Hayley Carruthers and Tom Merson top the ranks at parkrun this week. Here are the quickest times on Saturday (August 18).

Hayley Carruthers, who spoke to Fast Running recently about her fantastic year so far, ran 16:46 at the Walsall Arboretum event to record the fastest women’s time this week at parkrun.

It was superb 5k personal best by five seconds for the Rotherham Harriers athlete who has been in fine form in 2018.

Tom Merson steamed around Exmouth parkrun in 15:10 to take the men’s honours on Saturday. The 14:31 5k runner grabbed his PB at the fast Mid Cheshire 5k earlier this year and was 47 seconds ahead of Vegan Runner Tom Carpenter in Exmouth.

Another lady under 17 minutes was Grace Brock who ran 16:51 at the Brighton and Hove event to bag the women’s number two spot.

The Cornwall under-20 athlete enjoyed an excellent cross country season earlier this year with wins at Inter-Counties and the Southern Championships, second place at the Nationals and a win at the Cross Internacional de Italic in Seville, Spain. Her efforts in the mud translated to PBs at 800, 1500 and 3000m this season and this first sub 17 minute parkrun result to boot.

The men’s number two spot goes to Omer Ahmed who posted 15:14 at Canon Park in Birmingham. The Birchfield Harrier ran a 14:46.29 5000m PB at a BMC meet in Milton Keynes recently, as well as competing in the 3000m on the same day.

There seems to have been a burn up at the Cardiff parkrun with Alaw Beynon-Thomas (17:22) and Rebecca Burns (17:30) finishing just eight seconds apart. The runner with their own club named after them, Hannah Taunton, of Taunton AC, was only just behind in 17:46.

Gus Cockle of Aldershot, Farnham and District, ran the third quickest time of the day with a 15:24 at Wothing parkrun. The U23 athlete has been racing mainly on the track this summer and has a 14:03 5000m PB that he brings to parkrun.

Not to be outdone by the Sierre Zinal antics of his namesake Robbie Simpson of Deeside Runners, Robert Simpson of Shettleston Harriers finished ninth fastest this weekend wth 15:51. This is slightly slower than the overall “Rob Simpson” parkrun PB of 15:27.

The fastest parkrun of the week was Cardiff, thanks to three women making the top 10, while Dulwich had two in the top 10 men.

Men’s top 10

1) parkrun: Exmouth
Tom Merson, 15:10, Exmouth Harriers AAC
2) parkrun: Canon Hill, Birmingham
Omer Ahmed, 15:14, Birchfield Harriers
3) parkrun: Woking
Guy Cockle, 15:24, Aldershot, Farnham and District
4) parkrun: Whiteley
Richard Waldron, 15:27, Southampton AC
5) parkrun: Dulwich
Edward Chuck, 15:38, Dulwich Runners AC
6) parkrun: Hazlehead, Aberdeen
Cameron Strachan, 15:42, Metro Aberdeen RRC
7) parkrun: Long Eaton
Gavin Smith, 15:44, Newham and Essex Beagles AC
8) parkrun: Woodhouse Moor
Matthew Crehan, 15:48, St Helens Sutton AC
9) parkrun: Springburn, Glasgow
Robert Simpson, 15:51, Shettleston Harriers
10) parkrun: Dulwich
Ben Harding, 15:51, Kent AC

Women’s top 10

1) parkrun: Walsall Arboretum 
Hayley Carruthers, 16:46, Rotherham Harriers & AC
2) parkrun: Brighton and Hove
Grace Brock, 16:51, Cornwall AC
3) parkrun: Cardiff
Alaw Beynon-Thomas, 17:22, Swansea Harriers AC
4) parkrun: Cardiff
Rebecca Burns, 17:30
5) parkrun: Burgess
Beth Hawling, 17:41, Cheltenham & County Harriers
6) parkrun: Telford
Kim Fawke, 17:44, Lawley Running Club
7) parkrun: Cardiff
Hannah Taunton, 17:46, Taunton AC
8) parkrun: Ellesmere Port
Emily Kearney, 17:57, Wirral AC
9) parkrun: Heslington
Emma Waudby, 17:57, Pocklington Runners
10) parkrun: Guernsey
Louise Perrio, 17:58, Guernsey Island AAC

Would you like to run faster at parkrun? Top tips to help runners of all abilities hit a parkrun best can be found here.

RELATED: 7 ways to run faster at parkrun

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