Georgina Schwiening and Peter Avent ran the fastest parkrun times in the UK this week (22nd October).
Our weekly parkrun top ten is sponsored by 1001 Running Tips by our editor Robbie Britton. Want to run faster at parkrun or your next marathon then order your copy today.
A quick reminder to start this week. Each parkrun event is run by volunteers and it’s important we all do our part, so if you value your local parkrun as a great workout, a social start to the weekend or just want to run against others to push yourself remember you can volunteer some weeks too.
A big thanks to Georgia Schwiening for making my Saturday a little easier. After checking it wasn’t just a late upload of times, it seems the Cambridge athlete ran one second quicker than last week to clock 16:32 as first finisher at Storey’s Field. So, to repeat last week, with a 2:31 marathon PB and 72:18 for the half, both run this year, it is no surprise the Cambridge Runner is top of our rankings this week. Again.
Peter Avent is another regular name in these rankings, although it feels like it’s been a while. The Shettleston Harrier ran 15:01 at his favourite Edinburgh parkrun. In September Avent won the Scottish 10k at Musselburgh, just outside Edinburgh, in 31:16 and at Edinburgh marathon in May he was second in 2:21:29. See, he loves the city.
A sprint for second place
In the men’s and the women’s rankings this week it was might close for the second place in the rankings. The men’s was a dead heat between Adam Ede and Lloyd Sheppard, who both have the same time. Normally we’d give an equal ranking, as we don’t time to the millisecond at parkrun. But this week both were at Cardiff so Ede literally won a sprint for the second spot.
Ede, an U23, broke four minutes for the first time over 1500m this summer and proceeded to do so six times. The quickest was an excellent 3:56.00 at the BMC Grand Prix in Loughborough in August. Given that Ede and Sheppard share the same coach in James Thie it might well have just been an enjoyable morning of training for them both.
Sheppard also ran under 4 minutes for 1500m this year, as an U20. A PB of 14:29 at the Home Countries International 5K in August might be the highlight of an excellent first 10 months (until this third place in our rankings). Although there has also been a 1st place in the 3000m at the Welsh Junior National Champs, amongst many great runs this year.
Three second gap
The women’s podium was a little more spread out. Second fastest Daisy Glover was nearly 80 seconds slower than Schwiening, although only three seconds quicker than third. We only had four runners under 18 minutes this week, when most weeks all of our runners are.
At Thomas Mills parkrun it was Mills who was the first female and the Framingham Flyer ran her quickest time of the year in 17:51. In September Glover won the Framlingham 10K in 36:27 and is taking some strong speed and endurance into the winter cross country season.
Third place was Lyla Danobrega at Great Denham parkrun with 17:54. It’s a first time under 18 minutes for U17 Danobrega, after a season of excellent racing on the track with PBs at 800, 1500 and 3000m. The Bedford and County athlete has been representing her club this September and October on the road relays and the cross country already.
The fastest event?
Two events featured twice this week. Storey’s Field and Cardiff had two runners, with a 1st and 7th for Storey’s Field coming via Schwiening and Nathan Mapperley, but 2nd and 3rd for Ede and Sheppard at Cardiff would make it a Cardiff victory in a points match.
Women’s rankings
Men’s Rankings
