Marlborough Lions Couch To 5K

06/08/2026

Good morning, Couch 25kers!
Thank you all! I just want each of you to know how much joy this spring season brought. Despite the rainy weather, we welcomed new participants who completed a 5K, and our walkers kept up their healthy routines—it was truly a well-rounded and successful season.
I hope you all continue your healthy exercise habits throughout the summer!
I also want to give a big shout-out to all the Lions who came out to help with the cookout—it was a huge success. Now we move on to our upcoming events, including the FIFA activities from Thursday through Saturday, where we’ll be selling water. After that, we’ll head to the beach to sell burgers and hot dogs starting the week of Juneteenth.
Thank you, Lions, for your continued support of this program. We also have the fall C25K season coming up, so we’ll get to do it all over again!
Although this is my final email for now, I will send one more once Lion Randy shares the photos from the event.
Thank you all again, and I hope to see you in the fall—so keep exercising!
One last thing: I’ll continue running at 6:00 PM on Mondays and Wednesdays if anyone would like to join me. Also, I’ll have extra shirts with me tonight for anyone who wasn’t able to attend on Saturday.
Lion Mark 🦁

Spring Couch to 25K Donation Link

These donations are to cover the cost of the 5k Program including water, advertising, signage, and Shirts for the group that completes the program. Any donations over that cost goes into our Charity fund that benefits all the local programs we take on Including, the Father Daughter Dance, Movies in....

06/03/2026

New Update Sunday is moved to Saturday

Good morning, Couch to 5K crew! ☀️
We are officially 2 practice days away from the big Mock 5K! (Yes, it snuck up faster than the last hill we complained about 😄)
Quick update: were moving the event to Saturday at 10:30 AM so we can follow it up with a cookout and actually enjoy the early afternoon—because nothing pairs better with running than food you didn’t have to cook yourself.
I also want to give a big THANK YOU to everyone who has participated and donated along the way. I hope you all got something out of this program—even if it was just discovering that pizza tastes extra amazing after a run 🍕🏃‍♂️
We’ve got 2 more days of practice, then it’s showtime on Saturday! And yes… I apologize to Mother Nature, but Sunday’s forecast clearly didn’t get the memo—it’s just not looking like our kind of running weather.
See you all tonight—bring your sneakers, your sense of humor, and maybe start thinking about that post-run burger 😎

Lion Mark 🦁
Mock 5k Signup form

Spring Couch to 25K Donation Link

These donations are to cover the cost of the 5k Program including water, advertising, signage, and Shirts for the group that completes the program. Any donations over that cost goes into our Charity fund that benefits all the local programs we take on Including, the Father Daughter Dance, Movies in....

06/01/2026

We are on to the final week 10 Woot Woot Hello and good morning, Couch to 5K crew!
We’re heading into Week 10—fantastic work, everyone! We have just four more days of running left, and this week is all about going as far as you comfortably can. There’s no rush—we’ll be there with you at the finish. Take your time, listen to your body, and remember: we all have good days and bad days, so take it easy when you need to.
Now for our Mock 5K and cookout on Sunday, June 7th at 10:30 AM—the forecast is currently showing a 40% chance of rain, which isn’t ideal. Here are the possible plans:
Option 1: Everything goes as planned—nice weather, we run and enjoy the cookout together.
Option 2: If needed, we’ll still hold the run in the rain (if conditions are safe), and move the cookout to the Jericho Hill location.
Option 3: Reschedule the Mock 5K and cookout to the following weekend or if this Saturday is good maybe that day, just thinking out loud
I’ll keep an eye on the weather and keep you all updated as we get closer! if you have any comments about our options please let us know
thank you
Lion Mark
Keep up the great work—we’re almost there! 💪🏃‍♂️🏃‍♀️

05/26/2026

We are officially heading into Week 9—how did that happen so fast?! 🎉
First off, a big THANK YOU to Lion Steve for saving me yesterday—you’re the real MVP! 🙌
Shirt orders are in… Woot woot! 👕 I even have a few extras, so if you missed the sign-up, you’re in luck—there’s still an opening!
This week we’re tackling 28 minutes total—that’s 14 minutes down the hill and 14 minutes back up (yes… back up, but no worries—we’ve got this! 💪). I seriously can’t believe how amazing everyone has been doing. It’s been awesome to see!
As always, for the BBQ after the run on Sunday, June 7th we’ll have our cookout goodies—hamburgers, hot dogs, and I hear there may be macaroni salad making an appearance 👀. We’ll also have plenty of fruit and non-alcoholic drinks to keep us fueled and refreshed.
A huge THANK YOU for your donations—this program truly wouldn’t be possible without your support. ❤️
Can you believe it's a week from—this Sunday our final run! 🏁

Don’t get discouraged if you need to take breaks (we all do—it’s totally normal). Remember: we’re all in this together, and we’ve got this!
Thanks again, everyone—I hope to see you tonight! 😊
Lion Mark 🦁

05/22/2026

Makeup Run Tonight,
FYI,
I don't know if I sent this out but we have a makeup run tonight ... 25 min ... woot woot.
Also, If you have not registered for the Mock run Rune 7th at 10:30 am .... Please do so I want to order the shirts on Monday .... So PLEASE Sign UP....
See you all tonight...
Lion Mark

05/18/2026

We are on to week 8! and signups are OPEN !! for the june 7th Mock 5k

Good morning Couch to 5K crew!
Welcome to Week 8 — woot woot!! 🎉
After the rough weather last week, we’re making a small adjustment. We should be at 25 minutes now, but to ease back in, we’ll do:
Monday & Tuesday: 2 × 12-minute jogs with a 2-minute walk in between
Wednesday–Sunday: 25-minute continuous run (no breaks)
I’ve also set up registration for our Couch to 5K Mock Run on June 7th. Please fill out the form by the end of the week so I can get shirt orders in ASAP — that would be awesome!
Don’t forget, we’ll be having a BBQ after the run on Sunday, June 7th 🌭🍔
Food will be provided (hamburgers & hot dogs Mac Salid, drinks NO BOZE 🙂)
You don’t have to bring anything, but if you’d like to contribute, just let me know so we don’t end up with too much of the same thing
Friends and family are welcome to join in the fun!
Looking forward to seeing everyone tonight! If you have any questions, feel free to reach out anytime.

Lion Mark 🦁
Mock 5k Signup form
https://forms.cloud.microsoft/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=Rec4DmO3YEme1tfilb_uqxYHfcTl4ZlEmpZQZ8y9cPFUMzg4M043NDRQUVY1Rk4yTDY4SkZSR1pRRy4u

Spring Couch to 25K Donation Link
https://square.link/u/NTsghINl

05/15/2026

Makeup Run Canceled!!
Sorry to say that due to the rain right NOW I am canceling our makeup run tonight, Please, if you get a chance tonight or Tomorrow do the 2 11 min jogs if you can, I will be there Sunday but I don't want anyone getting behind
Lion Mark

05/14/2026

I wanted to give everyone a head start on the weather update for tonight and our makeup day tomorrow. According to the weather map, there’s a 100% chance of rain at 6 PM tonight, so our 2 × 11‑minute jogs are officially canceled. Mother Nature clearly didn’t check our training schedule.

The good news: Friday night is looking much better. Right now there’s only a 9% chance of rain at 6 PM, so I’m putting that on my calendar and crossing all available fingers and toes.

Don’t forget — we’re also running Sunday morning at 9 AM. I do need to be at Ward Park afterward for the Family Fun Festival, so I might be running a little faster than usual… but only through my stretches, not actually running. No worries, I won’t break the program rules.
Hope to see you all on Friday!
Lion Mark 🦁

05/11/2026

Good Morning Couch 25Kers! We are on to WEEK 7
Guess what? We are officially rolling into Week 7 — woot woot! 🎉
If Week 6 felt like a lot, don’t worry… Week 7 is basically Week 6’s slightly more ambitious cousin. And you’re all crushing it as a group, so let’s keep that momentum going.
Week 7: The Split Workout Week!
First Half
Brisk 5‑minute warmup walk, then:
10‑minute jog
3‑minute walk
Repeat once for a total of 26 minutes
Breakdown:
0:00–10:00 Jog
10:00–13:00 Walk
13:00–23:00 Jog
23:00–26:00 Walk
Finish with a 5‑minute cool down
And boom — DONE!
Second Half
Brisk 5‑minute warmup walk, then:
11‑minute jog
3‑minute walk
Repeat once for a total of 28 minutes
Breakdown:
0:00–11:00 Jog
11:00–14:00 Walk
14:00–25:00 Jog
25:00–28:00 Walk
Finish with a 5‑minute cool down
And DONE again! (Look at you, doing big‑kid runner things.)
A Huge Thank You
To everyone who has donated — seriously, thank you. This program exists because of your support. Without you, we’d all still be on the couch… without the “25K” part.
Weather Update
The forecast is looking a little dramatic, so there’s a chance we may have a rain day this week. I’ll keep an eye on it and let you know.
Final Mock Run
I’ll be sending out the signup soon for our final mock run on June 7th at 10:30 AM.
Mark your calendars — or tattoo it on your arm, your choice.
Thank you,
Lion Mark

Lion Mark 🦁

Spring Couch to 25K Donation Link

These donations are to cover the cost of the 5k Program including water, advertising, signage, and Shirts for the group that completes the program. Any donations over that cost goes into our Charity fund that benefits all the local programs we take on Including, the Father Daughter Dance, Movies in....

05/06/2026

Tonight, Canceled and updated days

Good morning, Couch 25kers!
I hate to be the bearer of soggy news, but Mother Nature has decided tonight’s run is not happening. Due to tonight’s weather, we’re canceling this evening’s run. 🌧️😢
The good news (because there’s always good news):
Tonight’s run (5 x 8 x 5‑minute jogs) will be moved to tomorrow night
Thursday’s run (2 × 10‑minute jogs) will be held on Friday and Sunday
That means we’ll be back at it tomorrow night & Friday like nothing ever happened 💪
Looking ahead to Monday night:

It’s that time again—my Council Budget Meeting is at 6:30 PM, and I’m hoping it’s only one night. I’m looking for two volunteers to help run the whistle and timer. If you can help out, I’d really appreciate it!
I’ll check with Lion Steve, but no promises he’s available on Monday—so step right up, future heroes! 🦸‍♂️🦸‍♀️
Thanks, everyone, and stay dry today. See you tomorrow night!