Just three seconds separated three male runners from three countries this weekend with Chris Holdsworth and Thando Hlatshwayo the fastest. Here are the top 10 times on Saturday (October 6).
It’s the closest and most multinational rankings list we’ve had and British fell and mountain runner Chris Holdsworth came out on top.
The Ribble Valley Harrier is best known for scorching up and down fellsides, but is a fast runner over the five kilometre distance too. It was only by one second this the runner’s performance at Burnley parkrun beat Nduku Mdakane of South Africa.
Earlier this year Mdakane ran 70:48 for half marathon at the Deloitte Challenge and 51:59 for 15km at the Umgeni marathon event. The Loskop Gijimas runner seems to have found fine form in 2018 as there had been a great jump from previous years.
Just two seconds behind Mdakane was Australia’s Peter Bracken. The BERT squad athlete ran 15:19 at Minnippi parkrun and has featured in the global top ten before. This summer has also seen a half marathon best and Bracken ran 70:24 in Maroochydore this August. The parkrun best for Braken is on Strava here.
An international podium
Thando Hlatshwayo was top of the rankings just two weeks ago and seems to be a fan of taking a rest week in-between hard efforts. It’s paid off as the South African athlete took seven seconds from her own Winterton parkrun course record set just two weeks beforehand.
British parkrunners were kept out of the top three for the first time by two Australians running 17:09 and 17:22.
Emily Witham of Australia ran 17:09 and has shown great form this summer (or winter in Australia) with a victory in the City to Surf Perth 12km race. The 22 year old from Esperance was just off the course record with a 42:21.
At Gatton Lake parkrun Tamara Carvolth ran 17:22. The former Australian international cross country runner told the Queensland Times this June that she was back in shape and looking to move up from her usual 5km distance.
Others featured included Ireland’s Caterina McKiernan and New Zealand’s Caitlin Adams running 17:36 and 17:41 respectively.
Two parkrun events featured twice with Long Eaton in fourth and seventh, whilst two runners ran the same time, 15:36, at Shelley parkrun in Australia. It seems Kurt Wesley edged Matthew Smith for the first finisher down under.
Men’s top 10
1) parkrun: Burnley
Chris Holdsworth, 15:16, Ribble Valley Harriers
2) parkrun: Winterton, South Africa
Nduku Mdakane, 15:17
3) parkrun: Minnippi, Australia
Peter Bracken, 15:19, BERT squad
4) parkrun: Long Eaton, UK
Matthew Willis, 15:25, Wrexham AAC
5) parkrun: Hastings, UK
George Pool, 15:31, Hastings AC
6) parkrun: Timboon, Australia
Jaryd Clifford, 15:33, Diamond Valley AC
7) parkrun: Long Eaton, UK
Harry Leleu, 15:34, Chichester Runners & AC
8) parkrun: Bushy, UK
Allan James Stewart, 15:36, Chiltern Harriers
9) parkrun: Shelley, Australia
Kurt Wesley, 15:36, Baldivis Runners Club
10) parkrun: Shelley, Australia
Matthew Smith, 15:36, Trinity AC
Women’s top 10
1) parkrun: Winterton, South Africa
Thank Hlatshwayo, 16:49
2) parkrun: Bibra Lake, Australia
Emily Withal, 17:09, Frontrunner TRC
3) parkrun: Gatton, Australia
Tamara Carvolth, 17:22
4) parkrun: Heslington
Emma Waudby, 17:25, Pocklington Runners
5) parkrun: Livingston, UK
Jo Williams, 17:33, Lothian RC
6) parkrun: St Anne’s, Ireland
Caterina McKiernan, 17:36
7) parkrun: Fleetwood Promenade, UK
Emily Japp, 17:37, Blackpool, Wyre & Fylde
8) parkrun: Ellenbrook Fields, UK
Victoria Pritchard, 17:41, Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers
9) parkrun: Queenstown, New Zealand
Caitlin Adams, 17:41, Team Tempo
10) parkrun: Panshanger, UK
Annabel Gummow, 17:42, Winchester & District AC
Meanwhile, on the roads this weekend there was impressive running in Oxford, Bournemouth, Tonbridge, Basingstoke, Salisbury, Plymouth and the National Road Relays in Birmingham. A full round-up of the weekend’s running can be found here.
Would you like to run faster at parkrun? Top tips to help runners of all abilities hit a parkrun best can be found here.
RELATED: 7 ways to run faster at parkrun
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