Today's parkrun began with Rick Recker measuring & certifying our course in Thomas Lake Park. Below, Rick marks the finish of our 5K.
Below, Skip and Rick review the numbers for a second loop... 
Below: finishers at our NEW finishing line. They braved 40 mph gusts, with an air temp in the mid 30's.
Another triumph!
Mark LUTTERMAN continues his amazing speed streak as our overall finisher, with a new PB! 21:12.
Thank yo volunteers: Andy BORNE, Seth BORNE, Jacob DAMRO, Carol FERRAZZO, Tammy FLUTO, Eden GRAY, Naveen KUMAR, Nick ROGERS
13 October, 2018 - It was sort of strange this morning at Eagan parkrun #73. Something was missing. It wasn't the energetic atmosphere of our 32 runners/walkers - that never seems to be lacking. It wasn't the encouragement and camaraderie of everyone who participated - because that, of course, is always present too. What was missing was the rain...and NO ONE was complaining. After a week's worth of windshield wipers, umbrellas and puddles, it was finally dry today. The rain, however, was replaced with a definite chill in the air. Although nothing was frozen yet, there was no doubt that our beloved short Minnesota summer was officially over. We will likey enjoy one or two more "warm" Saturday mornings before Halloween, but the season of running pants and light gloves has definitely returned!
First to arrive this morning was Gary Salmon all the way from the U.K., where his home parkrun is Clapham Commons in London. Although Clapham parkrun launched in March of 2018, it is already drawing an average of 500 parkrunners each week! Gary and was in town while on holiday from his accounting position with Domino Records. Just finishing the Chicago Marathon last week, he earned the Number 1 finish token today with a speedy time of 19:24, and was excited for Sunday to see the Vikings play the Cardinals (which, as it turns out, resulted in a 27-17 win for Minnesota). Above, Gary poses for a picture with our volunteer barcode scanner Linda Kaye - who was awarded the honor of Eagan parkrunner of the Month for August 2018. Linda volunteered every Saturday in August, and today was her 15th volunteer appearance in 2018. In addition to barcode scanning today, she put in extra time this morning learning the pre-event setup routine. Thanks for your dedication to Eagan parkrun, and your great spirit each week Linda!
Also in from out of town today was our good friend Aiden Mullen from Dublin, Ireland for his 7th parkrun at here Thomas Lake (his 118th total parkrun finish). And, making his second Eagan parkrun appearance all the way from Lake Macquarie parkrun in Sydney, Australia was Simon Carver. Although it was only his second time at Eagan parkrun, today's run was Simon's 157th parkrun finish overall! Very impressive Simon. Finally, from this side of the Atlantic, we were thrilled to welcome Ben and Meghan Gieske (below) from College Park parkrun in Maryland. College Park parkrun hosted their 104th run today. Hope to see all of our out-of-town guests again soon! Maybe in a few months when we have some below zero temps?
With 7 first-timers today, the total number of individual runners that have completed Eagan parkrun to date is 887 - bringing the total number of finishes at Thomas Lake Park so far to 3,237. Thanks everyone for coming out each week, and for today, making Eagan parkrun part of your chilly Saturday morning! 
Don't forget that there will be a special "holiday edition" of Eagan parkrun next month on Thanksgiving morning (Thursday, November 22). Of course, as always, this special event is at 9:00 a.m., timed, and FREE! How many local turkey trots can say that? Hope to see you there! Volunteer positions are still available. Just send us an e-mail at eaganhelpers@parkrun.com if you are interested. For this week, a big thanks to the awesome volunteers that made Eagan parkrun #73 a success: Naveen Kumar, Linda Kaye, Rafe Jones, and Victoria Sharp-Jones.
Hope you can make it next Saturday for Eagan parkrun #74!
Happy running,
Skip
Great weather was predicted for Eagan parkrun #70, and Mother Nature did not disappoint. Leading into Saturday 22 September, 2018, we had rain, rain and lot more rain. Eagan had nearly five inches of rain in the four days prior to Saturday, but a combination of sunny and clear skies, a slight breeze, and a cool 50F degree temp made for a glorious and picture-perfect start. If you've never signed up for the Pre-Event Setup volunteer position, I would strongly recommend it. Walking the course and setting up the signs and cones as the sun comes up is extremely peaceful and invigorating. Thomas Lake Park never ceases to surprise me. Deer, geese, and even a fox have been sighted by the setup crew just this past summer alone. This morning, the sun was just starting to rise as I pulled into the parking lot and headed down to the finish line to begin setting up. I caught this view of the morning sun highlighting a slight mist hanging over the nearby pond.
The running wasn't that bad either! Let me rephrase that: it was perfect! This week, among our 37 runners and walkers, we were happy to share the morning with eleven newcomers, and we recorded eight PB's. Just before the start, when we thought we didn't have anyone joining us from out of town, Louise & Wade Murphy-Norrie from Sydney Australia pulled in with only seconds to spare. After the run, both were overheard seeking directions to the (apparently world famous) Eagan Premium Outlet Mall. We hope you found something Minnesota-fashionable to bring back to North Wollongong parkrun! Hope to see you again!
Newcomer Zack Farr arrived with Dad (below), ready to run. He finished in the Number 2 position at a speedy 23:20. We hope to see Zack back again soon as well.
Below, Stephanie Olson hit a PB this week, absolutely killing her previous parkrun best by over four and a half minutes. Congratulations on a truly impressive accomplishment Stephanie! Anytime you'd like to share the secrets of your success, I am sure you will have the attention of a lot of people!
Another very important event to note: Eagan parkrunner Michelle Pahl (below) hit an impressive milestone today - logging her 50th parkrun! Of Michelle's 50 parkrun finishes, 48 of them were here in Eagan! Hope to be there for your 100th as well! And, in case you are wondering, the anonymous hands in front of Michelle are CLEARLY indicating the number "50." From all of your good friends at Eagan parkrun, CONGRATULATIONS Michelle!
Of course, Eagan parkrun is a fantastic activity for the whole family, whether running or volunteering. This week was no different. Jeremy Fleischmann hit his 10th parkrun mark today with the whole family (below top) cheering him on. Could the kids (Calvin and Quinn) be any cuter? Victoria Sharp-Jones (finish tokens) and little sister Isabel (moral support) helped keep Dad Rafe Jones (time keeper) and Naveen Kumar (barcode scanner) on track at the finish funnel (below bottom). 
A few first-timers, and a "31-timer" (Nick Rogers) (below) all enjoyed the GORGEOUS morning at Thomas Lake!
Finally, it's only fitting to end this week's run report with a shot of our Tail Walker/Runner Amit Parnerkar. Who would have known that his stroller (and child inside) would have come in so handy for picking up the signs?! Thanks to all the volunteers this week on a fantastic job! 
Happy running, and I hope to see everyone again next Saturday at 9:00 a.m. for Eagan parkrun #71.
Skip
Labor Day Weekend - 2018
With 44 walkers, joggers and runners hitting the trail at Thomas Lake, it was a nice day for just getting outside and a healthy start to what is usually thought of as the end of summer.
Two new runners hailing from Hastings joined us—Brothers David and Luke Nogle. Both were fast, David was close to setting a parkrun Eagan record, so we hope he comes back and tries again soon. David was fresh off competing at the Junior Olympics in Des Moines, IA where the events were held at Drake College. David is an all-american in the steeple chase and 3K, so our mildly hilly course at Thomas Lake should be a nice workout for him!
For this Run Director, it had been some time since I was on hand to run the show—so to speak. Nate and Tom have made our pretty easy set up even more efficient with some on site storage and less equipment to haul around which makes for an easier morning for all involved on the set up side! If you are interested in more of a leadership role with parkrun, we’d love to talk to you about it—and maybe set up a shadow experience for you. Some highlights of being the Run Director: you have an excuse to talk to as many exercisers and spectators as possible, you see how all the pieces come together, you get to/have to “be the boss”.
More and more of our kids need volunteer hours for whatever they are doing at church, with their sports clubs, etc. Volunteering is a quick 1-1.5 hour experience and we can’t pull it off with out you!
See you soon!
RD Jenn