Paul Martelletti and Lauren Reid are your fastest athletes at UK parkruns this weekend (August 24th).

UPDATE: It seems there was a timing error at Crosby parkrun and they will update times tomorrow. Martin Swensson did not run 14:27 and Paul Martelletti is our fastest finisher this week with a 14:32 and a new UK parkrun V40 best. Congratulations Paul.

Martin Swensson must have had the best week ever. After running 34:20 for 13th place at the Birchwood 10k weekend, the Penny Lane Strider absolutely smashed it out of the park with a 14:27 at Crosby parkrun today.

Add in that the flat Merseyside course is also on the beach, one has to wonder how Martin, a 2:28 marathoner, knocked 1:15 off his parkrun best and ran over a minute quicker than his 5k PB. 

Up in Edinburgh Australian Lauren Reid was in fine form to run 16:17 over the 5km course. The new CR for the fast Scottish course was a great run for the distance runner who has already clocked a PB over 10km in 2019. 33.27 at the Sydney Harbour 10k was good enough for second and shows that 5,000m best of 16:44.16 was always going to be in danger on a good day at parkrun.

According to Strava the day before Reid had actually done another fast session over eight miles so it will be exciting to see her in a race soon!

Fastest male was parkrun superstar Paul Martelletti, who ran 14:32 at Gunpowder parkrun. Which is apparently a V40 parkrun UK record. Fantastic running Paul and best of luck for the World 50km Championships next weekend, where Martelletti will be running in a Great Britain team alongside Aly Dixon, Kevin Rojas, Lee Grantham and others.

The second fastest female was Khai Amelie Mhlanga, in a speedy 17:10 at Exeter Riverside parkrun. The U23 middle distance runner doesn’t seemed to have raced in 2019 according to the Power of 10 website so it’s great to see her name next to a strong time at parkrun.

It seems there was some racing at Gunnersbury and Bushy parkruns this weekend. Serpentine RC club mates Jonathan Poole and Andy Greenleaf were only three seconds apart at the South Ealing event and things are even closer at at the south-west London home of parkrun, Bushy Park.

City of Norwich AC’s Sarah Astin and Chelmsford AC’s Rosa Prideaux were given the same time of 17:29, with Rosa’s mum, Emma Prideaux, only 18 seconds back and also making the rankings. Astin only recently ran 16:38.71 at the 5000m Track Challenge in Nottingham, whereas U23 Rosa Prideaux has PB’d over 800, 1500 & 3000m this season. We’re not sure if she was chasing Astin or running from her Mum, but it was a new parkrun best for both Rosa and Emma this weekend.

The three ladies racing does mean that Bushy Park is the most featured event of the weekend.

Men’s top 10

1) parkrun: Crosby
Martin Swensson, 14:27, Penny Lane Striders
2) parkrun: Gunpowder
Paul Martelletti, 14:32, Victoria Park Harroers & Tower Hamlets AC
3) parkrun: Belfast Victoria
Neil Johnston, 14:59, Springwell RC
4) parkrun: Victoria, Glasgow
Michael Deason, 15:06, Glasgow Uni Hares and Hounds
5) parkrun: Gunnersbury
Jonathan Poole, 15:09, Serpentine RC
6=) parkrun: Gunnersbury
Andy Greenleaf, 15:12, Serpentine RC
6=) parkrun: Dulwich
Andrius Jaksevicius, 15:12, Belgrave Harriers
8) parkrun: Felixstowe
Andrew Rooke, 15:18, Framingham Flyers
9) parkrun: Wycombe Rye
Fabian Downs, 15:27, Chiltern Harriers AC
10) parkrun: Folkestone 
Charlie Brisley, 15:28, Deal Triathlon Club

Women’s top 10

1) parkrun: Edinburgh 
Lauren Reid, 16:17
2) parkrun: Exeter Riverside 
Khai Amelie Mhlanga, 17:10, Herts Phoenix AC
3) parkrun: St Albans
Annabel Gummow, 17:20, Winchester & District AC
4) parkrun: Peacehaven 
Nicole Taylor, 17:23, Tonbridge AC
5) parkrun: The Old Showfield 
Amber Gascoigne, 17:26, British Military Fitness
6) parkrun: Bushy
Sarah Astin, 17:29, City of Norwich AC
7) parkrun: Bushy
Rosa Prideaux, 17:29, Chelmsford AC
8) parkrun: Cheltenham 
Beth Hawling, 17:33, Cheltenham & County Harriers
9) parkrun: Lincoln
Abbie Donnelly, 17:37, Lincoln Wellington AC
10) parkrun: Bushy
Emma Prideaux, 17:47, Billericay Striders RC

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

RELATED: 7 ways to run faster at parkrun

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