Naomi Mitchell and Fintan Kavanagh ran the fastest parkrun times in the UK this weekend (8th July).
Our weekly parkrun top ten is sponsored by 1001 Running Tips by our editor Robbie Britton. Want to run faster at parkrun in 2023 or your next marathon then order your copy today.(PBs not guaranteed, but very likely).
It’s another weekend with more than one fast woman breaking 17 minutes and a GB marathoner taking the top spot. Naomi Mitchell, who has run 2:30:54 over 26.2 miles, ran an excellent 16:23 at Poole parkrun today. June saw the Reading AC race over 5000m twice and a mile with a 15:57.91 PB on the track at the University of Birmingham Series a highlight.
Fastest male runner this weekend was the only athlete under 15 minutes…. Hold on. Under 16 minutes! Usually in the men’s results we have a couple under 15 and the rest under 16 minutes. This is the first time we can remember that one of our female results makes the top 10 overall!
Fintan Kavanagh was the fastest male athlete with 15:50 at The Leas parkrun, Minster. The 14:57 5000m U23 runner has a parkrun PB of 15:26, from the same event last weekend, but this time 24 seconds slower was enough to top the week’s rankings! That’s just how it rolls, you can only race who turns up, even if racing every one in the UK.
The best of the rest
This week it really was the women’s rankings that were stronger with Nancy Scott clocking 16:52 at Bushy parkrun. The AFD athlete ran a 16:46 5k road PB back in April of this year and has also hit PBs at other distances too with a 5:04 mile at the Iffley Festival of Miles at the start of June.
Jack Steenson was the second fastest male runner with 16:04 in a strong 2023 that has already seen a 10,000m PB at the Highgate Harriers Night of the 10000m PB’s (32:25.36) and a 5k PB of 15:04 at Friday Night 5K Under the Lights in March.
Third placed male and female athletes were Alice Crane (17:09) and Kenta Matsumoto (16:07) at Riverside and Hove Prom parkruns. Crane, who loves a parkrun it seems, ran a big parkrun PB and that adds nicely to the 10,000m and 10k PB already banked for this year. Matsumoto is a 2:37 marathoner and this was also a parkrun PB by a good chunk so we might see that marathon PB go again this Autumn!
The fastest course
Three events had three runners this week with Belfast Victoria, Bushy park and Hove Prom all featuring three times. Who takes the title? Belfast Victoria had the lowest score for their three rankings so that works out well for the Northern Irish event!
Female Rankings
Male Rankings
