Jemma Reekie and Nick Griggs ran the fastest parkrun times in the UK this weekend (11th November).
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.
This weekend saw a host of top British and Irish names in the parkrun top 10, from middle distance to marathon and everything in between. It’s one of the things we love about parkrun, it brings all kinds of runners together on a Saturday morning.
Our usual mark to ensure a podium spot is 15 minutes for men and 17 minutes for women, so both Jemma Reekie and Nick Griggs were 63 seconds under that with 15:57 and 13:57 respectively, both stellar performances.
Reekie, one of the best middle distance runners in the world, has won multiple National Championships, age group European Champs, placed fourth at the Olympic Games 800m and has a PB of 1:56.90. Today’s run at Worthing parkrun seems to be her first parkrun so it’s also a PB for the Scot with 15:57. It’s actually going to be the third longest mark on her Powerof10 account, with a 6k inter-counties XC in 2017 the longest.
Nick Griggs features on these rankings a lot more and his 13:57 at Belfast Victoria parkrun led home another bunch of top Irish talent. This is another Irish all-comers parkrun record, knocking eight seconds from his own mark set a few weeks ago at the same event. The U20 star loves a Saturday morning parkrun workout it seems.
The best of rest (and it’s still some of the best)
You know it’s a good week when this section also includes a selection of International athletes.
Mollie Williams was second fastest female with 16:33 at Alexandra parkrun in Moss Side. The New Balance Manchester athlete has a 5k PB of 16:03 and looks to have been training at altitude in recent months and is seeing the benefits clearly!
Second behind Griggs at Belfast Victoria also meant second in the UK with a 14:34 for Callum Morgan of St. Malachy’s AC. It’s seeing double for Morgan, who was second to Griggs a month ago as well and that was the last parkrun PB so next month we expect another one.
With 17:00 flat it was Ellie Baker of Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers who finished third fastest female at Cassiobury parkrun (we hear the times are taken on an old digital wrist watch at the line there). The 2023 British indoor 1500m Champ has had a strong year and takes five seconds from her parkrun PB set at the same event in 2019.
This week’s middle distance theme continues with Elliot Giles, another outstanding 800m and 1500m runner, who competed at the World Champs this last summer. Giles is coached by John Bigg, as is Reekie and Baker, so it must have been parkrun day.
The fastest course?
No prizes for guessing here, it was Belfast Victoria with six runners featuring.
Special mention to Isla Britton, running 17:16 at Edinburgh parkrun for sixth, for having an excellent surname.