Sophie Wallis and Jack Pickett ran the fastest parkrun times in the UK this weekend (3rd February).

Four women broke 17 minutes this week, but one was under 16 with an excellent 15:48 for Sophie Wallis at Doddington Hall parkrun. It’s a three second parkrun PB (which is no joke when your PB is 15:51) and comes off a 16:20 at the same event two weeks ago. It means the Lincoln Wellington athlete’s parkrun PB is quicker than her 5000 and 5k bests, but we doubt that’ll be the same after the summer.

Jack Pickett of Wolverhampton and Bilston AC was the quickest male with 14:54 (and the only one under 15 minutes too) at Pont y Bala parkrun, which is in Wales. (No I didn’t have to check… Okay, I did, but I thought it would be). Pickett broke the courser record for the course and it’s a parkrun PB for the 14:43 5k runner.

The best of the rest

It was a Holly double for second and third with Holly Dixon running 16:26 at Sutcliffe parkrun and Holly Archer running 16:46 at Norwich parkrun. Dixon is fresh off an excellent third at the South of England Cross Country Championships and Archer ran well over the country in late 2023 but has been racing indoors in 2024.

The next two chaps were Cameron Green and Melvin Lewis, with just one second between them. Green ran 15:02 at Victoria parkrun, Glasgow, with three others in the top 10 at the same event so some good competition. Lewis ran 15:03 at Highbury Fields, but we don’t think anyone was as close chasing him down the finishing tunnel. Could there have been an extra second if running in Glasgow? Maybe, but it would have been an early start.

The fastest course?

It was a men’s versus women’s team race in the top event rankings, with three women in the top 10 at Norwich, but four chaps doing the same at Glasgow Victoria, so they take it this week. 
Women’s Rankings

Men’s Rankings

Our weekly parkrun top ten is now sponsored by Vertebrate Publishing (my publisher) and here’s a link to buy my book on their website. They actually have a bunch of great books to choose from, especially the mountaineering ones, so don’t feel like you have to buy 1001 Running Tips.