Jake Shelley and Tom Farrell juke it out with Rowan Axe at Bushy parkrun, while Southampton AC’s Jen Elkins tops the women’s top 10. Here are the fastest times on Saturday (July 14).
Fireworks aplenty at the London Bushy parkrun as three runners broke 15 minutes. Jake Shelley, currently undertaking a PhD in anti-doping with Kingston University ran 14:31 to be the fastest of the weekend. The Shaftesbury and Barnet Harrier is a 5000m specialist with a PB of 13:46.
Just 14 second behind was Tom Farrell. With astounding PBs of 3:37 and 13:10 for 1500m and 5000m respectively, Farrell has been back on the 1500m racing this year with runs between 3:45-47 in the US already. The former British 5000m champion ran 14:45 today and it always great to see such high calibre athletes at parkrun.
Completing the showdown at Bushy was Welsh Commonwealth athlete Rowan Axe. The 1500m specialist has a PB of 3:38, but ‘only’ 14:02 for 5000m as it’s not a distance the Cardiff AC runner races regularly. Axe is a parkrun regular though and this is a parkrun PB by 5 seconds.
Breaking up the Bushy parkrun dominance was Elliot Dorey at Jersey parkrun with a 14:52. The 3:43 1500m runner from Jersey has probably got one of the best power of 10 profile pictures we’ve seen in a while.
The men’s top 10 had plenty of Fast Running regulars with Alastair Hay running 15:23 in Livingston, James Westlake hitting 15:35 at Tilgate and Paul Marteletti probably finishing another long run with a 15:42 at Ally Pally.
It is great to see Ribble Valley Harriers’ fell & mountain runners Chris Holdsworth and Callum Davidson showing some leg speed at Burnley parkrun. Just 2 seconds separated the pair. The fells have always produced fast runners.
Women’s results
Southampton AC’s Jen Elkins has a 5k PB of 17:02 and ran a strong 17:23 at Whiteley parkrun. In May, Elkins won the Hampshire county 3000m championships so there could be faster PBs ahead this summer.
English Schools Senior Girls Cross Country Gold medallist from 2011 Jennifer Walsh ran 17:27 at Pontefract parkrun, just five days after posting a 4:30.4 1500m at the Chester le Street BMC meet.
British mountain runner Rebecca Robinson was running at Sheffield Hallam parkrun and posted the third fastest time of the weekend. The Kendall AAC athlete posted 17:33 and could well be preparing for the Mountain Running trials later this summer.
One top 10 regular, Charlotte Penfold, ran 17:41 for the fifth fastest time, but only two days after finishing second at the Sunderland 5k in 17:10.
The North Shields Polytechnic speedster wasn’t at her usual Whitley Bay parkrun, but was a few miles down the road at the wonderfully named “Rising Sun parkrun”. Surely a must for any parkrun tourist?
Men’s top 10
1) parkrun: Bushy
Jake Shelley, 14:31, Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers
2) parkrun: Bushy
Tom Farrell, 14:45, Borders Harriers & AC
3) parkrun: Jersey
Elliot Dorey, 14:52
4) parkrun: Bushy
Rowan Axe, 14:52, Cardiff AAC
5) parkrun: Livingston
Alastair Hay, 15:23, Central AC
6) parkrun: Burnley
Chris Holdsworth, 15:30, Ribble Valley Harriers
7) parkrun: Burnley
Callum Davidson, 15:32, Ribble Valley Harriers
8) parkrun: Tilgate
James Westlake, 15:35, Crawley AC
9) parkrun: All Pally
Paul Marteletti, 15:42, Victoria Park Harriers & Tower Hamlets AC
10) parkrun: Hartlepool
Luke Adams, 15:43, Run Eat Sleep – South Shields
Women’s top 10
1) parkrun: Whiteley
Jen Elkins, 17:23, Southampton AC
2) parkrun: Pontefract
Jennifer Walsh, 17:27, Wakefield District Harriers & AC
3) parkrun: Sheffield Hallam
Rebecca Robinson, 17:33, Kendal AAC
4) parkrun: Panshanger
Victoria Pritchard, 17:40, Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers
5) parkrun: Rising Sun
Charlotte Penfold, 17:41, North Shields Polytechnic AC
6) parkrun: Eden Project
Annabel Gummow, 17:42, Winchester and District AC
7) parkrun: Bushy
Michelle Dillon, 17:47
8) parkrun: Exmouth
Rebecca Moore, 17:49, Chichester Runners & AC
9) parkrun: Worthing
Rebecca Bunting, 18:00, London Heathside
10) parkrun: South Woodham Ferrers
Gemma Kersey, 18:08
Would you like to run faster at parkrun? Top tips to help runners of all abilities hit a parkrun best can be found here.
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