Eoin Hughes and Rachel Gibson are your fastest athletes at parkrun in Ireland this weekend (October 12th).

Eoin Hughes of Acorns AC broke the course record at MUSA Cookstown parkrun to finish as the fastest runner at parkrun in Ireland this week. His time of 15:08 was only just outside his 5km PB of 15:04 set at Armagh this year. Hughes clocked a big half marathon PB of 68:30 in finishing 2nd at Belfast Half Marathon last month and is clearly in fine form as he also ran a 10km PB in September of 30:51 at Stirling 10km.

Rachel Gibson is another athlete in top form. The North Down athlete has run PBs over 1500m, mile, 3000m, 5km, 5 miles and 10km this year! Gibson’s time of 17:33 at Belfast Victoria saw her finish as the fastest woman this week and comes two weeks after she finished 4th at Rathfarnham 5K in a new PB of 16:57.

Aaron Hanlon is a name which will be familiar to many in Irish athletics. The Clonliffe Harrier featured regularly in high level under 20 competition including winning the 2014 u/20 IAAF Antrim International XC race and holds a 10000m PB of 30:00.24 from 2017. Hanlon ran 16:04 to notch up the 3rd fastest time ever run at the Oldbridge course.

Junior Louise Hackett of Wolverhampton and Bilston was the second fastest woman this week running a new parkrun PB of 18:01 at Belfast Victoria. The Staffordshire Schools 3000m champion was also a winner of the u/15 Staffordshire Cross Country Championships this year and was 16th at the London Mini Marathon running for the Midlands team.

Evan Fitzgerald is back in the top three this week running 16:08 at Clonmel. Fitzgerald ran parkrun PB of 15:48 last month and was a 4th place finisher in a high qaulity field at the Galtee 8km Road Race in August.

After a few weeks off Kirsti Foster was back in action. The u/15 East Down athlete was just outisde her PB when running 18:18 at Belfast Victoria. Foster was in fine form last week as she clocked the fastest u/15 female leg at the Northern Ireland & Ulster Relay Championships.

It was a fast week overall with six women running sub 19 and 19:16 needed to crack the top 10.

Men’s top 10

1) parkrun: MUSA Cookstown
Eoin Hughes, 15:08, Acorns AC
2) parkrun: Oldbdridge
Aaron Hanlon, 16:04
3) parkrun: Clonmel
Evan Fitzgerald, 16:08, Clonmel Athletic Club
4) parkrun: St Anee’s
Ian Christopher Conroy, 16:23, Raheny Shamrock AC
5) parkrun: Waterford Nature
Brian Murphy, 16:26, Carrick-on-Suir AC
6) parkrun: Malahide
Robert Frewen, 16:28, Raheny Shamrock AC
7) parkrun: Waterstown
Josh O’Sullivan-Hourihan, 16:35, Donore Harriers
=8) parkrun: MUSA Cookstown
Tristan Kelly, 16:40, Carmen Runners A.C.
=8) parkrun: Queens
Eoin Lennon, 16:40, Carnethy Hill RC
10) parkrun: Limavady
Aaron Wilson, 16:47

Women’s top 10

1) parkrun: Belfast Victoria
Rachel Gibson, 17:33, North Down AC
2) parkrun: Belfast Victoria
Louise Hackett, 18:01, Wolverhampton & Bilston AC
3) parkrun: Belfast Victoria
Kirsti Foster, 18:18, East Down AC
=4) parkrun: Shanganagh
Amy Moran, 18:26, Dundrum South Dublin Athletic Club
=4) parkrun: Marlay
Ciara Hickey, 18:26
6) parkrun: St Anne’s
Ailish Malone, 18:32, Clonliffe Harriers A.C.
7) parkrun: St Anne’s
Mary Walsh, 19:00, Raheny Shamrock AC
8) parkrun: St Anne’s
Bláithín Sheil, 19:04, Raheny Shamrock AC
9) parkrun: Poppintree
Julie Cleary, 19:13
=10) parkrun: Ballincollig
Carol Finn, 19:16
=10) parkrun: Castlewellan
Anna Gardiner, 19:16, East Down AC

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

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