Marlborough Lions Couch To 5K

09/08/2026

Good morning everyone! We are on to week 2 !!!

First, I want to apologize about Sunday's jog. The weather forecast was just too close to call with the rain, and unfortunately Mother Nature wasn't giving us any clear answers!
But don't worry, we're moving on to Week 2! The good news is fewer reps. The bad news? More jogging and more walking. 😅 Whew!
With that said, I hope to see all of you tonight at 6:00 PM. I'll be attaching the Week 2 card to this email so everyone is ready to go.
I also want to give a huge thank you to everyone who came out last week. You all put together an amazing first week, and now we're on to Week 2! I truly appreciate everyone's effort and commitment.
Another big thank you to everyone who has donated so far. Several people asked about donating with a credit card instead of cash, so I'll include my online donation link in this email as well for anyone who would like to contribute.
Thank you all again, and I hope to see everyone tonight! (No pressure... but attendance will greatly improve my mood. 😉)
See you at 6:00 PM! 🏃‍♂️🚶‍♀️🏃‍♀️🚶‍♂️
Lion Mark


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....

09/07/2026

Getting ready

09/05/2026

Good Morning, Couch 25Kers!
First off, I want to thank everyone who came out and joined us for Week 1 of the program. A huge thank you as well to those who have donated to the program. Your support is greatly appreciated!
Now, on to Sunday's run. We'll be meeting at the Rail Trail at 9:00 AM. The weather forecast is looking promising... well, promising enough that I'm cautiously optimistic we can dodge the rain. Fingers crossed that Mother Nature gives us a break!
Sunday wraps up Week 1, and we'll kick off Week 2 on Tuesday.
Since Monday is a holiday, we'll be taking the evening run off. I'll be busy running the Bed Race at 9:30 AM and then taking part in the parade at noon. By the time 6:00 PM rolls around, I'll probably be moving like a Snail 😄
I'll send out the Week 2 cards on Sunday after the run.
I hope to see everyone tomorrow morning. Until then, enjoy the rest of your weekend, and have a fantastic Labor Day Monday!
See you at the Rail Trail! 🏃‍♂️🏃‍♀️☀️
Lion Mark

08/31/2026

🏃‍♂️🏃‍♀️ FYI, We Start TONIGHT ! 2026 Fall Couch to 25K Program! 🏃‍♀️🏃‍♂️
Let's make this our best year yet! I can't wait to start moving again. After all, my couch and I have become a little too close lately. 😄
Whether you're a runner, jogger, power walker, or someone who's just trying to convince their sneakers that exercise is a good idea, we'd love to have you join us. As always, walkers are welcome!
Please help spread the word and share this with friends, family, coworkers, neighbors, and anyone else who might be ready to trade a little couch time for some finish-line glory.
Can't make it this year? No problem! If you enjoy what we do and would like to support the program, you can make a donation using the link below. Every contribution helps keep this great program going.
Donate to the Lions Couch25k Program!
https://square.link/u/NTsghINl
Thank you for your support, and please sign up for another fantastic season. Let's make new friends, have some fun, and prove that getting off the couch is only hard for the first few steps!
Remember: The hardest part of any run is usually finding where you left your running shoes. 😉
See you at the starting line! 🎉
SIGN UP BELOW...
https://forms.cloud.microsoft/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=Rec4DmO3YEme1tfilb_uqxYHfcTl4ZlEmpZQZ8y9cPFUMU1GVVpFNTQ2WkRXUDJWNUYzU01OSFExWC4u

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....

08/25/2026

Less than one week for the Fall season to start .....

08/06/2026

🍂 FALL COUCH‑TO‑5K IS BACK!
We’re less than four weeks away from kicking off our Fall Couch‑to‑5K Program — and I couldn’t be more excited. We had an incredible Spring session, with 30 runners finishing the program, tons of laughs, and a whole lot of community spirit.

This is a 10‑week program, and the Lions Club will be out on the Rail Trail five days a week. You only need to attend 2–3 days per week for the program to work — consistency is all it takes.

The program is free, but we do accept donations to help cover water, program costs, and the free T‑shirts we hand out at the end. Any extra funds go right back into our Lions charity account to support the community and eye research.

Thank you in advance for helping make this another successful Fall program.
See you all in August — and don’t forget to sign up!
https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/1BNjrRrtDa
– Lion Mark

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 🦁