People ready to join the mile long club
City prepares to run, skip and jump their way to Sport Relief Glory
Thousands of people are getting ready to walk, run and even swim their way along the Sainsbury's Sport Relief Mile, and beyond.
The big day comes to Milton Keynes this weekend with residents hoping to raise cash for poor and vulnerable people in the UK and the world's poorest countries.
And to further entertain those taking part, and those cheering them on, The Fenny Stompers jazz band and Circus Malibristas will be performing in Midsummer Boulevard.
The whole day kicks off at 10.30am and stars from the world of sport are set to be on hand offering tips, including city based Formula One team Red Bull Racing and footballers from Milton Keynes Dons.
People will also have the chance to have a go on SnoZone's snowboarding simulator.
Already, a host of famous faces have risen to the challenge for Sport Relief with some amazing feats including Christine Bleakley's jet ski across the Channel and Blue Peter's Helen Skelton becoming the first woman to kayak the Amazon.
Now city residents are getting in on the act and thousands of people have signed up to complete the mile or raise money for Sport Relief in a variety of different ways.
Swimmers at Middleton Pool in Newport Pagnell are planning to swim 100 miles tonight between 7pm and 9.30pm.
The club members will be helping each other out by swimming continuously for the whole time.
A team from TK Maxx are planning to run and cycle the 351 miles from Milton Keynes to Paris between March 19 and 21 without leaving the store.
Thanks to Kingston-based fitness equipment distributors, RFE International, the staff have been donated two static bikes and one running machine to help them with the challenge.
Manager of TK Maxx Milton Keynes, Philip Davies, said: "Each store in the region will be doing something extra for Sport Relief and we decided that the staff would run and cycle from Milton Keynes to Paris over a three-day period.
"At 351 miles we would need to cover 117 miles a day and if we're to complete this during trading hours we'll need an average speed of over 13 miles per hour.
"Taking our inspiration from Eddie Izzard we've done minimal training and just want to throw ourselves into the challenge. Sport Relief is such a great way to raise money for disadvantaged people across the globe, and we might get a bit fit in the process."
Also enjoying the day will be Jason Lomard-Jordan who will be completing the mile on a bright orange space hopper.
He is currently being put through his paces at Energie Fitness in the Theatre District and the team have calculated he will need to do a minimum of 3,000 jumps to reach the finish.
Coverage from the Mile events will be shown during the Sport Relief Mile Show on Sunday, March 21 on BBC One and the stars of the show will be those who are taking part.
People not taking part can still help to raise money by buying special Sport Relief Socks from Sainsbury's or Bannatyne's Health Clubs.
And people are still being encouraged to sign up for the Milton Keynes Mile by visiting www.sportrelief.com.
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Weather for Milton Keynes
Thursday 24 May 2012
Today
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Temperature: 12 C to 25 C
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