the event. Wow, so much encouragement emanated from these positively friendly people for a complete stranger. Coffee afterwards was likewise very positive, as a large percentage of those there today came along and we filled two tables. And while I could only manage to finish spoken six, I was positively pleased to have the highest age grade percentage, even though it was by a mere 0.25%. And Steve shared a photo of eight of them at brunch afterwards. Sounds like a very positive morning indeed. In fact, seven lots of positivity. And we're happy to hear that you've been rewarded by putting your hand up to help others. We're enjoying hearing all about your adventures on your travels to Earth.

00:42:56Sarah Jefferson: Yes, that was a lot of positive and positivity in that one. For sure. We heard from Chris Gore at Battersea parkrun in the UK. Chris shared, Hi, Dazza. We had an amazing parkrun today, with it being our first parkrun with over 1,000 finishes. We attended Battersea parkrun this morning. Karen actually received finish token 980, but in the official results, she was 1,006. It was a fantastic morning with a lovely coffee afterwards. Chris shared a photo of himself with his lovely wife, Karen, both wearing Team Gore shirts and adventurers buffs with the Battersea pop-up. It looks like retirement is training you both very well. We are really enjoying following your travels this year. Have a great time away.

00:43:43Simon Mackley: Lastly for this week, we heard from Rex Gream from Walker parkrun. Rex said, Well, I think I was positive doing my first run directing at Walker parkrun. I was more than ably assisted by joint AD Rachel, who looked after all the behind-the-scenes stuff while I learn about the role. Other volleys were excellent, with friends Clancy Skinner and Samantha Skinner helping in two of the roles. So congrats, Rex, on your first RD. We really hope that you've enjoyed it. And he shared a photo of Cheryl with her adventurers shirt and tail walking vest on with her hand high in the air. Great to hear there were some adventurers around to support you too. Well done, Rex.

the Obi Award — Rex Gream

00:44:23Simon Mackley: And there must be time for an Obi. I have the Obi this week. You do? Have you got the envelope?

00:44:31Sarah Jefferson: It's really easy to find, Simon, because my desk is really clean and tidy, as you would expect.

00:44:37Lyndell Murray: Nice.

00:44:38Sarah Jefferson: So the clean has obviously been in the office. So the Obi this week goes to Rex Gream. Well done on your first run directing. We hope that it went really well.

00:44:49Simon Mackley: Well done indeed, Rex.

00:44:51Sarah Jefferson: Okay.

Emails

00:44:52Sarah Jefferson: Emails this week, Simon. We have none.

00:44:56Simon Mackley: None.

00:44:57Sarah Jefferson: The inbox was looking very blank and empty.

00:45:02[crosstalk]

00:45:02Simon Mackley: Apart from our roving reports. Of course. We've got one to hold over for next week, I think it is. Sorry, for next time.

00:45:05[background music]

Club Corner

00:45:10Simon Mackley: For now, let's throw across to Reginald.

00:45:20[background music]

00:45:20Reginald Yardley Pomphrey III: This is Reginald Yardley Pomphrey III, with Club Corner, where we talk about the what and why of parkrun clubs, and I am coming to you from Arrernte Country. We continue the double-headers as previously alerted, this week we have Italy and France. Italy is the slightly younger slibling, birthing in May 2015 and France in June 2015. I need to start Italy with a hark back to club corner number 76 inches UK, plus AL, where I neglected an AL. JFC Naples parkrun is hosted on the UK servers, but is physically located in Italy, so plus one to the UK for that event. Uditore parkrun was the first event in Italy, with five finishers and nine volunteers. They carried the flag solo for about a year, and then events have steadily trickled through, and now they have about 15 events who enjoy their 9am starts. Speaking of enjoying, Treviso is the home of Prosecco and they are known to imbibe a glass after events' smiley face. Unfortunately you can no longer visit Montelepre, which was a tight six-lapper, and allegedly had the smallest footprint for a non-custodial parkrun, but close by is the fabulously named Favorita parkrun aka Favorite parkrun. Italy has an inspiring claim to fame at Milano Nord from 2017. Franco Tonnelli, was a climber and mountain runner, who became paraplegic from a serious accident. He used an exoskeleton to complete parkrun in a time of 2 hours, 57 minutes and 12 seconds. Fabulous. Less fabulous is France, and what can we say except sorry and we miss you. The country is still closed and will likely remain closed. After they joined the parkrun family in 2015, worldwide weekly participation tipped over 60,000 for the first time. Now, in 2025 Australia clear 60,000 as a single nation. But back to France. They began with Les Dougnes parkrun and peaked when they closed in 2022 with eight events. They had a mixture of courses, all inland, and in an oddity, la Ramée was a two-lap course, but each lap was different. Both Italy and France has the 25th of December as the common special day, plus the usual New Year's Day. This is the most common combination of additional days for parkrun countries. We will stay in the Northern Hemisphere with the next year of parkrun countries to launch, so until then, stay tuned for the remainder of the pod and for future Club Corners.

00:47:50[background music]

00:47:53Sarah Jefferson: We are back from Reginald where we heard all about Italy and France. I've actually been lucky enough to get a parkrun in for each of these countries, Simon. It was great to hear Reginald shared very interesting fact about Franco Tonnelli. I tried Googling this to find out more, but I actually couldn't find anything right. But I know that Reginald is very clever with their sources to find out all of these facts. So thanks for sharing that, Reginald. However, back when I did a parkrun in Italy, I didn't realise Prosecco was a thing after parkrun. I now know it is. So I'm very keen to actually head back for this experience at Travesco, I think they said it was.

00:48:38Simon Mackley: Travesco, yeah.

00:48:39Sarah Jefferson: Treviso, thank you. So I've had this on my radar for a little while. And as Reginald said, shame about France, but I guess we better say no more about this.

00:48:50Simon Mackley: Which Italian and French ones have you done?

00:48:53Sarah Jefferson: Oh, I knew you were going to ask me this and I didn't look it up. The French one starts with B. Oh, wait, wait, wait. Probably the one that was in a love heart in the original course.

00:48:56[crosstalk]

00:49:04[crosstalk]

00:49:04Simon Mackley: I think that's quite a polite. Yep.

00:49:07Sarah Jefferson: And then Caffarella, I think, is it?

00:49:09Simon Mackley: Oh, yeah.

00:49:11Sarah Jefferson: Okay. Yeah. My memory's not too bad. Maybe it's just my short-term memory that's really shocking still. I answered your question. I shouldn't doubt myself. No, you didn't hear the answer.

00:49:20Simon Mackley: Okay. So, yeah, there's a little bit of country data in here. So the capital city of Italy, I'm sure, is no secret to anyone, is Roma, and the capital city of France is Paris. They both use the Euro as their currency. So from Sydney to Rome in Paris is about 17,000 kilometres. From Auckland, it's about 18,500 kilometres. From Joburg, it's about 8,200 Ks. From London to Rome is about 1,400 kilometres and Paris is only 340 or so. And New York to Rome is about 6,800km and Paris is about 5,800km away.

00:50:08Sarah Jefferson: Fun fact as well, Simon, you can actually travel direct from Perth to Rome at different points of the year with Qantas.

00:50:16Simon Mackley: And Paris as well, just FYI, remembering I did used to work for Qantas and you can do both directly. And London as well from Perth.

00:50:18[crosstalk]

00:50:24Sarah Jefferson: That's right. That's right. Wow, you've kept up to date with Qantas since you've left. That's right. So anyone wanting to travel direct or vice versa coming over from Europe, you can fly direct to Perth.

Consolidated Club Report

00:50:38Sarah Jefferson: Moving on to the Consolidated Club Report, so the adventurers consolidated club report for Saturday the 13th of September 2025 of a total of 838 members 606 took part on this date in 16 countries across 298 locations internationally their adventure is at 62 events in the UK 10 events in South Africa

00:50:53[12 seconds of audio that could not be transcribed]

00:51:05Sarah Jefferson: five events in the USA and on the North Island of New Zealand, four events in Italy and on the South Island of New Zealand, two events in Denmark, Poland, Singapore, and Sweden, and one event in Austria, Canada, Ireland, Lithuania, Malaysia, and the Netherlands. Locally this week, we are going to present this a little differently as a percentage of events attended in each state and territory because we're just shaking things up here. So there are adventurers at 42% of the events in Queensland, 39% of the events in New South Wales, 35% of events in Victoria, 38% in Western Australia, 25% in South Australia, 29% in Tasmania, 44% in the ACT, and 50% in the Northern Territory. So technically, the gold medal in Australia this week goes to the Northern Territory, followed by the ACT, with Queensland taking the bronze.

00:52:10Alice: Yes.

00:52:12Simon Mackley: The two territories and the Golden State.

the Frond

00:52:17Simon Mackley: Okay, moving on to fronds. So on the 6th of September, there was a frond of four at three events internationally. And they were Armley, Grove Fields and Southampton. And then on the 13th of September, there was a frond of 10 at Etna in Italy. And that was Denise Evans, Debbie Airey, Rachel Dorsey, Keith Weblin, Libby Weblin, Rhiannon Taylor, Linda Bossidge, Andy Airey, Ivan Storer and Nikki Olway.

Pilgrimage

00:52:50Sarah Jefferson: All right, Pilgrimage. On the 6th of the 9th and the 13th of the 9th, we had no adventurers at Bushy Park. Hopefully we will get some adventurers there soon.

00:53:04Tony O'Connell: I'm sure there will be.

00:53:07Simon Mackley: And rolling on to fronds in Australia. So this largest Aussie frond on the 6th of September was a frond of nine at two events. And that was Shellharbour and Phar Lap Track. And then on the 13th of September, we had a frond of 12 at Inverloch for their 11th birthday. And that was Nathan Castle, Claire Gibson, Jacqui O'Connell, Tony O'Connell, Jutta Howe, Ray Farr, Cheyenne Harlan, Serena Newman, Archer Costellan, Felicity Costellan, Caitlin Costellan, and Oliver Costellan. And I should also point out that there was actually a frond of 16 at Reddall Reserve, which was a launch in New South Wales.

00:53:53Sarah Jefferson: Remember that you can add the Adventurers Club as one of your five affiliations on your parkrun profile.

Launches and anniversaries"Where is the cake?"

00:54:00Simon Mackley: And speaking of launches, we had a plethora of launches over the last two weeks. So there was three launches on the 6th of September and six launches last weekend on the 13th of September. So the first one from 6 September was Red Hill Trail, Red Hill Rail Trail parkrun, which is located on the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria. They had exactly 100 participants, 17 volunteers, and 13 of those participants were first-timers. It's an out-and-back course on a woodland trail at... of the Red Hill Rail Trail starts and finishes at red hill station shed at the rear of the epicurean building close to the shopping village car park the course slopes gently downhill outbound and uphill on the return

00:54:55Sarah Jefferson: We had a launch in the northwest of Cambridge, Brook Leys parkrun. There were 528 participants, 42 volunteers with 20 first-timers. Start and finish are by Brook Leys Lake. Two laps of the lake and a path out and back, followed by a final lap of the lake, all on permanent surfaces. Please keep to the right throughout the course.

00:55:21Simon Mackley: It's different from somewhere that drives on the left-hand side. It is. Very interesting. That's a bit cool. And next one we had was Haughmond Hill parkrun, which is located northwest of Birmingham and south of Wrexham. They had 160 participants with 33 volunteers and three solitary first-timers. It's a one-lap course following the narrow trail paths around Haughmond Hill. Please note the course will be undulating with uneven surfaces. Be careful of tree roots, rocks and mud. The start and finish is close to the main car park and cafe.

00:55:57Sarah Jefferson: Rolling on to Belvoir Forest parkrun in Belfast, Northern Ireland. There were 296 participants, 28 volunteers with only one first timer. The course is a three-lap trail run in a clockwise direction, mostly on gravel paths in the forest park. One small 1K lap followed by two 2K laps.

00:56:22Simon Mackley: And simple. Next one we have is Coolum Eco Park on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland. They had 101 participants, 16 volunteers and three first-timers. Now my understanding of this was that it was a very well-guarded secret. So it slipped under the radar of some of the current statesmen and women until Friday night I hear. So it's an out-and-back course on a mixture of pathway and trail starting around the duck pond of Coolum Eco Park and making a left out to the trails heading north. Divert left at 1K fork point to a gate, then return to the fork and proceed north. After the north turnaround, head all the way back to the start area.

00:57:09Sarah Jefferson: Interesting. They did well keeping that a secret, didn't they?

00:57:12Simon Mackley: Yes.

00:57:14Sarah Jefferson: We had Farm Pond parkrun in Framingham, Massachusetts, USA, west of Boston. There were 78 participants, 15 volunteers and 30 first-timers, which equates to 38%, given that we're all about the percentages this week. Yep. Three laps on a mixture of grass, trail and pavement around the park beside Farm Pond. The start and finish are close to the skate park.

00:57:41Simon Mackley: Another simple description. Rolling on to Henley Lake parkrun, which is located in Masterton, New Zealand, and can be found northeast of Wellington. They had 171 participants, nine volunteers, and 49 first-timers, which was 29% of all participants. It's a varied and scenic trail on limestone tracks around Henley Lake Park, starting with the wetlands route alongside the Waipua and Ruamahanga rivers, followed by a loop around Henley Lake, returning to the finish via the wetlands route.

00:58:20Sarah Jefferson: We had a launch in New South Wales, Reddall Reserve parkrun in Lake Illawarra. There were 233 participants, 32 volunteers and seven first timers. So it does sound like a poorly kept secret or a very experienced team with this one. The course starts adjacent to Mia Beach on New Reddall Reserve Promenade Cycleway. Participants head east, completing a 950-metre loop, proceed under Windang Bridge and through Pelican Park before heading west to the second turnaround point, just before the Lake Illawarra PCYC. The course then heads back along the same route, back past the start line. Participants complete a second 950 metre loop before finishing on the grass area next to the large undercover barbecue area. The course is very flat with less than 10 metres of elevation over the entire course. Sounds like a PB course. Yeah, it does, exactly.

00:59:21Simon Mackley: I don't know about running past the start line, though. I'm not a big fan of doing that sort of thing. But anyway. Me either. And the last one of the launches last week is where I get to test pronunciations here. So Schönbusch parkrun in Aschaffenburg, Germany, so located southeast of Frankfurt. They had 115 participants, 21 volunteers and 36 first-timers. It's three laps around a paved park part. So two outer laps in an anti-clockwise direction. The third lap, unlike the first two laps, heads through the middle of the park and then runs clockwise on the outer lap back to the finish. Sounds confusing. Does. But that was a lot of launches. Yeah, nine. Huge. Yes.

Watching the numbers

01:00:13Simon Mackley: Okay. And in the ongoing segment, we are calling watching the numbers at Brooklyn Bridge parkrun. So event three on the 6th of September saw 300 people cross the finish line supported by 23 volunteers. 224 of those were first-timers to Brooklyn Bridge parkrun. Event 4 on the 13th last weekend saw 309 people cross the finish line supported by 19 volunteers. 230 were first-timers to Brooklyn Bridge parkrun with 50 completing their first ever parkrun, which is very encouraging. And we have the first adventurer to go there, which was Mary DeLuna, who is from the Ponds parkrun in New South Wales. So it looks like they're starting to settle into their numbers. So they've gone from 538 to 300 to 309. So 300 sort of sounds like it might be where they might be settling even out.

01:01:11Sarah Jefferson: Mary, come into Dazza's. Let us know how it was or write in. Let us know how the event was. We'd love to hear. Now, Simon, I was thinking about this event and how busy it would be around the time of the World Major Marathon in New York. So I actually went and had a little look and I can see that they've actually already cancelled for the 1st of the 11th, which is the weekend of the marathon. And the next closest event, Branch Brook Park, has also cancelled for the 1st of the 11th as well as the 8th of the 11th. Brooklyn Bridge parkrun hasn't cancelled for the 8th of the 11th as yet. So it'd be interesting if they do go ahead the weekend after the marathon. I can imagine that that will be a super, super busy one. I have actually done New York Marathon myself and being one of the world majors, it's obviously a big event. It's one of the I think they do say it's the largest marathon in the world, but there's still a lot of runners around the week after. So, yeah, it's going to be interesting if they do cancel it closer to the time. Otherwise, I guess we'll have to watch the numbers on the 8th and hopefully they have a lot more volunteers to support.

01:02:22Simon Mackley: Exactly.

Rapid Fire

01:02:25Simon Mackley: Okay, looking forward. Actually, we've got the segment, the parkrun hosts, Simon and Sarah, we presented with a range of questions they've not seen previously. And as the segment suggests, rapid fire, we respond in a quick way. We have a set of would you rather questions. So strap in, feel free to play along at home and let's see if your responses would match the hosts or differ. Let's get the segment underway. Sarah, you are kicking off.

01:02:52Sarah Jefferson: Okay. Simon, plane or road trip? Plane. Run or walk? I'm going to say run. Flat white or a long black?

01:03:01Simon Mackley: Flat white.

01:03:02Sarah Jefferson: Adventure or time at home? Adventure. You had to say that. Camping or hotel?

01:03:11Simon Mackley: As I looked up, I saw on my screen park or an adventure, so I had to say adventure. I have to say adventure.

01:03:17Sarah Jefferson: You were going to be in trouble if you said stay at home. Last one, camping or hotel?

01:03:21Simon Mackley: Hotel.

01:03:22Sarah Jefferson: Nice.

01:03:23Simon Mackley: Camping is a hotel without room service. Sure. Isn't that glamping? Probably. Okay. Mine are a little bit different to yours. So would you rather the ability to talk to animals or speak every human language? Speak different languages. Okay. Would you rather live in a city with perfect weather year round or a place with all four distinct seasons? Four seasons. Who knows what perfect weather is? Okay. Would you rather be able to travel only to the future or only to the past? I guess the past. Would you rather never have to sleep again or never have to eat again?

01:04:05Sarah Jefferson: Never have to sleep again because I love eating.

01:04:08Simon Mackley: And would you rather be a famous artist or a world-class athlete?

01:04:13Sarah Jefferson: Artist, because I'm really not creative. They were a little bit left of centre.

01:04:21Simon Mackley: They were.

01:04:23Sarah Jefferson: Thanks for making me think.

Sign-off

01:04:25Simon Mackley: It's okay. You made me think too. Okay. So where are you going on your next parkrun day?

01:04:33Sarah Jefferson: Next parkrun day, I am planning to check out the newest event in Western Australia called Black Swan Lake parkrun. What about you, Simon? Where are you headed? Are you actually heading on an adventure this time? Because it has been a while.

01:04:47Simon Mackley: Yes, I am. I'm so pleased to say I am. So I am heading for the first time to Pirrama parkrun in Sydney. And in case the pod isn't released until after the weekend, I'll be at Birtinya Island on the next weekend because we are going away for a little family getaway to the Sunshine Coast.

01:05:08Sarah Jefferson: Lovely. So cue the music, celebratory music. But is that two adventures, two new courses in two weeks?

01:05:15Simon Mackley: That it is indeed.

01:05:17Sarah Jefferson: Who are you, adventurer Simon Mackley? I know. I've done a local of his for the last couple of weeks and now I've got two in a row. Very exciting. Well, have a great time.

01:05:28Simon Mackley: Will do. We can talk about it in a month's time. But in saying that, next fortnight, Mel and TOC are back in the hot seat.

01:05:39Sarah Jefferson: As always, you can contact us via parkrun adventurers on Facebook or our email, which is parkrunadventurers at gmail.com. That's it for another episode. We'll see you all next time for more adventures.

01:05:51Simon Mackley: Wait, wait, wait, Sarah. I've got another question for you. I totally forgot to ask this before. Where are you going to be running on the 7th of March next year? At palm26, of course. Yes. Thanks for holding on to the end of the pod, everyone. Bye. Bye.