Milton Country parkrun

Thanks to all our volunteers, runners and walkers today. It was a lovely Dolly parkrun, with two volunteer milestones on the funnel. Geoff Meads on his 100th and Tim Davies on his 50th.
See you all next week!

Here you come again for another week of Parkrunning! A coat of many colours is not required but we are looking for some people to be working 9-5 (or 8:40-10ish) at MCp on Saturday and I will always love you.

Jolene is welcome, but please don’t take my tokens away.

Forecast for Sat is a bit cooler, but we’re hoping not baby it’s cold outside.

No marshals are required for our islands in the stream but we may need someone to walk the (finish funnel) line like they’re king of the road, possibly with Joshua.

Actually our volunteers are fabulous so we don’t need many more, just another marshal or 2, a funnel manager and some more help to sort tokens. The volunteer roster page can be checked at {{rosterLink}

RIP Dolly. We'll be letting you borrow special pink high Viz to wear in her memory. Sequins and cowboys hats not mandatory but encouraged.

We need help tomorrow! Can you join our happy crew?
Looking for another timekeeper, someone to help give out finish tokens, some barcode scanners and people to help clear up and sort tokens after running.
If you can help comment below or email us with your A number at the usual address and we'll get back you you this afternoon. [email protected]

Well done to all out runners, walkers and volunteers today. We had 77 first timers, I hope you all enjoyed the cooler temperatures. We also had a few people taking part who are off to Cambridge United Football Club courtesy of parkrun sponsor Brooks for the football later. We're hoping for a great start to the season.
Special mention to today's tail walker Sharen who was doing her 50th volunteer.
If you were in postion 197 and didn't get your result let us know and we'll add you in. Your barcode doesn't exist!

Blimey it’s hot 🥵
Just a warning as the heatwaves and drought continue. We know we’re one of the shadiest parkrun’s around, but just be aware the dust on course is getting worse, and in places our lovely mud has turned to sand. So if you struggle with your lungs or breathing take this into account when deciding where to parkrun until we get some rain, and if you need any medications don’t forget to bring it along.
As always look out for each other during the run, and if heat running isn’t for you we have space for a few more marshals on course.

Any Cambridge United Football Club fans here? Parkrun partners Brookes are offering free tickets to parkrunners who take part in local events this month.
Any Cambridge junior parkrun runners are welcome to join us at Milton to benefit from this - email us if you’d like to volunteer if 5k is too far for you to run or walk and we can find you a volunteer slot if you come with your adult.

Huge thanks and well done to our volunteers and runners today! Sorry we were rubbish and forgot to take photos (again) but hope you like the stats! We'd also like to say a huge thanks to those that stopped to help for our fallers. Also thanks to Phoenix Trust Milton for their cheery support on course and for drinks and snacks after the run!

It was another hot one, and we know the ground is dry and getting dustier by the week and the tree roots are prominent, we're all hoping for some rain and cooler temps soon! In the meantime please do take care when running, drink lots of water and slow down if necessary.

We had 2 people scanned as the same finish position, so we moved one of them to an 'unknown' position. If you think it may be you and your result is way out give us a shout.

Also look out for an exciting update in the week from us about tickets to see Cambridge United 👀👀⚽💛

After a small break Phoenix pop up cafe will be back this Saturday alongside our usual grounds cafe fare. Hurrah!

PARK RUN POP UP THIS SATURDAY 8TH AUGUST
We are looking forward to seeing everyone for drinks and cake.
We missed seeing you all last month.

It's (unofficial) Milestone Monday!
We just wanted to give a shout out to Paul Beastall who carried out his 600th parkrun volunteer stint yesterday at Cottenham juniors. Paul has been a stalwart volunteer since June 2011 when he started at Milton parkrun, AKA the original (and best!) Cambridge parkrun.
Paul has had a hand in setting up most of the surrounding 5k and junior parkruns and has volunteered at a whopping 24 locations. You name it, he's done it at parkrun, being a run director, event director and ambassador over the years. He even met his wife Tracy Hutchison through parkrun, and only missed a parkrun wedding due to covid lockdown.
So we want to say a huge thank you to Paul (and Tracy) from the Milton Country parkrun community.
It was a struggle, but we even managed to find some photos of him not dressed up!!

Thanks to Graham for writing this run report for us!

I travelled down to Cambridge for a family wedding, and of course had to make sure I had enough time to squeeze in a spot of parkrun tourism. My folks wisely suggested I catch the Stagecoach No. 2 bus to Milton Tesco. It turned out to be excellent advice, and I even bumped into volunteer Tom on there. Clearly, the parkrun magic had begun before even reaching the start. Arriving with time to spare meant I could enjoy my usual pre-run warm-up routine: a few leg swings, opening the gait, etc, and, of course, "shooing the chickens" (IYKYK).
Carrie welcomed all the first-timers with a brilliant briefing, including a warning to keep an eye out for exposed tree roots. Happily, the roots and I reached an understanding, and we stayed out of each other's way for the next 5K.
With over 360 runners gathered at the start, the marshals expertly encouraged everyone to line up according to their likely finishing time. A bold strategy that mostly worked, at least until some remembered they were definitely going to run "just a little bit faster today."
Before we knew it, we were off! After the customary opening shuffle, things settled nicely, and I was helped along by my trusty Spotify running playlist (The Smiths Mix). It turns out that a bit of 1980s melancholy is surprisingly motivational when you're trying to maintain your pace.
The course was a shady delight: two laps almost entirely beneath a welcome canopy of trees, making it feel positively civilised despite the effort involved. The marshals were out in force, cheering us on with smiles and encouragement that somehow convinced tired legs they had another kilometre in them. Almost before I knew it, I was heading through the finish funnel wondering, "Did I really run that quickly?" The answer, according to my Garmin, was apparently yes!
No parkrun is complete without the traditional post-run refreshments, and the on-site café delivered the goods. Excellent coffee, friendly company, and that wonderful post-5K feeling where sitting down suddenly becomes an achievement worthy of applause.
Then it was back onto the trusty No. 2 bus, with plenty of time to spruce myself up for the family wedding. Thankfully, the only thing I had on display at the ceremony was a smile, and not my parkrun barcode.
Milton Country parkrun is everything that makes parkrun special: a beautiful course, fantastic volunteers, enthusiastic marshals, and a genuinely warm welcome for visitors. Thank you to everyone who made the event happen.
I'll be back, as a certain Austrian once famously promised.