Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Nightcliff Parkrun Event Director Karen Strong says they’re gearing up for a record number of participants with their fifth Birthday this weekend

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Nightcliff Parkrun Event Director Karen Strong says they’re gearing up for a record number of participants with their fifth Birthday this weekend · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Now we are getting fed fish here at Mix one
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: oh four point nine. But there's a crew that are
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: fit all the time. Every weekend they're out there pounding
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: the pavement, going for a run or a walk, and
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  Speaker 1: it is such a wonderful group of people. It's the
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: Nightcliff Park Run crew and the event director Karen Strong,
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  Speaker 1: joins me on the line.
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  Speaker 2: Good morning to you, Karen.
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  Speaker 3: Good morning Katie, and happy park Run eve.
• 0:26
  Speaker 2: Whoo. Let's hope the rain stays away, Karen.
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  Speaker 3: I know we get a little bit sweaty, so rader
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  Speaker 3: and effector.
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  Speaker 1: Well, that's the biggest question that we've had this morning.
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  Speaker 1: We both Krystal, my producer, and I've been getting text
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  Speaker 1: messages from friends from listeners.
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  Speaker 2: So I'm Katie.
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  Speaker 1: Can we still go to park run tomorrow if it's raining?
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  Speaker 1: So what's the what's usually the advice for people? Karen?
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  Speaker 2: Yes, for sure.
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  Speaker 3: The only time we're not allowed to host park run
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  Speaker 3: if there is lightning, but otherwise it's all excellent.
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  Speaker 1: All right, Well, we will be ready tomorrow morning because
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  Speaker 1: Nightcliff Park Run is celebrating your big birthday.
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  Speaker 2: How old are you?
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  Speaker 3: Would you believe we've been around for five years? Katie,
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  Speaker 3: it's our fifth birthday five years.
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  Speaker 1: Goodness me, that's a lot of Saturdays. That's a lot
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  Speaker 1: of early starts on.
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  Speaker 3: A Saturday, it is, it'll be about two hundred and
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  Speaker 3: thirty ninety then.
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  Speaker 1: So yes, Oh, how wonderful now, Karen, I love going
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  Speaker 1: to park Run. I know that so many people in
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  Speaker 1: the community love going to park run.
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  Speaker 2: But for you, what is it about park Run?
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  Speaker 1: Do you think that the community loves.
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  Speaker 3: Because everybody in the community can be part of it.
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  Speaker 3: If you're not a runner, you can be a walker.
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  Speaker 3: If you're not a runner or a walker, you can
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  Speaker 3: be a volunteer. And it's for everybody, whether you want
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  Speaker 3: to be in a pram being pushed, or if you're
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  Speaker 3: or wanting to be in even we'll take people in wheelchairs,
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  Speaker 3: we take anybody, and we'll even let you bring your dog.
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  Speaker 1: Oh, and it's such a like It is such a
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  Speaker 1: community event where everybody feels welcome.
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  Speaker 2: And the Nightcliff Park Run is.
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  Speaker 1: Such a beautiful run along the foreshore there.
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  Speaker 2: It's five kilometers.
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  Speaker 1: How many people do you usually get there each weekend?
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  Speaker 3: Yes, last week we had two hundred and seventy one.
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  Speaker 1: Wow.
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  Speaker 3: Week before two hundred and ninety eight the week before
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  Speaker 3: three hundred and twenty four our most ever attendee.
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  Speaker 2: Wow, I was gonna say, is that a record?
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  Speaker 3: Three hundred and twenty four? Is we even had seventy
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  Speaker 3: eight on Christmas Day and ninety one on New Yearsday?
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  Speaker 3: So people come any day.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, Oh how awesome. So three hundred and twenty four, Karen,
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  Speaker 1: who can take part.
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  Speaker 3: Everybody? You don't even have to be a speedy runner
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  Speaker 3: or a speedy walker because we have a tail walker
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  Speaker 3: person that will always bring home anyone that's still walking
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  Speaker 3: in the pack, so you never come last. So you
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  Speaker 3: can walk five kilometers, you're there now.
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  Speaker 1: And that's what I love is that it doesn't matter
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  Speaker 1: what speed you're going. Like, there's people that are obviously
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  Speaker 1: really fast, there's people that are, you know, just running
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  Speaker 1: having a nice Saturday run. There's people that are just
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  Speaker 1: out for a walk. But that's the wonderful thing about
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  Speaker 1: park Run, isn't it That it doesn't matter how fast
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  Speaker 1: you're going. You can just have a guy, Karen, what
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  Speaker 1: do you reckon? Makes a Nightcliff Park Run so special
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  Speaker 1: that it's lasting five years and going stronger than ever.
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  Speaker 3: It has to be the people that come each week,
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  Speaker 3: because if we don't have them, then each week you'll
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  Speaker 3: just be volunteers standing around caning. So it's definitely everyone
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  Speaker 3: that comes to park Run from our community.
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  Speaker 1: Oh how can Your volunteers are always pretty amazing as well.
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  Speaker 1: They're so friendly and you know, they really make the
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  Speaker 1: event such an encouraging environment.
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  Speaker 3: Thank you.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah.
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  Speaker 3: We often have the theme, so people that are coming
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  Speaker 3: out tomorrow, we've made this theme a Pea theme, so
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  Speaker 3: even if they don't want to dress up, they'll becoming
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  Speaker 3: as park Runners, so they will be in theme. But
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  Speaker 3: if they want to dress up, there's a pea.
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  Speaker 2: Theme, so something starting with pe correct or I like that.
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  Speaker 1: I don't know if I'll be that adventurous that early
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  Speaker 1: in the morning, but I'll see what I can.
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  Speaker 2: I'll see what I can work out. Karen. Yeah, we'll
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  Speaker 2: be there of.
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  Speaker 1: Course tomorrow to help you guys celebrate the crew here
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  Speaker 1: from three point sixty. We'll be there and as part
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  Speaker 1: of feb Fit Now. I think that park runs a
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  Speaker 1: great way to really get fit because it is such
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  Speaker 1: a welcoming environment to anybody who's never done it before.
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  Speaker 1: Is there anything that they need to sort of be
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  Speaker 1: aware of before tomorrow morning. If they do want their
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  Speaker 1: time registered as.
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  Speaker 2: Well, that's correct.
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  Speaker 3: If you want to be coming weekly and getting a
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  Speaker 3: time and seeing if you can get a personal best
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  Speaker 3: and be able to ring the PB bell, then you
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  Speaker 3: do need to go to the park Run website, the
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  Speaker 3: Australia Park Run website and get a barcode. It's registered
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  Speaker 3: for free. It'll take two minutes at the most and
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  Speaker 3: you'll get a little barcode and then you just bring
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  Speaker 3: that with you each week.
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  Speaker 1: And what time should people turn up if they've never
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  Speaker 1: done it before and they're thinking of coming along to
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  Speaker 1: the Nightcliff Park Run tomorrow for the first time.
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  Speaker 3: Yep, so six forty five. There'll be a newbie brief
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  Speaker 3: so people that have never done park run before or
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  Speaker 3: never run at our course so they can have a
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  Speaker 3: look at the course map. And then at ten to
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  Speaker 3: seven there'll be a brief for all the walkers and
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  Speaker 3: runners to say welcome for this event and then we'll
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  Speaker 3: be off onto the path at seven am for our
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  Speaker 3: runs and walks.
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  Speaker 1: Well, I am thoroughly looking forward to it. I don't
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  Speaker 1: mind if a bit of rain about it cools things
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  Speaker 1: down a little.
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  Speaker 2: So let's hope though that lightning stays away.
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  Speaker 3: That's what we're hoping.
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  Speaker 1: Yes, big congratulations to you guys as well on turning five.
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  Speaker 1: It is a wonderful community event. And I know that
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  Speaker 1: it does take a lot of time and effort from
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  Speaker 1: volunteers to be able to run a community event, whether
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  Speaker 1: it's park run or any community event. But big congratulations
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  Speaker 1: to you guys, to all of your volunteers who are
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  Speaker 1: there each and every week.
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  Speaker 3: Thank you. I'll pass them on if they shouldn't be listening,
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  Speaker 3: I'm sure they all are, and just a little listeners
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  Speaker 3: know that there will be cake and icy poles and
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  Speaker 3: some lucky door prizes tomorrow.
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  Speaker 2: Wonderful.
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  Speaker 1: That sounds even more enticing, Karen, to get people down
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  Speaker 1: there for a run a piece of cake at the end.
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  Speaker 2: It's my kind of exercise.
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  Speaker 3: When you've done that first, you'll be just like the
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  Speaker 3: rest of us.
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  Speaker 1: It's so true, you know, because the first time I
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  Speaker 1: did it was only a couple of years ago, and
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  Speaker 1: my first day was on New Year's.
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  Speaker 3: Done Katie, Well, yeah, yeah.
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  Speaker 2: Three years ago.
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  Speaker 1: And I tell you what, that first time, it was
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  Speaker 1: a bit of a step outside of your comfort zone
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  Speaker 1: because it's something you've never done even though I'm a
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  Speaker 1: runner and you're stepping into, you know, to an environment
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  Speaker 1: that you've never been in before, and I've never looked back.
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  Speaker 2: It's a wonderful event.
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  Speaker 1: I enjoy going every weekend, and I would encourage anybody
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  Speaker 1: out there listening, if they're thinking about it, get out there,
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  Speaker 1: be part of the community, because it's a really great
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  Speaker 1: reminder as well of everything that's wonderful about living in
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  Speaker 1: the territory.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, just don't run too fast on your first run,
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  Speaker 3: so then next week you'll get quicker and you'll be
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  Speaker 3: able to.
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  Speaker 1: Do very very good advice. Good on you, Karen, lovely
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  Speaker 1: to speak to you. Good luck, we'll see you tomorrow.
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  Speaker 3: Will do indeed, Thank you, Katie, thank you bye now.