Bronagh Kearns and Rory Chesser ran the fastest parkrun times in the UK this week (7th March).

A bronze medallist at the National 5km Championships in 2019 Bronagh Kearns was the quickest woman at parkrun in Ireland this weekend with 17:54 at St Anne’s. Kearns was a winner of the recent 2-mile ALSAA BHAA Cross-Country in Dublin and her run at St Anne’s was enough to set a new parkrun PB.

Ennis Track Club’s Rory Chesser broke the course record at Lees Road with 15:35 and is this weekend’s fastest man at parkrun in Ireland. The 3:40.74 1500m man ran 14:39.65 at Oordegem in May and sits 17th on the Irish 3000mSC all time list with his 8:46.95 from 2014.

Sinead Lambe was this week’s second fastest woman running 18:28 at Castlewellan parkrun. Lambe finish 2nd at the Waterside Half Marathon in September when running 82:53 and was also 2nd at Kilcock 10 running 61:30.

Evan Fitzgerald was a Bronze medal winner at the Munster Junior Cross Country at Conna later in November and this week ran the 2nd fastest time with 16:05 at Clonmel. Fitzgerld was the winner of the Mooreabbey Mile Race in December and was 4th at Bandon 5km in early November running 15:58.

18:52 at Glen River saw Orla Byrne finish as this week’s 3rd fastest woman at set a new course record. Byrne was 6th at the Irish Life Health National Intermediate XC Championships and picked up a silver medal Munster Intermediate Cross-Country Championships back in December.

Mullingar Harrier, Jack Moran ran 16:20 at his first register parkrun at Mullingar to finish 3rd on this week’s list. Moran ran 9:17 at the Armagh 3km race in February.

Men’s top 10

1) parkrun: Lees Road
Rory Chesser, 15:35, Ennis TC
2) parkrun: Clonmel
Evan Fitzgerald, 16:05, Clonmel Athletic Club
3) parkrun: Mullingar
Jack Moran, 16:20, Mullingar Harriers
4) parkrun: Gorey
Sean Hehir, 16:30, Metro St Brigid’s
5) parkrun: City Park
James Monaghan, 16:43, St Peters AC
6) parkrun: Belfast Victoria
Robert Hagen, 16:44
7) parkrun: Waterworks
Mark McAvoy, 16:44, North Belfast Harriers
8) parkrun: Malahide
Robert Frewen, 16:47, Raheny Shamrock AC
9) parkrun: Malahide
Christopher Pearson, 16:52, Vegan Runners
10) parkrun: Ecos
Damian Bourke, 16:52

Women’s top 10

1) parkrun: St Anne’s
Bronagh Kearns, 17:54
2) parkrun: Castlewellan
Sinead Lambe, 18:28, Donore Harriers
3) parkrun: Glen River 
Orla Byrne, 18:52, St Finbarrs AC
4) parkrun: Stormont
Emer McKee, 19:07, Willowfield Harriers
5) parkrun: Naas 
Ruth O’Loughlin, 19:17
6) parkrun: St Anne’s
Fiona Stack, 19:18, Raheny Shamrock AC
7) parkrun: Avondale Forest
Catherine O’Connor, 19:21, Parnell AC
8) parkrun: St Anne’s
Ann MacPhail, 19:28
9) parkrun: Royal Canal
Jane Bandila, 19:33
10) parkrun: Bangor 
Fiona McQuillan, 19:33, North Down AC

If you would like to run faster at parkrun, top tips to help runners of all abilities can be found here.

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