T minus 20
The year is 2004... Your polyphonic ringtone habit is sending you broke. George W Bush is sworn in for a second term. And in spite of everything going on, the most controversial thing is a wardrobe malfunction at the superbowl?
T minus 20, rewind to this week in history 20 years ago with Joe and Mel.
T minus 20
Giant squids, Parkruns and planet killing yams!
Get a grip on your tentacles because this week’s episode dives into a whirlwind of cosmic chaos and squishy surprises! 🎉💥
Asteroid 4179 Toutatis—the celestial tumbleweed that decided to drop by Earth like an uninvited guest at a hurricane party! 🌪️💫 Discovered back in '89, this chunky rock (about 4.5 km of pure asteroid madness) zoomed past us at a cozy distance of four lunar hops. That’s right, folks, just a casual 1.55 million kilometers away! Think of it as the asteroid version of a neighbor borrowing a cup of sugar—but WAY less likely to crash into your living room! 🍪🚀
Then, to the depths of the ocean, we've got giant squids! 🦑💦 Japanese researchers finally snapped the elusive critters in their natural habitat, revealing their bizarre beauty. Measuring in at a whopping 8 meters long, these squids are like the Kardashians of the ocean: mysterious, deep, and totally captivating. Just when you think you’ve seen it all, one of them detaches a tentacle mid-feast, showing that even squid can have a dramatic exit! 🎭😱
And just when you thought this week couldn’t get any more outrageous, we look back at the inaugural parkrun from 2004, where 13 brave souls ran in a park without a care! 🏃♂️💨 Founded by Paul Sinton-Hewitt—who was nursing an injury but bursting with motivation—this weekly gathering has turned into a global phenomenon! From fancy-dressed runners to dogs stealing the show, parkrun is the wild party where everyone is welcome, even if you show up with a cup of coffee! ☕🐶
So, whether you’re dodging asteroids, marveling at squid, or jogging through the park with a canine companion, this week is a reminder that life is just one big, glorious, unpredictable adventure! 🎢✨
Hang with us on socials to chat more noughties nostalgia - Facebook (@tminus20) or Instagram (tminus20podcast). You can also contact us there if you want to be a part of the show.
Transcript is generated automatically.
The year is 2004. Your polyphonic ringtone habit is sending you broke. George W Bush is sworn in for a second term, and in spite of everything going on, the most controversial thing is a wardrobe malfunction at the Super Bowl. T -, 20 rewind 20 years with Joe and Mel.
Of 26 September 2004.
T minus. 20 the rest is history.
You know what? I'm very forgetful.
20 hello there.
Stop trying to make fetch happen.
If I.
When we're waiting for.
Since it's harder than I thought it would be.
My fellow Americans.
Let's roll.
Strap yourself in nostalgia buffs as we take you somewhere back in time. Well, not somewhere actually 20 years back in time on the little podcast that we like to call t -, 20 with your host, Joe and Mel. Hello, Mel.
Hello, somewhere back in time is the 26th of September to the 2nd of October 2004.
Asteroid Toutatis will make a close approach to Earth. On September 29th 2, within about four lunar distances, or in other words, 900. And 65,000 miles.
965,000 miles it missed by that much asteroid, totalis.
Cyclist.
Remarkable stuff here, captured for the first time ever on video, the giant squid. And it's natural. Habitat.
20,000 leagues or so under the sea, a giant squid was captured in its natural habitat. That's very exciting.
He's a lazy slob. Male chauvinist pig.
That was not a testimonial. But just so you know, nobody left your voice? No, not at all. Not at all. That's a TV show. That what happened with that TV show 20 years ago?
Dating profile. That was a premiere at this time. That was 20 years ago.
A premiere. Wow.
A lot of. Controversy with this show over the years.
I loved it. I loved this TV show, something that I don't love is.
It was pretty good.
But I kinda have to come to terms with it, something that I don't love is the fact that our heroes, our idols. Are all getting a little bit long in the tooth. Hmm and I'm I I have to preface this by saying that we're we're recording this sort of just after the fact. But it will obviously go live a a few weeks later. So. This week, this week we went and saw Iron Maiden play in Australia in Melbourne. Actually, not once, but two times as a family. There was our sons first. How many 10 year olds do you reckon could say I just went and saw Iron Maiden twice. None. No. Well, 11. And it's our son. So. So we went and saw them down in Melbourne. And it was just so wonderful, wasn't.
Yes.
It.
Yeah.
It was. It was really. Good. It's really nice venue. The crowd were amazing.
Yeah.
Yeah.
How energetic, though, like you're saying that you're sort of thinking about your idols getting older. They were more agile than I am. I was watching them running around the stage and doing their thing, and I was tired just watching, like, how can you do that?
Yeah. Well, absolutely, absolutely. It's a sight to behold, watching a bunch of men in their late 60s and early 70s, just with more vigour and energy than people half their age. It really is.
Yes, I was sitting down and. I was more tired.
It's something to aspire to, and it gives us hope, but there there was a feeling that came over me. We saw them twice. We had such a good time that we went twice. We weren't going to go twice and then we had nothing better to do on the Saturday night. So we. Went again but this. This feeling came over me and it was quite overwhelming of. The fact that this might be the last time, I sincerely hope not Iron Maiden will be doing.
Yeah.
Good thing.
8.
50th anniversary next year? 50 years, you know, but you look at other bands like Kiss have have finished. I look at bands like Metallica who are are getting a bit long in the tooth as well, and it's like how fast can you play thrash metal when you start to get into your 60s? I'm not too sure. All of these things.
15.
And and and I I just had this. I I had this moment where my joy kind of turned to sadness when they they took their vows at the end of that second show. And I thought, I wonder if this is it. I wonder if I'm going to see them again. And look, I sincerely hope that I I I do get to see. Them again. But I also, you know, like I'm looking recently, James L Jones, the voice of Darth Vader, passed away. I I just looked at the news this morning and Lex Marinos passed away. The guy that played Bruno in Kingswood Country and was on live and sweaty and.
The guy from karate kid as well, which Bobby Bobby, the one. The blonde.
Guy.
One that looks like he had a.
Not pat. Marita. Pat. Marita died a while ago from Cobra Kai.
No, no, Bobby from the Cobra Kai and he had, he had looked like he had a perm. That guy, fat man scoop. Oh. Oh, that was a shock.
Yeah, yeah.
Yeah, it's, you know and and. It we often say. We we often say what a time to be alive sarcastically, but really, how lucky are we, especially our generation, to have grown up with no smartphones and no social media, so that not all of our indiscretions were documented, but also to grow up at the same time and to be children? At the same time that Star Wars, umm, you know, Iron Maiden, Metallica. Kingswood country. Maybe not so much, but but all of these things, all of these pop culture phenomenas like they're that are now. People are just trying to emulate. They're trying to capture that. They're trying to bottle the lightning that was so readily available to us when we were children and and as we grow up and it, it makes me sad to think.
Hmm.
That some of these things are coming to an end, you know, but at the same time, it makes me so happy and grateful that our generation was alive.
Yeah. Yes.
Have at the same time that all of these these fabulous things were so indeed what a time to be alive.
Got to experience that. Yeah. Yeah, absolutely.
OK, that was overwhelmingly positive for my standards. I think I need to sort of slip back into my. Yeah, exactly. And it's a bit the old man yelling at the cloud, the hatches, matches and dispatches clue for the little segment that we do at the end of the show, there's a a celebrity wedding that happened this time.
Need to rouse her a little bit, Maggie? Ohh some nuptials. Nice.
20 years ago, some nuptials. Well, I'm gonna. I I didn't kind of do my research that well. So the nuptials actually happened on the 25th. But it was kind of a. So it's just like last episode day before, but it kind of stretched across the weekend three. It was one of those things. The celebrities. Yeah. Exactly. So this person tied the knot 20 years ago, and they said this.
Oh, last last episode. OK, it was one of those long weddings that went for days. OK, that counts.
I'm here to keep you alive, not. Help you shop?
I'm here to keep you alive, not help you shop.
Ohhh yeah. Wow.
Yeah. I don't necessarily think that was in the vows.
Hans.
But we'll find out who that is at the end of the show.
However, in the news on the 29th of September 2004, Asteroid 4179 to Tartus passes within 4 lunar distances of Earth.
Yes.
Will make a close approach to Earth. On September 29th 2, within about four lunar distances, or in other words, 965,000 miles. We've got the the orbit and the future trajectory of this pet and there's no No Fear whatsoever that this object will get dangerously close to the earth. It's sort of shaped like a yam it. It doesn't rotate around what we call a principal axis. It actually wobbles like a badly thrown football. Normally we send spacecraft out to fly closely past these object to take images and understand their chemical compositions. This time Mother Nature seemed fit to bring one close to us. The shortest dimension of the asteroid is about a a mile from here to here, it's about a mile and a half in this dimension, and it's about 3 miles in its longest dimension. This is the closest approach. For another 500 years.
Well, make the most.
Of it, that was the NASA guy and he recorded the video a few days before it passed. I think just to try and calm everyone down, 4 lunar distances is actually a lot. I didn't know that the moon was an official unit of measure.
Yeah.
It's quite a while, yes. Well, the the distance from Earth to the moon. Is that what a lunar?
That.
Was 44 moons.
Distance. Yeah. So from earth to the moon. So four times the distance from Earth to the moon is how far away that asteroid was. And it's like, doesn't it take like 3 days to get to the moon on a rocket? So.
Yes, I did not know that was a.
That would be like 12 days away, so bagels pretty close.
So close. Close such a near miss he. Also had a statue of. It he had like it was in. A. Her little. Bay, he said.
Yes, a model, a scale model.
Look like a trophy was like a little NASA, a little NASA base, and it did look like a yeah, it.
Yes.
Was very Yammer.
And you know, with something with a name like 2 Tatas. Hmm. I'm surprised that it didn't look like something else. Really. As opposed to a yam.
No, it looked like a yam. It was very apt description. It's a TARDIS is a near Earth object or a neo that belongs to the Apollo group of asteroids?
Listening look like an eggplant. Yes.
It was actually. First discovered in the 80s child of the 80s nineteen 89, it's 4.5 kilometres.
Right.
Well, this is the thing. It's kind of not wide and long, it's. Yamiche so it's.
Yamiche, yes.
4.5 on on one part of the yam and 2.4 kilometres on the. Other part of Yam.
The the pointy end of the yam.
Towards the end of the.
Yeah, yes. And apparently it does. Circle past Earth at regular intervals. It happens quite quite. No, no, no. That's the closest it will be for 500 years. It sangs past all the time. Yes.
Well, every 500 years. Right. Really. What was that? What was that? Was that a yam that just went nose to Tartus?
It's just too tough to go and past again. I think it went past again in 2012, but not as. So it is quite famous and well studied, hence the guy having the little sculpture of it because of its irregular shape and complex tumbling motion.
Is it? Right. So the yam. Oh, I mean yams aren't necessarily aerodynamic. Like. No, it's like it's it's, you know, they're not gonna automobile manufacturers aren't going to draw any inspiration.
They're not. They're a bit clumsy.
From to Tartus, hurtling through space because it doesn't kind of hurtle through space. Well, it does hurtle, but it hurdles with a bit of.
No, no.
A death. Wobble.
Yes, because of its shape, it doesn't rotate normally. It's quite unstable, yeah. People have described it like 2 large. Boulders that are connected.
Ohh so it is 2. Tartars.
Well, there you go. That's where it came from. But so it rotates around multiple axes simultaneously, right? Which is why it's a bit chaotic.
Yes. Right. So is it skipping or jogging?
Which makes it very difficult to predict how it's gonna turn at any given time. So maybe we should have been.
Yes.
A little bit your concerns.
Ohh, in case 2, Tartus just kind of wobbles too close to us and through when it was a bit off axis and you know, decreased its lunar distance to earth. I don't I don't. Well, he said there was nothing to worry about. And and also I'd like to say to the the music that they put behind that was incredibly soothing.
What was the wrong way?
Yeah.
I don't know.
It's made out of.
Yes.
Soothing. So it's not gonna hit you. It's not gonna. Hit you don't.
Designed to allay our concerns, that's right. An overwhelming sense of come. Yes, I yes, no.
Worry about it. Don't worry about the yam. The yam is. It's not gonna hit it. We're safe.
I wonder if it's like sort of meditation, you know, like it's like it's.
That's right, guys. We'll make a close approach.
Yes. Yeah, we get that. But it's like, you know, just breathe deeply. You're an asteroid hurdling through space.
Feels like a soundtrack to an 80s movie, though.
A little too, doesn't it? Mm-hmm.
Yeah, a little bit little bit, hmm.
So that was one of the closest approaches that it has made to Earth. So 4 lunar distances is actually 1.55 million kilometres.
Yes.
Right.
Be between US and the yam. Yeah, and it was significant because that was the closest approach. It didn't. There was no danger of collision as we heard, and they tracked it through radar telescopes in great detail. So they got some of the best images that they ever had of of two.
Now. Right. Why? Why is it? What's this? Just because they could. Hey, it's an asteroid. Let's just where NASA they pay us to look out at these things. So we're gonna have a look. Yeah.
Tardis at this point. Just wanna know wanna know. What it looks like, what it's made out of when it's coming back.
We like, yes.
And it was widely covered by both scientific community and the. Media.
Well, yeah.
And it gave them the opportunity to refine their understanding. Of to tartus's orbit.
Yes.
And they're defining. It as chaotic.
That's right, and thanks to this podcast, I think you just got an email, by the way. Or did I?
Think that was yours? Actually, it was it.
That's that was NASA saying. Listen, if you can, you get your facts straight about two daughters. It's not spelled TWOTATAS. It's spelled TOUTA. TI. S. Wow, I nearly screwed that up. I'll never get a run on Guymon spelling Bee at that rate. No, but I mean, you know, well, I've got nothing.
Alright, well, let's go to the next day, the 30th.
That would be good, yeah.
Of September I.
Feel we're a bit Discovery Channel this week because.
It is a little Discovery Channel.
But we had the flying yam and now now we're gonna talk about.
Have been.
Giant squids, which is pretty exciting.
Well, what's that?
It's a little bit better than some of the other news stories that we've had to deal with and like, who doesn't like Calama?
Yes, yes.
Ari.
Remarkable stuff here, captured for the first time ever on video, the giant squid in its natural habitat, the mysterious creature can grow to 50 feet long with eyes the size of dinner plates. It took a Japanese film crew hundreds of tries at depths of 3000 feet or more. For these remarkable images could finally be captured. All part of a Discovery Channel special later this month. Of course, after yesterday's news of the Baby Giants win this one, I will be rethinking my morning dip in the in the Miami Beach waters here after this newscast. Careful where you go diving. I think as we send it back.
The squid beat this week.
To you guys in.
New York.
Umm.
I I don't.
Think you're in any danger of? Yeah, I don't think it. It hangs out in the. Shallows.
I'm surprised he didn't make a calamari joke cause that is that's that's a that's.
You know, although.
A breakfast television joke.
Although those people on breakfast television definitely are bottom feeders, so who knows, they might have been down at. The bottom of the ocean.
He also stole my fact, my dinner plate. Ohh fact, I thought that was really interesting now.
Yes, well, that's OK. I I I'm interested in. I'm interested in squid with eyes the size of dinner plates. I I love the idea of giant squid inhabiting the ocean. I just. It's just that Jules van.
He just ruined it. Yeah. OK.
Well, we'll.
We might mention that again. A bit later on switching my notes. It's like a monster, isn't it deep? Deep, deep down in the ocean, under the shelf. What's the shelf thing?
And. Yeah, 20,000 leaves. Ohh the the Marianna trench. You mean under the trench? Not so much the shelf or the continental shelf or whatever it.
Yeah, maybe in a yeah. But there's there's some shelves. There's some shelves somewhere. Yeah. Where the. That big shark lives that no one could find. Yeah. The man with the the Med lives.
Is it falls off? It drops off. Yes, yes, yes, the the Meg. Yeah, the Jason Statham ended up, you know, destroying. Yeah, that was didn't do much for conservation.
That's great.
But I think the giant squid is somewhere hanging out down there.
I I love it. I like it just seems so mythological, you know, like the crack and the giant squid. All of those sort of things.
Fair dates. Oh.
Yes. You love him would be the best.
And I do like. Of the really bizarre creatures that they tend to film when they do go down to the depths of the ocean, it's like it's like an alien world on our own planet. It's almost like outer space here. Yes, it's.
It is, yeah.
Exciting.
Fascinating.
Giant Squids is one of the largest and most elusive invertebrates. On earth because.
Yeah.
It is so deep they live in the deep.
They're quite. High. They're quite shy. They've got eyes the size of dinner plates so they can see you coming and.
Order.
Usually.
They're.
They can, yes.
Very shy. They're like, ohh no, I don't want to be captured.
They're usually at a depth between 300 and 1000 metres, although they have been found as deep as 2000 metres under the water.
That's a long way down. That's 2 kilometres. Yeah, it has to be.
In the trench, for sure. That's the loss.
In the trench.
So we had some Japanese researchers from the Museum of Nature and Science, as well as a guy who was a.
Yes. Hmm.
Whale watching guide.
Yeah, the guy's name was tsunami kubodera. He was the Japanese researcher and the other guy was Kuichi Mori, who was a whale watching guy.
Yes.
Yeah. I don't know what credentials.
Don't. I think whales feed them? Yes. Yes, I believe they do. Sperm whales eat them, I think. Yes, yes, yes.
Ohh. Eat. Eat them there, you.
Go, that's why.
Probably seen them eating.
Them.
Yes, that's their favourite favourite meal. They were the ones that managed to capture the first live photographs of one, because they'd seen them in Wales in the belly of whales arm and they'd found dead ones obviously. But this was the first live one that they captured.
Yes.
Photographs of they it was around 1000 kilometres South of Tokyo, Japan, and it took them three years and 26 week long expeditions to. Get to this point.
That's a.
So it wasn't just a lucky.
Ohh.
Got it. No.
Got it. On camera, it was a very long.
Yeah.
Long time coming.
I I feel like they would be able to, or blokes who have girlfriends who are influencers on social media who who have like a very active Instagram account, who always end up tagging along. You know, taking photos for them or setting up shots for them. I feel like they would be able to identify with these researchers trying to capture that the perfect photo of the giant squid for their insta. Yeah.
Perfect shots. Yes. Perfect lighting, right angle of the butts. Yeah, the on the point of your toe. So your leg looks more elongated. All the tricks? Yeah.
Yeah, exactly. Correct, yes.
They used a remote camera system that was suspended from floats at the surface of the water on a long line of around 1000 metres, so there's a downward facing camera that had a light and a data logger. Yes, then there was a weighted fishing line which had baits.
Take note influencers.
At different intervals along the length, I think that included Japanese flying squids.
Right. Really. They, they, they. They were kind of the same species, I guess. Different kind of squid.
So they eat their own.
There was a mesh bag that had quill to act as. The odour lure.
Oh.
And then a second bait squid attached a little bit further down to a weighted squid jig. I don't know what a squid jig is, I'm I'm visualising some amazing dancing.
Yes.
Oh look.
No, it's not. No, it's it's you don't you don't. It's not a cephalopod doing a little dance, it's.
Cephalopods.
Squishy. It's like.
It's a shame.
A fishing term like a jig is like, yeah, yeah. They it's not a dance.
Oh, it's just part of the.
Line.
OK, the camera would take photos every 30 seconds, so obviously had to be automatic was down. Under the water and then after multiple attempts, they successfully captured images of it because it latched onto the base at a depth of around 900 metres.
Well, thank goodness. See cause like I know I kinda can relate. You know how we've got our security cameras around the house and then motion activated and sometimes they can, sometimes they can be, yeah. Sometimes they can be a little bit sensitive. They can be a bit sensitive if you like.
It's like you're fishing. Yeah, you're.
Like I've got a bite. You've got a bite. The notifications hooked up something there.
Don't talk to me. I've had a day. You know, they they can be a bit sensitive and sometimes they're not sensitive at all. So you'll get a notification saying somebody's been spotted and you'll turn the camera on and they'll be walking out of the shot and it'll be the back of them for about half a second. And I feel like this would be a similar kind of scenario where it's filming every 30 seconds and it's like it's.
Hmm.
Yes.
It's a bit of a luck of the drawer, so it would be very challenging and very frustrating. Is what I'm getting. I'm like oh, it's just.
Hmm.
The mailman you know. Every time or it's the neighbours cat. The amount of time the neighbours cat actually sets off our security cameras and the. Three cameras. The AI is not so great. They say that it's a person, so they're like someone has been spotted. And I'm like, that's not someone.
That's a cat or it's got a database of pictures of you, so when it knows that it spotted you, it always puts the most awkward face up of you going. This person's being spotted.
Yes. Yes. I've got some. I've had some terrible moments. Actually where I've.
Your mom.
Shot, Sir. Ohh yes, when you bent over when you bent over, yes, yes.
Captured on the security cameras picking up. Yes. Bend over. Picking up dogs in the backyard. It picks up the audio too, so I'm often cursing and commenting on the amount of hit that the dog has done.
Yep.
For the time the neighbours nephew puts garbage in our bin, that was good. You identified him. Why? Identified him from his shoes.
Yes, but we caught him. There was another time where I had a a Chevy Chase moment, a Christmas vacation moment with a ladder out on the.
A that was helpful.
Lifeway and it was no it's it's. It's gone, thank goodness. And it was one of those click clack ladders that where you folded in half and it locks into position and then you like it like an Ant frame and then you can climb up it. So I folded it in half, but I didn't click it in and I climbed almost to the top of it and then it.
Because you haven't seen this or have to go back through the files.
Ah.
Yes.
Collapsed. And fell down on the driveway. No, it was like, bang on the ground. And I kind of very quickly got up and looked around and realised that nobody had seen me. And then it was.
Well, you're hanging. To the roof gutter. It's gotta be in the archives. It's gotta be. Surely it's in the cloud, so we've gotta find it.
It had been captured on the security camera at some stage anyway.
It's great. It's great. Well.
We haven't captured a giant squid yet. Yes, who knows.
No, no. But it may be if you'd put a click clack ladder down there, it might have tried to scale. It and had a similar yeah.
Maybe.
Anyway. Or maybe they could have used the neighbour cat for bait. That would have been good.
Yeah, you never know.
Hmm.
So they did capture it. They did capture it and they saw it.
Well, they well, it started eating the bait.
Yes.
Right, so it took photos.
Yes.
It it was around 8 metres or 26 feet long.
Yeah, that's a big squid. That's a lot of calamari.
Yeah, and and it's like it's like a standard squid, it's got the torso 8 arms, 2 longer tentacles. And that's most of its length. The long tentacles. And then the eyes, the dinner plate eyes. That's where I was gonna say they were dinner plate eyes with that.
Yes. Yes.
Guy already ruined.
And then it's got a really big beach as well.
That fact does.
A big beef.
Have a beak and then I think inside the beak there's. Like I don't know if their teeth or there's something so that it can chew, it's very sharp.
Yes. Yeah, it's a very sharp beak.
Like take your arm. Off.
It'll take a lot of things off. Yes, they they they make quite. A mess. Yeah, they're actually quite terrifying.
And they're red ready, pink in colour. When they're alive.
Hmm.
So the photo. Captured it and its tentacles actually were right around the base and I. Think it got. Trapped. So it was trying to kind of free itself and in doing so, it actually ended up tearing off one of its tentacles. It gets away for one of the tentacles got stuck. So they ended up being able to take the tentacle and then.
Oh dear. Yes.
Do all the DNA testing and find out all about it. So that was good for science, not so great for the Giants.
Ohh that's that's great. Do they grow? They do. They grow them back.
I don't know. I'd I'd suspect not.
No. Squid maybe. Let's check. I wanna know. Hey, Siri, do squids grow their tentacles back?
I don't know.
I found this on the web.
Yes, they do. They do. They absolutely do. Yes, cephalopod tissue regeneration. There you go, cephalopod.
Ohh that's ohh good because. I was a bit concerned. It does well. The tentacle was still moving.
Oh.
Was still jiggling around even after it was detached from. From Squitty and there was an.
Yeah. Ohh you've given it a. Name squiddies squiddy. It's very.
There was the guy, the guy that went out and filmed it. I watched an interview with him. It was we had subtitles. I was reading the subtitles and it was the guy was saying how?
Yes.
They don't hang out with other squids. They're quite solitary creatures, and he looked at it and when he looked at it, he felt that it looked lonely and he was concerned about squiddy.
Really. Oh.
He said something like, oh, you know, they're creatures that are, you know, that just hang around on their. Own. But he did he. Did seem quite isolated and lonely.
Well, well, that's bull. He didn't wanna hang out with you guys. He chewed his arm off.
Well.
Fishing is kind of a sport, I guess that was more science, research, science, news, research. This is sport, though. Let's do some sport.
And this is sport that I actually like for once.
You're a fan of this sport? Ohh, you partake in this sport.
I am. I don't participate in this specific event. I've thought about it. Yeah, but I'm never up early enough, no.
Right. Really, I feel like that's gonna change as you get older because you just can't sleep when you get older. You just.
No. No, just wait up.
You know, try as you might.
Wake up and need to go to the toilet. Wake up and worry about something you said 20 years ago. You offended someone.
Hmm. Well, you might as well next time you go to the toilet, you know, come back down, put your compression pants and your sneakers on and go off and park.
From mccarran. Run Park run. Can you believe the very first park run 2nd of October 2004? I didn't know that it had existed for that long.
Well, I I didn't care that it existed for that long. I I hate running. I'm not a fan of running. I've never been a fan. Of running, and the only time I will really run is if there's an emergency, yes.
Someone chasing you or something like that. Squid chasing you, perhaps the running, running, maybe swimming.
Well, I'd definitely be. Yes, yes.
Their first park run takes place on 2nd of October, who said it was. Known as the. Bushy Park time trial at this point because it takes place in Bushy Park, London.
Ohh, it's it originated in London. In England. The park run.
Must be a lot of soul Lynch in that in that park, the bushy park, it had just 13 runners and included a stopwatch, a notebook and a modest group of runners. So they.
Yes.
Weren't you marathon runners or sprinters or Olympians or fully fledged athletes? And that was part of the thinking? That's part of the thinking behind it.
Now. Umm, but that's. The I was gonna say isn't that the the draw to park run it actually gets people involved because you don't have to be some kind of elite athlete or even like a weekend warrior. You just somebody who wants to go out for a little bit.
Friendly.
Yep.
The jog with people in nature in a park.
In nature, yes. Established by Paul Sinton Hewitt, he was or is a running enthusiast, but at the time was recovering from an injury and wanted to create something that was free, informal, and would encourage people to stay active and build a community of runners. So the vision.
Yes. Yep. Nice.
Was to offer an organised, timed 5 kilometre run every Saturday morning. And he noticed that running clubs could be a bit intimidating. They're a bit exclusive. Beginners were a little bit intimidated, so he wanted to create something that was a bit more of.
Yeah. Yes.
A. Safe space, non judgmental, micro optional and he wanted to make it accessible no matter your ability, because often also those those official running.
Yes. Right.
Clubs their time. Claimed they cost a lot to enter and there's lots of rules. Nobody likes rules.
Yeah, yeah, there is. I do fear that if you make things too accessible, you go in the other direction, it's gonna. It's gonna open up a whole bunch more problems. Maybe similar problems to something that was exclusive.
Loose. Loose and free.
Yes.
Ohh, maybe some interesting moments as well.
Yes. Like I OK, so I find Park runs intimidating. And I'll tell you why. When I go out for an early morning cycle, if I venture force to one of the many bodies of water around this district, I. Awesome. And and just you know it it always catches me unaware, so I'll be like ohh dear, I've there. I've just ridden into a park run. I've ridden into a park run and there's probably about 100 people park running and and well yes.
I've just ridden into the park run. That you've got to weave in. Out.
I don't know what's worse. I don't know whether it's worse going in the opposite direction of the park run or trying to cycle with the park run, but the park runners, very diligent. They always let the other park runners.
Ohh yeah.
Know that a cyclist is there, they announce you well, it's intimidating cause it's.
Oh, that's nice.
They now.
Yeah.
Joe, come on through. It's not.
No, it's.
Not.
So much, Joe, come on through. I wish it was that kind. It's just bike and but it's it's not one person, it's it's one person and.
There he goes. Is it the tail cause they have something called a tail and that's a designated person that's at the end of the park. Run. Yeah. Who stays up the back to make sure that everybody's safe and OK, the tail. So perhaps it's the tail that's yelling out. Maybe that's part of their job.
Well. It may start at the tail.
Yeah.
Or the head, depending on which direction you're riding in, whether you're going into the bottom, but it travels down the line and it's like, sorry, sorry, everyone. Sorry. Thank you. Ding, Ding, ring my bell and stuff like that. It's it's and like, the park runners.
Ohh, it goes all the way, just keeps going. It's a chorus.
Bike, bike. Bike. Bike. Yeah. Hmm.
God bless them. They don't necessarily keep left all the time, and that's yes, and some of them are talking and caring. It's very social and it's like, I'm just. I'm out there. I'm out there like the giant squid. I don't want to mix with anyone. I've got eyes the size of dinner plates, making sure I don't run over a.
Ohh, because they joke. With each other and they have a little chat as they going, it's a social.
Thing some more, yeah.
Like runner and I I don't wanna mix with people. I certainly I'm not there for conversation.
You need to be more like the yam. You need to be. Few lunar distances away.
Wobbling through the yes, yes, indeed.
It's about 2007. It has spread across multiple locations in the UK.
Actually, yeah. If you stuff me into, like, ride do kind of look like a yam.
It changes its name to Park ride to reflect.
Especially a certain part of me, sorry.
Inclusive and community oriented nature.
It quickly expands beyond the UK, established here in Australia. Obviously New Zealand, South Africa and across Europe, the first international park run actually took place in Zimbabwe in 2007. Then by 2010, it's also and Canada, the US, Asia. Last year, over 7 million people.
Yeah, yeah.
Registered for Park run globally with hundreds of thousands participating in weekly events.
Oh my God. That's a lot of park runners. That's a lot of ducking and.
Weaving it is and there's a lot around here in Canberra. There's actually one on the hill down the road, but again I'm not, I'm.
Yeah, yeah.
You're not up.
That early, I feel like a lot of suburbs like there's, I mean it it. I wouldn't say every individual suburb has a park run, but basically if.
There's a hill or a body. Of water you'll find park runners.
Or a, well, a park even. Yes, you know, yes, yeah.
That's true. Some bushes and bushy park, yes.
There, there'll be park runners and you never know when they're gonna.
Yes.
Pop.
Up they've they've developed a digital platform as well. So you register online and you can track your performance. Even though it's not a competition, you can still, I guess, compete with yourself and you get your results afterwards.
Yes. Well, that's that's when the park runners become dangerous is when they're organised and mobilised and you know that's what the Internet has.
You can compare times.
Created. Organised and mobilised park runs very dangerous.
Bushey Park, where it all began, celebrated there one thousandth park run event last month in.
2.
Day.
Yep, 1000 Park runs.
There's been marriage proposals at the finish line that was here in Australia at the at the finish line. I don't know if they met on the path run, but there was a proposal at the.
On a park run. I mean cause you. End. Isn't that beautiful? Like a 5K jog and it's like, let's celebrate this milestone of A5 kilometre job with a marriage proposal. Hey, look.
So romantic.
Yeah.
Yeah. Why aren't you running with the the?
I mean.
Ring though, you'd be worried that it'd drop out of your pocket.
Well, possibly. I mean you could have it quite secure. I mean, I can't really, I can't really knock park runners for proposing because I proposed to you not so much on a park run, but on a walk through Ella.
Bit dangerous.
In the Bush.
Yes.
Park right after the.
You were pretending to pick up dog meat.
Well, no, I did pick up dog. Yes. And then I feigned, you know, an injury so I could get down on one knee.
Ohh you did. Oh.
You can't remember? No, I do. Wow. Wow. No, I had. I had the ring in one hand, and I had a bagged up dog turd in the other one. And I said Mel, will you marry me? And nearly made sure that I had to put the right thing on the right thing.
Remember I. Thought you were pretending to pick up a. Dog, I do remember the proposal.
It's very romantic smelt grapes. Yeah.
There was an 80 year old who ran in the full chicken costume.
Why just just 80?
This is the fun.
Years old would be enough, but now I'm going to dress as a chicken as well.
To wear.
Wear a chicken costume that was a guy that showed up late and still had his morning coffee, but decided to run with it anyway. Didn't even spill any and.
Umm, I hope that there's a long black cause. I mean, just like a Milky coffee while you're running. Ohh yeah, yeah, too Flemming.
While you're running. Yeah. And a dog. A dog run. A dog won the park run in the. UK Some park runs you're allowed to have dogs? I don't think you are. Ohh no. You are here you are here. But you're not allowed to connect them around your waist like I do with our dog. No, because that's apparently well, it's bad for you, apparently. And it's also dangerous. You have to. You have to be holding the leash and they have to be a certain distance they have to.
I've seen some. Really. Is that right? Yes.
Be pretty close to you, so there's rules. Which is good you need.
Rule. Yeah, because you can't have a like a person on one side and tethered.
Rules.
You need rules.
Dog on the other side of the path, that's that's really annoying and dangerous.
Yeah, you gotta be.
Gotta.
Think of your fellow runners in the UK. There was a dog with their owner and the dog got really excited and broke away from the owner and ended up winning. Crossed the finish line 1st and waited.
Hmm.
Oh, good, good doggie.
For everybody else.
What?
That's the bestest boy. What a great dog. Music time. Are you allowed to listen to music on a park? Run headphones? I don't, I don't. I reckon. I mean, it's a social thing, so probably not right.
Ohh.
Don't know him. I'd listen to my headphones. I don't like talking to other people. When I run, yeah.
Really not well, it's hard when.
You. Yeah, it is you. Yes. Especially if you're going fast to run out of breath, yes.
Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Yeah, anything from this week? 'S top five on the Billboard charts? Perhaps.
Do the rock away. Leave. Leave, leave, leave.
Wow.
The goodies are still in the jar and they're still at #1.
They are, and no, none of those songs. Be on my running playlist. They're all too slow. Maybe sunshine if I need sometimes.
None of them.
What I do is I have. Four or five songs that make me run at a certain pace, and then I'll put a slower one in just so I can chill out for a little bit if I'm doing a 10 kilometre run, I'll do 3 or 4 fast songs and then I'll do one that's a little bit slower because sometimes my heart rate gets to a point and I'm like what point does that equal a heart attack?
Hmm. Right. Yeah. Yeah. Hmm. Oh.
Going a little bit too fast. So yes, I need to calm down, so I'd maybe Chuck one of those in there, but not the running, not the running playlist, no.
Just to settle the cardio in before you put my place down there, you'd start taking your shoes off and.
Yeah. Take your bra.
Off make yourself comfortable. Take the belt off. So yes, goodies still number 1S.
Oh. Oh wow. I was trying to find a version of my place to. Play right now.
Lean Back, Terror squad inclusive of Fat Joe Sunshine, little flip feet. Leah, my place, Nelly and the other guy and new entry.
Yes. Yes. Largely largely unchanged, except for this new anti Maroon 5 are out, yes.
Set for this one the new entry.
Good.
My Boo is in, so usher is back in the top five, baby.
Sort of.
Yes, sort of. Definitely usher.
Well, no, this is this is. This is his song, isn't it? My Boo featuring Alicia Keys.
It's his song.
We haven't seen each other, but you will always.
Way. Right.
There's always here, no matter.
That's a sweet song.
I don't remember that from 20 years ago. The first time I heard it was when he was getting handsy at the Super Bowl with Alicia Keys.
You don't remember my Boo? Really. Well, I don't know.
This year, yes, that's the first I. Was like because I'd hurt I I knew the name.
Hmm.
But I don't think I ever heard the song.
Well, it's a billboard top five, not the Aria top five. Maybe that's why maybe you just didn't get a run in.
No, I think it.
Maybe it didn't. Maybe you didn't charge over here. I'm not sure it was from his album Confessions. Although it wasn't part of the original confessions. Line up, they did a re release special edition confessions in 2004.
Australia. Really. Hmm.
And it was on there as a surprise track. A bonus bonus bonus track and.
Right. Well, I mean, you know, it's called my Boo. So like Boo surprise, yes.
Yes, exactly. It's a bonus track and it was a surprise because.
That's like probably the worst, the worst dad joke I've ever told.
Was that there was the calamari, it was wasn't expected to be a big hit. So that's that's interesting because it did do it, did do really well in the Billboard Hot 100. I think it does get to number.
Pretty bad. Osmotic calamari was still. Ohh really.
One actually at some point.
Ohh, spoiler alert, but it's gonna be there soon, yeah.
And then obviously they did at the Super Bowl and I watched the video clip because it said that. It was is really iconic because. Both of them are singing in different locations in New York and I watched.
Right.
It yeah. Yeah, it's alright. Whatever.
Didn't do much for you. Didn't float your boat.
Wasn't. I mean, it wasn't.
Wasn't like, you know, up there with, say dirty by Christina or, you know, there's there's been some really good video clips. Yeah, early 2000s. And they were describing that as amazing. And I watched. I was like, I don't know. So I went and read the comments instead. I read the comments.
Uh-huh. Duet.
Because it got boring to watch, so I just filtered through. So it's and everybody in the comments is saying who else is here cause of Super Bowl. So it had a resurgence. Everyone's chatting to each other and the comments in 2024.