The CrossingAlbert Melbourne parkrun
A parkrunday Like No Other
Albert Melbourne parkrun made no progress towards Brisbane, but it was a HAA morning I won't forget. Media, the Heart Foundation, new friends and a lap of the lake were followed by the MCG and a warm St Kilda apartment.
Day 78 did not move us any closer to Brisbane.
That was the point. It was a rest day as far as forward progress was concerned, although HAA rest days had a habit of becoming full in other ways.
This one started at Albert Melbourne parkrun, beside Albert Park Lake, with Melbourne looking very much like Melbourne in the background. The city was there across the water, the parkrun flags were up, and for once I was not walking into another long day of highway.
I still ran five kilometres, because it was Saturday and parkrun was part of the HAA rhythm. Canning River had been the farewell. Kalgoorlie-Boulder had been the first big milestone weekend. Torrens had carried the Adelaide welcome. Now Melbourne had its turn.
The Heart Foundation Victoria team had done a brilliant job around the morning. Kirby had become the HAA person on the ground in Melbourne, liaising with Sarah from the Heart Foundation, helping organise the sausage sizzle at Albert Melbourne parkrun, and doing the sort of behind-the-scenes work that made these weekends feel possible rather than chaotic.
It was one thing to know there would be people there. It was another thing to finish parkrun and have cameras and microphones pointed at me. Channels 7, 9 and 10 all turned up. I get nervous speaking at the best of times, and I am much more introverted than the whole walk-across-Australia thing might suggest, so three reporters, three cameras and three camera operators was a lot.
It was also brilliant. There were loads of people, far more media coverage than I had expected, and a great vibe around the whole morning. I really enjoyed it.
I met new running buddies, caught up with people who had already become part of the HAA story, met Alicia from Oz Virtual Racing, spoke with people who were running for their own reasons, met the CEO of Heart Foundation Victoria, hugged Hearty, and ran a beautiful 5 km course.
I also met Brendan Peel that morning, a name many parkrunners know because there is a parkrun challenge named after him. My online running friend Jo was also there. We had first met at the Run Down Under lunch before the 2014 Gold Coast Marathon, and she had been following the page since.
A parkrunner could also be a connector. Someone following online could become a friend with a warm apartment. A city visit could be rest, fundraising, media and logistics all at once.
After parkrun, we went to lunch in St Kilda with Lynn, Kirby, Kirby’s husband Warren, and their kids. Kirby’s family would not let us pay. That generosity still lands warmly when I think about it. It was food, yes, but it was also care, welcome, and one more reminder that HAA was being held up by far more than my legs.
We had a tight schedule to get to the MCG, so Waz stepped in again and gave us a lift to Federation Square. From there it was a short walk to the “G”.
Melbourne beat Collingwood. I was in Melbourne, at the MCG, watching Melbourne win a game of footy after running Albert Melbourne parkrun on a rest day from walking across Australia. Sometimes it is best not to over-explain the ridiculousness of a sentence like that.
After the footy we had coffee, caught the tram back to St Kilda, and went for Chinese food at Rabbit Blues. I posted that the moo moo beef was only beaten by the Wah Wah duck. Later, when banana fritter appeared, I asked the obvious nutrition question: bananas are good for runners, right?
Comments began appearing that the TV stories had been shown nationally. The cameras at parkrun had helped the story travel.
That night I sat in a warm, cosy apartment in St Kilda, thinking about what had just happened. The day before, Lynn and Rob’s accommodation offer had nearly brought me to tears. Now we were actually there, looked after, warm, fed, and completely surrounded by the generosity of people who had somehow decided that HAA was something they wanted to help carry.
My first taste of Melbourne could not really have gone much better.
Videos From The Day
7 News Melbourne: Healthy runner
Channel 7's Albert Melbourne parkrun segment from the HAA Melbourne weekend.
Open on FacebookImages From The Day
