Holly Dixon and Harry Smith ran the fastest parkrun times in the UK this week (22nd January).

Our weekly parkrun top ten is sponsored by 1001 Running Tips by our editor Robbie Britton. Order your copy today.

Holly Dixon is another athlete who ran PBs at a whole host of distances in 2021 and this weekend kicks off the 2022 calendar year with another great run at parkrun. The Cambridge Harrier is a middle and long distance athlete who ran 2:13.08 for 800m last September and 4:25.89 for 1500m in August.

At Sutcliffe parkrun today Dixon ran an excellent 16:39, which is still 11 seconds off her parkrun best from 2021 and slower than her 5k PB of 15:59 at Podium 5k last April. That said, it’s early January running around a parkrun, so it’s looking great for the races ahead.

Harry Smith, of Bournemouth AC, was setting the pace at Poole parkrun this morning with a 14:48 clocking. It marks a great progression for Smith, who has not broken 15 minutes in a 5k race before, so will be full of confidence to do so in 2022. Just last weekend Smith finished in 10th position over 9.5k of cross country, in the Alton Sports Hampshire League, and it only took 32:28 amongst some strong competition.

South coast running

Also on the south coast of England, at Worthing parkrun, Nicole Allan, who is listed on the parkrun website as Horsham Blue Star Harriers, but on Power of 10 as Phoenix Runners, was the second quickest runner. At 16:57 it was a performance seven seconds quicker than Allan ran at PB5k last April and a two minute parkrun best. Like Smith above, it’s a run breaking through a barrier that will hopefully bring excellent confidence for the next 5k on the road.

There’s no surprises that the next two in the men’s rankings were at a particular event in Northern Ireland. Once again Belfast Victoria delivers some fast running and one does begin to wonder if we’re fuelling it with these rankings a little?

It was likely an exciting burn-up i the final stretch with Gavin Corey and John Paul Williamson separated by only two seconds and both under 15 minutes on the day.

Both men broke 15 minutes for 5k in 2021, but it might have been having the healthy competition of each other today that took them under that mark again. Whilst Williamson raced sparingly in 2021, Corey made up for a quiet 2020 by running a bucket load of PBs over 5000k and 10km on the road too.

Davis versus Davies

The third spot in the female rankings this week was a battle between two people with very similar names. Megan Davies edged Megan Davis, although they were running in two entirely different cities.

At Richmond park in London Megan Davis ran 17:06, although we’re not sure which Megan Davies this is as no club is listed and there are quite a few Megan Davies’ on Power of 10.

Extra information from the Richmond parkrun report does let us know just who was the first female to finish before everyone else for the first time in over 10 years: find out more here.

The fastest course?

Whilst Belfast Victoria did have two great performances under 15 minutes, at 2nd and 3rd of he men’s rankings, but one other event had three runners feature.

On the south coast of England the fast and flat Worthing parkrun had three runners in 2nd (Nicole Allan), 6th (Nick Dawson) and 7th (Emma Navesey). Therefore our quickest event this week goes to Worthing.

Men’s top 10

1) parkrun: Poole
Harry Smith, 14:48, Bournemouth AC
2) parkrun: Belfast Victoria
Gavin Corey, 14:54, Sperrin Harriers
3) parkrun: Belfast Victoria
John Paul Williamson, 14:56, City of Derry AC
4) parkrun: Rother Valley
Euan Brown, 15:07, East London Runners
4) parkrun: Highbury Fields
Seyfu Jamaal, 15:13, London Heathside
6) parkrun: Worthing
Nick Dawson, 15:14, Worthing & District Harriers
7) parkrun: Aberdeen
Max Abernethy, 15:15, Fraserburgh RC
8) parkrun: Albert, Middlesbrough 
Rob Scott, 15:23, Richmond & Zetland Harriers
9) parkrun: Burnley
Chris Holdsworth, 15:25, Clayton-le-Moors Harriers
10) parkrun: Victoria, Glasgow
Sam Maher, 15:27, Jersey Spartans AC

Women’s top 10

1) parkrun: Sutcliffe
Holly Dixon, 16:39, Cambridge Harriers
2) parkrun: Worthing 
Nicole Allan, 16:57, Horsham Blue Star Harriers
3) parkrun: Richmond
Megan Davies, 17:06
4) parkrun: Princes, Liverpool
Megan Davis, 17:25, Newquay Road Runners
5) parkrun: Dulwich
Michelle Pearson, 17:28
6) parkrun: Seaton
Innes Fitzgerald, 17:33
7) parkrun: Worthing
Emma Navesey, 17:35, Lewes AC
8) parkrun: Hove Promenade
Lucy Lavender, 17:44
9) parkrun: Bradford
Rebecca Flaherty, 17:47, Bingley Harriers and AC
10=) parkrun: Great Denham
Alice Ritchie, 17:52, Marshall Milton Keynes AC
10=) parkrun: Town Moor
Justina Heslop, 17:52, Elswick Harriers

If you would like to run faster at parkrun we highly recommend 1001 Running Tips by Robbie Britton, found here.