More of the same at Eagan parkrun #48... but we aren't going to dwell on that.  What we are going to focus on is some great things happening at Eagan parkrun and for parkrun in the US.  Have you seen the lineup of new parkruns starting up in the US?  It wasn't that long ago that Eagan was the 9th parkrun in the US.  When Joe Creason parkrun starts in Louisville on April 28th, that will be the 20th in the country.  We really have some great momentum going and it's going to keep going... hopefully we see a few more around this area in the future as well.

As for our great run on April 7th, 2018.  It was cold, sure, but the sun was out and the course was in great shape.  Best shape of the year according to RD Jeff Ferrazzo on the day.  We still ran the 3 lap modified course due to some snow on our hill, but there wasn't any trouble on that main part of the course... we are really almost out of the woods from this tough winter.  I think.

Leif Hanson was our first finisher for the 4th week in a row!  Congrats Leif.  Hope you get to run the normal course soon.

Look for the March parkrunner of the month to be announced this next week.  March was a tough month for sure, but this parkrunner was there each week and both ran and volunteered!!!!  Great work!

Speaking of volunteers, we had another member of the 25 Volunteer Club - Melissa Damro!!!  While all of our volunteers are critical to our ongoing success, Melissa has helped in a ton of ways as we worked together to get Eagan parkrun off the ground and through the first year.  Be sure to thank her next time you see her.

Don't forget about Eagan parkrun's 1st anniversary on April 28th!  Weather is looking good leading up to it, so come on out and enjoy a free, timed 5k run at Thomas Lake Park!!!  Hope to see you there and see you soon!

Nate

Thirty one degrees Farenheit at 9:00 a.m..  It could only mean one thing:  Spring in Minnesota!  Just 4 days into the new season, and the sun was actually visible through the seemingly ever present haze of late winter, and pleasantly higher in the sky due to Daylight Savings time.

However, as we all know, Minnesota weather rarely allows us to have our cake and eat it too.  That's where the wind came in.  As 9:00 a.m. approached, the wind picked up just enough to cause a few shivers.  A nice windbreaker and covered skin was most welcome...for most of us at least.  You almost make it look balmy, Alan Barnicle!

To our delight, the condition of the course was also MUCH better this week.  Sunny dry weather during the week helped tremendously, although our main ice “puddle” on the path near the school remained - so we utilized the new three-loop alternative around the inner park to get in our 5 kilometers.  Just before the start, Eagan parkrun acknowledged Kensington parkrun on its inaugural run that same morning in the form of a good luck video.  Kensington parkrun is the fifth parkrun in the Washington DC area, and is located in Puller Park in Maryland, about 10 miles northwest of our nation's Capitol. Congratulations Kensington parkrun!  For an update on how they did, click here:  http://www.parkrun.us/kensington/news/

The dry path (and perhaps the missing hill) made for some decent p.b.’s.  Third-time Eagan parkrunner Leif Hanson made short work of the inner loops in as many weeks finishing in 18:54.  Congratulations Lief!  Other p.b.s' were earned by Chris Richter, Tammy Stanczak, and Steven Bullard.  March 24th also brought out six more first timers (Kyle Dalton, John Seehafer, Danielle Sandgren, Monica Joubert, and Arleen and Bill Sullivan) - bringing our running annual total of individual runners so far at Thomas Lake Park to 618.  I think we're going to break the 700 mark by our one-year anniversary.  Be sure to invite your friends this month also, because we are extremely close to the 10,000 kilometer mark for total distance run at Eagan parkrun!  (If you ever want to check the stats for our parkrun, just scroll down to the bottom of the results screen the next time you're online checking your own time).

Spring also brought out six junior parkrunners (14 or younger), but most were not new to Eagan parkrun, and have run here before.  Good to see the next generation of runners representing!  Also, on the other end of the age spectrum, it was inspiring to see and talk with another "regular" to Eagan parkrun, Rogers Anderson, who runs in the Men's 85-89 age group!

This week we also added a new volunteer position: "Volunteer Coordinator."   If you are interested in volunteering, and love to chat, this might be a position right up your alley.  The volunteer at this position gets to "double-dip," and will be able to run as well!  Our pioneer at this position, Tom Anderson, was able to fill most volunteer slots for next week even before the run started.  In the future, just look for the friendly yellow-vested volunteer carrying a clipboard, and sign up for any future Saturday.  Keep in mind that our under 18-year-old volunteers need to be in the company of an adult for any volunteer positions (I.e. not the tail walker or marshal positions).

See you soon, and hopefully more often!

Happy Spring, happy running!

Skip

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Great turnout at Eagan parkrun #46 for St. Patrick's Day, in fact our biggest turnout of the year so far.  Given the special day, quick shout out to our Irish friend Aidan Mullen from Cabinteely parkrun in Ireland.  His second most parkruns have been at Eagan (4)!  Aidan is only 2 parkruns from 100!  Good luck Aidan and hope we see you again soon! The higher turnout we have had is not too surprising given the warming temperatures.  It was a nice March morning last Saturday... still below freezing, but no wind at all.  We still had to use our alternate course for Eagan parkrun due to a massive ice flow.

For those that haven't been there the last two weeks, our alternate course is a three loop course east of our normal starting line... mostly just a mile loop in the park, no hill, sidewalk or school.  Don't worry, we'll be back there in a few weeks I expect.  There were still some tough areas to get around, but we had some extra marshals on the course, you could see all problem areas and all runners were strongly encourage to watch your step and slow down in some spots.  You can get a great view of the starting line from Andy Borne's AWESOME 360 degrees video that he took as we started.  Andy was volunteer barcode scanner for us last week but he ran in the starting funner to get the footage.  If you haven't seen it, check out Flickr or Facebook, both under Eagan parkrun. After the parkrun, we snuck over to Bon Fire for an alternative coffee spot and to process the results.  The coffee was hot, kids breakfast was just the right size... but the malt beverages weren't green!  Guess we were there too early.  Next week, back to our usual haunt. So, who has checked the forecast for this week.  Am I the only one that is done with winter?   2-4 inches of snow is expected this Friday night.  We'll be out early Saturday morning inspecting the course.  If we have enough snow to provide traction, we'll run in the snow.  If the snow just covers up some icy spots, don't be surprised when we cancel this week.  Watch the website and social channels for updates.

Thanks to Eagan parkrunner and Mayor Mike Maguire and the City of Eagan who mentioned Eagan parkrun in the State of the City address on March 22nd.  We appreciate the City's permission and support in getting Eagan parkrun off the ground and continuing to operate for nearly a year now!

Speaking of nearly a year... April 28th is not just my 42nd birthday... it is also Eagan parkrun's 1st Anniversary!!!  For those of you wondering how that is calculated, given we started on April 22nd, 2017 (the 4th Saturday of April), the 4th Saturday of 2018 is April 28th.  Our anniversary will always be on the 4th Saturday of April.  We are working overtime to make sure the weather cooperates, but beyond that, hoping to see a great turnout and after your parkrun, come and enjoy some goodies too!!

How about the Eagan parkrun #46?  Well, we had 7 SUPER volunteers that made it possible.   Can't say enough about this team... and we need more.

Looking to get some new faces out there volunteering, so look for Volunteer Coordinator Tom this week prior to parkrun and he'll get you set up.  As for the running and walking, really nice work this week.  Leif Hanson was the first finisher for the second week in a row and now has been the first finisher in both of his parkruns.  Good turnout for First Timers this week and lots of PBs too... might be a bit easier without the hill on the course, but it will be back and I expect all of you to push for that PB this summer... HILL and all!

Thanks to Nicole Drinkwine who joined us from Tomah, WI.  She was in town visiting for the weekend and we're really glad to have her spend her Saturday morning with parkrun.  Nice work Nicole!

Sisters Elizabeth and Kathleen Pichotta were back for their 3rd and 4th Eagan parkruns.  Great to have them join us for coffee afterwards too.  PB for Elizabeth in 27:33!  Great work!!!

Another team of sisters were at parkrun this week as well.  Super to see Stephanie Pearson for the second week in a row.  I assume that since she brought her sister Rachel Fafinski, she must have liked it.  Based on the smiles this week, I expect we'll see you both back.  Nice work!

Did you know you can find us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram?  In addition, parkrun USA and parkrun global are on all of these channels too.  It's a great way to see and be a part of a growing community that is making a difference one free timed 5k at a time!

Ok, so remember, watch the forecast this week, get ready for April 28th and give volunteering a try.  Other than that, have a super week and looking forward to seeing you again real soon!

Nate