Annette Kealy and Tony McCambridge ran the fastest parkrun times in Ireland on Saturday 25th January

With improved weather across Ireland came faster times at parkrun and it was 2019 Irish Masters Athlete of the Year Annette Kealy who was the fastest woman. Kiely’s time of 17:45 is an age graded performance of 96.81% and saw her second fastest on the Malahide course by a handful of seconds. Kealy is double European Masters’ XC Champion and she recently finished 3rd overall and first W50 at the Dublin Masters’ Cross-Country Championships.

U/20 St. Malachy’s athlete Tony McCambridge was fastest man running a big new parkrun PB of 15:19 at Belfast Victoria. McCambridge finished 13th U/20 at the Run Stirling XC earlier this month and he will be looking to build on an excellent 2019 which saw him run a 5000m PB of 15:04.68, finish 2nd in the Ulster Schools’ Championships 1500m and 2nd u/20 at the Northern Ireland & Ulster Uneven Age Groups Championships.

Having represented her country at triathlon and cycling in the past Maeve Gallagher was a member of the Irish team at the European Cross Country Championships in Lisbon last month. The Swinford A.C. athlete was the second fastest woman this week with 17:56 at Castlebar, first back overall in a big new parkrun PB and setting a new course record in the process. Gallagher was a winner of the Land of the Giant Duathlon race on New Year’s Day.

Also setting a parkrun course record this week was first timer Evan Byrne of Togher AC who ran 15:33 on the trail course at Ballincollig. Byrne had a fabulous year in 2019 setting numerous PBs including 30:16 for 10000m at Fast Friday and 3:54.04 for 1500m and 14:13.68 for 5000m at Oordegem in May.

After topping the list last week Martina Kiely of St Finbarrs AC is third fastest this week but running faster with 18:05 to break her own course record at Killarney House. Kiely was a winner at the New Year’s Day Road Races at Beaufort running the 5km.

John Craig was the third fastest man this week running a big new parkrun PB of 15:38 at Belfast Victoria. A winner of the Decathlon Belfast 10K in November Craig set a new 10km PB of 32:04 at the Seeley Cup 10K and finished 8th V35 at the British & Irish Masters’ International XC in Aintree.

Men’s top 10

1) parkrun: Belfast Victoria
Tony McCambridge, 15:19
2) parkrun: Ballincollig
Evan Byrne, 15:33, Togher AC
3) parkrun: Belfast Victoria
John Craig, 15:38, Victoria Park and Connswater AC
4) parkrun: Belfast Victoria
Callum Morgan, 16:04, St Malachys AC
5) parkrun: Belfast Victoria
Robert Hagen, 16:18
=6) parkrun: Waterford Nature
Damian Bourke, 16:38
=6) parkrun: Royal Canal
Garry Cribbin, 16:38, Celbridge AC
8) parkrun: Stormont
Jamie Smyth, 16:42, North Down AC
9) parkrun: Waterford Nature
Brian Murphy, 16:46, Carrick-on-Suir AC
10) parkrun: Belfast Victoria
Thomas Carson, 16:49, Willowfield Harriers

Women’s top 10

1) parkrun: Malahide
Annette Kealy, 17:45, Raheny Shamrock AC
2) parkrun: Castlebar
Maeve Gallagher, 17:56, Swinford A.C.
3) parkrun: Killarney House
Martina Kiely, 18:05, St Finbarrs AC
4) parkrun: Shanganagh
Sarah Baryga, 18:35
5) parkrun: Belfast Victoria
Amy Bulman, 18:38, Willowfield Harriers
6) parkrun: Castlebar
Edel Reilly, 18:42
7) parkrun: Shanganagh
Catherine O’Connor, 18:43, Parnell AC
8) parkrun: Castlewellan
Anna Gardiner, 18:52, East Down AC
9) parkrun: Belfast Victoria
Lauren Madine, 19:09
10) parkrun: Glen River
Orla Byrne, 19:15

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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