The combination of a pandemic and stress fracture wiped out any opportunity to race, including my first GB vest.  After spending the whole year craving a race and the buzz that goes with it and I couldn’t wait to get back to a start line… but when the reality of the prospect of a race actually came around- I was terrified.

The journey back from injury

I started back running sessions the beginning of February after a period of easy base miles. Returning to sessions after an injury is up and down, progress is definitely not linear. Some days you see a glimmer of fitness then a few days later you feel as sharp as a crayola.

There was even a text to my coach a few weeks before, trying to chicken out of racing. Just having a wobble following a particularly tough session where I think I even convinced myself the GPS must have been dodgy paces were so bad. 

There are two options with the return to racing, either return before feeling completely race fit and race your way to fitness or wait until you feel back to full fitness.

The former requires you to swallow your pride a little and make sure race results are put into context of where your fitness is in your journey back from injury and take results with a pinch of salt/ stepping-stone to the next but it also means you get to race sooner.

Cold feet

So then I decided to just crack on and blow some cobwebs away. I signed up for the famous Podium 5km.

The week before, I was on call overnight for psychiatry. This involved scattered sleep tucked up in a sleeping bag on top of a bunch of chairs pushed together in the doctor’s office answering bleeps from the wards when needed or admitted patients who have been sectioned.

Not ideal race prep and could have served for a nice excuse to withdraw, which I considered many times. You spend the whole week fretting about it. If you can count on one hand how many runs you have done with any company in the last year, the prospect of getting on a start line with 30 others seems a little overwhelming.

In hindsight, it sounds a bit mad saying it but I was worried I was going to embarrass myself and be totally out of my depth. It’s also been about three years since I even ran a 5km race, I’m most at home running half or full marathons. Going into a race with a quiet confidence you are great shape is a totally different feeling to the way I felt leading into this. 

Race day

It was such a good feeling to see so many familiar faces after so long. A reminder of the wonderful community in our sport. Chatting to others, my nerves eased a little to know I wasn’t the only one feeling apprehensive about racing again.

We were blessed with perfect conditions and the course is pancake flat, I can see why it’s such a popular race. I’m currently doing most of my miles on hilly trails so having a down week prior to the race meant my legs felt pretty fresh at least.

I wore my watch but decided I wasn’t going to look at it at all as I thought it would knock my confidence if splits were slow so I had no idea at all until the clock near the line what my time would be.  I just ran hard and hoped for the best.

It all felt a bit like a blur during the race, I felt good but had no idea what pace I was running. I couldn’t believe I came away with a small PB. I ran 16.09, my previous best from 2018 was 16.16.

You forget how much racing others and the adrenaline makes running faster in races feel so much more comfortable.

Me or the shoes?

I do however appreciate this is hard to interpret given the new shoe technology, which without a doubt provides an advantage.

There are endless discussions about the shoes and everyone has their own opinions and I do feel a little disappointed it has moved in this direction as I liked knowing my results were 100% my own steam. But the way I see it now, is that I’ve set a new benchmark in the shoes without drawing too many comparisons to old PBs and my aim is to just improve my times from there.

Even trampoline shoes considered it has given me a massive confidence boost that my new approach of running lower mileage (around 50 miles per week at the moment) with supplementary cross training in a bid to reduce injury is proving effective.

Often running high miles is looked at like a badge of honour but there are a lot of athletes out there now like Steph Davis and Beth Potter proving that it’s not essential and I think each athlete has to find their own groove. 

Finish line feels 

Crossing that finish line, I was flooded with that post race buzz I have missed so much! It was totally worth all the nerves and I feel ready to attack the next race with a fiercer attitude.

Its taught me that it is good to take chances in life even if you don’t feel prepared, you may surprise yourself and be stronger than you think and even if it doesn’t work out, so what? Next time it will be better. 

Beth keeping the men on their toes

The end of my race however was just the beginning of the evening’s excitement.

This was the first evening “out” my wife and I have had in a while and wow, did it deliver. An hour later we witnessed a world best being set by Beth Potter.

It was so inspiring to watch, she just glided along with the men in such a state of flow- I think a few were a little out of sorts to have a woman float past them in a race.

Photo: Running Live

Chatting to one of the guys afterwards he was like “then an arse came past me and I thought, that’s not a man’s arse….and if it is, it’s nice!”. Really made me laugh.

Seeing her reaction afterwards was class…she was so shocked and asking if the clock was working. It’s clear she works incredibly hard and it’s nice to see athletes get rewards for their graft.

We finished the night off with a Big Mac in the car then drove home to a very angry Bengal cat who has never known his owners stay out so late since his arrival in lockdown. So we poured a glass of wine stayed up a little longer and played fetch with him (he is a weird dog like cat- follow me on Instagram for daily updates).

The post The return to racing appeared first on Fast Running.

My immunity used to be dreadful. Working in a hospital I am constantly exposed to a variety of bugs so in my first few years as a junior doctor, when I was run ragged working full time and trying to run 90-100 mile weeks, I caught it all. Probably best there wasn’t a global pandemic at that stage.

When I started training hard and running lots of miles I didn’t appreciate the importance of protecting my immune system and spent at least a year with illness after illness.

One of my first England vests was in Leeds to run the 10km. The days before I left I was working on a medical ward with an outbreak of norovirus (winter vomiting bug). When I arrived at the hotel I felt a bit iffy but thought “probably just nerves” the next day maybe felt a little worse but it wasn’t until I started that I realised something was not right then a mile in dropped into a heap on the side of the road.

It was mortifying, especially wearing my England kit and feeling like I had let the team down. It took more than 10 hours to drive back home to Cornwall, incredibly bleak. Needless to say, I never shared the grapes in the Doctor’s office again (wrapped quality street choccie remains ok though).

A learning curve 

Over the years I have read lots of research and sought professional advice on how better to look after my immune system. As runners, getting ill is rather inconvenient. It means setbacks in training, missing races, increasing injury risk etc etc.

So I thought for my first Fast10 blog I’d share a bit about my experience and how I’ve managed to support my immune system the best I can. I’m by no means an expert but I am a doctor with a particular personal interest in avoiding infections as an athlete. Plus I must be doing something right as I’ve survived a year working on and off covid wards illness free!

If I’m honest I kind of hope this level of PPE stays in the hospital, infection outbreaks seem to come at the worst possible times. Before my wedding there was a Norovirus outbreak on the ward and before my last marathon a flu outbreak. As if marathonoia isn’t enough, a week of exposure to flu is less than ideal a week out from a marathon.

A bit of luck and maybe a more experienced approach on both occasions meant no D+V for my wedding and no flu running, so a huge PB of 2.33. 

Burning the candle at both ends

A big turning point for me was cutting my work to part time. I used to have the mentality that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, I even go as far as saying I got a kick out of flogging myself both at work and in training.

But I was constantly knackered. I dread to think what my cortisol levels were during that time.

Needless to say it did come crashing down as after a year of constant illnesses, culminating with my first stress fracture. Since working part time (still roughly 30 hours a week) I have time to do all the extra bits that are important, rest, mobility. Small changes, like not having to eat my lunch at 5pm in a cupboard on the ward quickly.

Goes without saying my stress levels plummeted too and stress can be another negative factor to health. I also just feel like a better doctor and runner. I’m able to give my patients a better version of myself and I am able to enjoy my running instead of fighting to keep my head above water. 

40 winks for the win

The value placed on sleep, both duration and quality of, is something that has changed too. Sleep is restorative and it’s when your immune function is at its best and our bodies repair. I read a book last year called “Why we sleep” by the sleep scientist Matthew Walker.

It’s so interesting and there is lots of eye opening research out there. The advice is at least 8 hours a night but athletes tend to need more than this. I normally aim for 9-10 and if I’m unable for any reason try and find a window to nap.

Also probably important to mention I used to be a bit of a boozer too, medical students have a bit of a reputation for this. Don’t get me wrong, I still love a nice cold beer or glass of wine of an evening but moderation is key here. Boozing too much has negative effects on sleep and hydration, hence affecting ability to recover. 

Variety and balance with your food

Before meeting my wife there was always the same three meals on rotation. Fast forward to now and it’s a much more well-balanced, varied diet and it makes a big difference. I still treat myself to pizzas and takeaways but in-between those we enjoy cooking new recipes, with fresh ingredients and it feels like we’re getting more of the vitamins and minerals, and calories, I need.

This includes iron, vitamin c, magnesium as some of the key things to include that might have been lacking in the past, when my diet was a little less… interesting.

Cooking foods with fresh ingredients, from scratch where possible, will help keep things nutrient rich. In addition, after getting some advice from the well-known and brilliant sports dietician Renee Mccgregor I also started taking some probiotics.

It feels like the amount of upper respiratory tract infections I got halved and went from getting three colds a year to one at most. This is obviously anecdotal and could have been coincidence but there is a lot of evidence behind gut health and immunity which is beyond this little blog so I will leave it to the experts and for you to read up on at your leisure.  

Help your body do it’s job

That being said, all of the above is good for general illness avoidance but it is by no means a bullet proof way to protect yourself from Covid (There was certainly some luck involved for me there).

The closest  you will get to that is the vaccine, so a quick note on vaccines, I made sure I had good night’s kip after it for a few days, you want to get the best immune response possible and like I said most of this is when we sleep. I also avoided training hard for a few days to give my body chance to focus on the job at hand! 

I hope this is of help to some people, it’s nothing ground breaking but it took me a long time to start properly looking after myself and we’re all still learning.

The post Staying healthy as a doctor and a runner appeared first on Fast Running.

The Cornish distance star comes from a family of strong runners, with her father and three sisters are all handy on a start line (at the finish normally too). Coached by Helen Clitheroe, Davis ran a PB of 2:33:24 in Valencia at the end of 2019.

2020 was obviously busy for the doctor, but the year started brightly with sixth at the Inter-counties cross country and fifth at the Vitality Big Half in London, which was almost exactly the PB set in the build up to Valencia the year before. Then some issues with stress fractures (and a little thing called COVID-19) put the dampeners on the year.

So Davis will share some of her journey, but also lessons learned from work and running and how to combine the two. We heard rumours there might be a blog by her Bengal Cat too.

Photo: Tom Craggs

Profile

Name: Elsey Davis
Age: 31
Hometown: Stockport
Club: Preston Harriers
Main discipline: Marathon running
Other disciplines: Trail/ mountain running, cross country and recently mountain biking!
Job: Doctor, GP trainee

Goals or targets for 2021: To be open minded and flexible with running and racing opportunities and find some redemption from the disaster of 2020.

Past Running highlights

My road marathon and half marathon PBs 72.31 and 2.33

Interesting or fun fact:

I’m scared of bananas

I run because I’m addicted to the way it makes me feel and the places it takes me.

Favouites

Favourite training session: long hill reps or long runs with intervals. I love the big sessions just before a marathon where everything clicks and marathon pace feels effortless.
Least favourite training session: Mile reps.
Favourite pre-race food: Weetabix
Favourite post-race food: Anything and everything washed down with a beer or two.
Favourite running shoes: Nike Pegasus turbo for road, Salomon S/LAB ultra for trail

Brands or organisations that support me: Saysky help me out with kit, Leeds talent hub supports with with nutrition, strengh and conditioning, sport psychology, physio and I’m coached by Helen who also works within the talent hub.

The post Fast10: Elsey Davis appeared first on Fast Running.

There’s a really exciting race coming up in April, a race within a race, but it’s got nothing to do with Eliud Kipchoge and Kenenisa Bekele. Gill Bland, and all of us at Fast Running, are getting really excited. 

A race gantry stands in the mist, the sun rising behind it. Figures can be seen dimly in the distance, getting closer, running. Fast.

Speeding towards us, silhouetted against the glow of a new dawn until out of the shadows a herd of women runners emerge, striding forward shoulder to shoulder arms pumping and heads held high, charging forward into the new decade.

That. That is what the women’s marathon scene feels like in the Great Britain as 2020 begins.

Role models for the masses

Gone are the days when there was one female marathoner we could look up to. Gone are the days when there were a couple, maybe three whose names we would recognise on the elite start list at London Marathon.

To those of us who love running 26.2, last year left us with score of fast ladies to look up to.

It was Charlotte Purdue, an established name, who first grabbed our attention in 2019 and gave a hint of what was to come when she threw down the gauntlet at London Marathon in April. Her 2:25:38 put her 3rd on the all-time list and bumped the profile of women’s marathoning up beyond that of superfans like me.

In the same race Tish Jones ran a 2:31:00 (3 min PB), Hayley Carruthers rinsed herself to get a 2:33:59 (near 3 min PB), getting global coverage in the process for THAT finish and Steph Davis of Clapham Chasers burst onto the scene running a 2:32:38 off the mass start. Not only were there some fun stories to cover, but the times were looking great too.

2019 continued apace with various European marathons bringing new runners to the fore. By the end of the year the top 50 was littered with names of women who seemed like they had popped up out of nowhere fully formed and running a storm.

However, a little bit of cyber stalking revealed that these were all women who had worked hard, put the hours in alongside jobs and families and injury rehab and all sorts of challenges to run breakthrough times that the rest of us dream of.

Photo: Leigh Quinnel

A controlled 2:30 from Twell

As well as the newbies, names that had been threatening to rise up for some time finally had their year. Steph Twell had said that her debut at Valenica 2018 (2:30) was ‘controlled’ – she backed up that claim by smashing the Olympic Qualifying time in Frankfurt in Sept.

It had looked like Purdue had her Olympic spot sewn up, with Twell being the main other contender until Jess Piasecki finally put those injury demons behind her and showed us what she had at Florence, bettering Charlotte’s time by 10s and throwing everything up in the air.

Right up until the last days of December the ladies were duking it out. In the end only a time north of 2:47:39 was enough to make the 2019 Top 50.

There was Rebecca Gentry, who kept us on the edge of our seats during her gutsy 2:37 New York performance, Jenny Spink who ran a 5min PB (2:31:14) with the most amazing grin on her face in Frankfurt, Ali Lavender (2:41:18 in Berlin) and duathlete Georgina Schwiening (2:35:22, Valencia) all piqued our interest as seeming new comers.

Elsey Davies had been waiting to show us her form for a while and finally knocked it out of the park with a 2:33:24 (Valencia) and Natasha Cockram shrugged off a nasty kick from a horse in race-week to smash out a 2:30:49 in Dublin. Oh, and then Steph Davis came back for another bash and only went and ran the Olympic standard. I could go on.

THAT finish from Hayley Carruthers Photo: Ian Walton for Virgin Money London Marathon

Not just fancy shoes

The post Is British women’s marathoning at it’s most competitive ever? appeared first on Fast Running.

Next Sunday Kenenisa Bekele intends to bounce back once again at the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON, a race he won in thrilling fashion three years ago with a personal best of 2:03:03.

Gladys Cherono aims to win a fourth Berlin title which would make her the sole record winner of the event.

While fellow-Kenyan Vivian Cheruiyot had to cancel her start due to an Achilles tendon problem there are still five women on the start list with personal bests of sub 2:22. Four men feature personal records of sub 2:05, all of them from Ethiopia.

A number of athletes will attempt to achieve the Olympic qualifying times of 2:11:30 and 2:29:30 for men and women respectively on the fast Berlin course.

Organisers recorded a record entry number of 46,983 runners from 150 nations. Along with races in Tokyo, Boston, London, Chicago and New York, the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON is part of the Abbott World Marathon Majors. For the first time the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON will be the final event in this year’s series.

Bekele’s rivals for the win

After a series of disappointing results it remains to be seen in what sort of form Kenenisa Bekele is on Sunday. It is likely that his strongest rivals will be fellow-Ethiopians. Birhanu Legese took the title in Tokyo in March with 2:04:48. In 2018 he made a spectacular debut with 2:04:15 in Dubai where he was sixth.

Two more of the Berlin entries were in action in Dubai 2018 and ran their personal bests there: Leul Gebrselassie was the runner-up in 2:04:02 while Sisay Lemma clocked 2:04:08 in fifth position.

While Felix Kandie, who has a PB of 2:06:03, is the fastest Kenyan on the start list two fellow countrymen could be in for a surprise: Training partners Abel Kipchumba and Bethwel Yegon showed very good form in the build-up to their marathon debuts in Berlin.

Potential women’s winners

After victories in 2015 and 2017 Gladys Cherono achieved her third triumph in the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON last year with a course record of 2:18:11. The Kenyan may well have to run another sub 2:20 to win title number four because there is a group of runners who have the potential to achieve such a time as well.

One Ethiopian on the start list who has already achieved a sub 2:20 time: Mare Dibaba, who won the world marathon title in 2015 and one year later took the bronze medal at the Rio Olympics, has a personal record of 2:19:52.

Another prominent Ethiopian athlete on the start list is Meseret Defar. She is the double Olympic 5,000 m champion (2004 und 2012). Meseret Defar has the potential to run much faster than her current PB of 2:23:33.

British Hopes

There are plenty of fast Brits on the startline, some experienced over the marathon and others testing themselves over the distance for the first time.

Scott Overall (2:10:55), Jonny Mellor (2:12:57) and Tracy Barlow (2:30:42) bring excellent personal bests to Germany and it will be exciting to see how they fare this weekend in the European capital. Barlow was in excellent form at the Southern Road Relays this weekend just past, representing her club as a final warm up for the marathon.

Former national cross country champion Adam Hickey is an exciting debutant over 26.2 miles and the Southend AC brings a 64:41 half marathon PB to the table. Maybe the strength of the the XC star will show in the latter stages of the race. Jonathan Thewlis of Notts AC ran 2:23 in Berlin last year but will be looking to replicate the performance that saw him clock 2:17:58 for 25th at the London Marathon back in 2017.

Elsey Whyman-Davis is on the start-list and has been going from strength to strength after starting work with coach Helen Clitheroe, but the hardworking medic has informed Fast Running she will be targeting a different marathon later in the autumn.

Ryan Burling ran 2:20:10 at Frankfurt last year and will be likely aiming to get under that 2:20 barrier this time round. The Isle of Man athlete spoke to Fast Running about his hard and fast approach to training 18 months ago and he is not a fan of the slow, easy miles.We have since heard that Ryan is on the injury bench, so hopefully he’s back in action soon.

Talented Matt Clowes loves to race and we love to see him race well. After gutting out a 2:43 at London Marathon last year, you’d hope the 63:26 half marathoner has a better day at the office this year. On the 15th of September the Cardiff AC star ran 65:08 to win the Bristol Half so is clearly in fast shape.

Knowle & Dorridge club bragging rights

Darren B. John and Steven Whatmore of Knowle and Porridge (we know it’s Dorridge but the autocorrect is very insistent) are both racing in Berlin this weekend after the traditional Kenilworth Half prep where John ran 82:06 and Whatmore 80:06.

The latter is looking to go quicker than his 2:53:17 from Manchester Marathon earlier this year and that half suggests he has the potential to PB.

parkrun regular John, who has already raced six times in September, wants to go quicker than 2:54:21 from Manchester in 2017 and, like Tracy Barlow, represented his club at the road relays last weekend.

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The post Berlin Marathon preview with British interests appeared first on Fast Running.

Dewi Griffiths and Charlotte Arter are among the leading names announced for the Brecon Carreg Cardiff Bay Run on Sunday, March 31.

The race will host the Welsh 10km Championships and will act as the first fixture in Run 4 Wales’ Healthspan Wales 10K Series.

Griffiths will return to the flat and fast race around Cardiff Bay after last starring there in 2017 when he set the course record of 29:08. The Swansea Harrier will contest the 2019 edition following a return to shape which includes a 61:44 clocking for the Half Marathon at Houston in January and a seventh Welsh Cross Country title.

Charlie Hulson will return as the reigning champion at the end of what has been a successful Cross Country season for the Liverpool Harrier who finished 17th at the Spar European Cross Country Championships in Tilburg and sixth at the IAAF Permit race in Belfast.

Ieuan Thomas has previously run 29:13 and along with fellow Commonwealth Games Athletes Jon Hopkins and Josh Griffiths who was the 2017 British Marathon Champion, will line up in Cardiff.

Matt Clowes was second last year and will race along with Cardiff AAC clubmate Jake Smith who finished just ahead of him at the recent Speedway 10k in 29:45.

2012 Olympian Scott Overall is also entered and may look to improve on his third place finish from last year as part of his preparation for the Boston Marathon in mid-April.

Kieran Clements has an impressive set of PB’s which include a sub 14 minute 5,000m best and a 28:37 clocking for 10,000m on the track. Tom Merson, Shaun Antell and John McDonnell are amongst a further six athletes in the field that have also run sub 30 minutes for the distance in the past.

RELATED: Davis and Hulson victorious at 2018 Cardiff Bay 10km

Photo: Paul Stillman

The women’s race is set to be equally strong with a mix of the top Welsh talent, a selection of the top British athletes and even a Belgian International.

Arter will race in Cardiff Bay looking to record a time as an indicator of shape over 10km following her Welsh record run at the Barcelona Half Marathon in early February. Her time of 69:41 was the fastest by a British athlete since 2015 and took her to eighth place on the all time list of British performers.

Her greatest rival may be the clock on March 31, but the fiercest competition could come from fellow Welsh International Elinor Kirk. Kirk competed for Wales at the Commonwealth Games in the Gold Coast over the Marathon distance. Her best time of 32:35 for 10km makes her the third fastest on paper based on current entries.

Belgian 5000m champion Nina Lauwaert will also race in Cardiff along with Kate Reed of Bristol & West AC who is the fastest on paper with a 32:07 clocking to her name.

2018 champion Eleanor Whyman-Davis will return to defend her title and the Cornish speedster told Fast Running: “Cardiff will be the last sharpener before the London marathon and breaking 33 minutes would be really nice.

“I’m in better shape than last year, but hopefully the wind across the barrage is kind.”

Whyman-Davis will be joined by Rachel Felton, Kate Maltby and Leigh Lattimore who have also all run sub 34 minutes in the past.

Further Welsh interest will sit with Clara Evans who stormed to a 72:52 clocking over the half marathon in Barcelona, 2016 Welsh Cross Country Champion Beth Kidger and with Natasha Cockram who became the fourth fastest Welsh Marathoner of all time at Houston earlier this year with a mark of 2:34.18.

RELATED: Read the full 2018 Cardiff Bay 10km race report 

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The post Dewi Griffiths and Charlotte Arter among top field for Cardiff Bay Run appeared first on Fast Running.

Elsey Whyman-Davis – rocking the new double barrelled name – clocked 16:55 at the Preston parkrun to record the quickest women’s time across the UK on Saturday (January 12).

The Preston Harrier, who is coached by Helen Clitheroe, told Fast Running after her run: “I am actually on the back of one of my biggest training blocks ever, but will be easing off for Speedway 10k next weekend to set a mark for my fitness.

“The course [Preston parkrun] is fairly challenging, three laps with a nasty little climb. Fortunately I had Andy Benson helping me carve the path of least resistance and on ‘keep left’ shouting duties on the last 2 laps.”

After a year of PBs over different distances, Whyman-Davis will be representing England in Armagh over 3k in February.

Jonathan Hopkins ran under 15 minutes – clocking 14:44 –  at Cardiff parkrun to post the quickest men’s time on Saturday.

The Welsh international steeplechaser finished 2018 with a 30:12 at Telford 10k and a 24:10 at Glynneath 5 on Boxing Day. It seems that fine form has been carried into 2019.

Jack Rowe, of Aldershot, Farnham & District, was running at Bushy Park this weekend and posted a snappy 15:09 to finish quicker than Peter Le Grice (15:11) at Edinburgh parkrun and Joe Morwood (15:23) at Rushmoor parkrun.

Rowe was running for San Francisco University in the USA in 2018 and broke eight minutes for 3000m and 14 minutes for the 5000m for the first times with 7:58.52 indoor and 13:58.04 at the Cardinal Classic in April.

Rachel Gibson of North Down AC posted 17:27 at the quick Belfast Victoria parkrun in Northern Ireland to finish second in the women’s rankings. The run equalled the parkrun best for Gibson, set in September 2018.

Alexandra Millard, of Invicta East Kent, ran 17:33 at Pegwell Bay parkrun in Kent. It was a parkrun best for the 17 year-old who has a 5k best of 17:10 and had a fine 2018 with PBs over 800, 1500, 1 mile and 5k.

Jennifer Wetton of Central AC was fourth fastest female in the UK. The prolific park runner, who has a best of 16:55, clocked 17:37 at the at Perth parkrun. The 2:46 marathoner has already run four parkruns in 2019!

Cardiff parkrun actually featured three times this week with the fastest time of Jonathan Hopkins, but also a 15:38 from Christopher Carpanini and a 17:43 for Tamara Beach.

Last week’s fastest two female both featured strongly at the Great Stirling XC in Scotland this weekend as well, with Charlotte Arter second and Pippa Woolven fourth. The full report from Stirling can be found here.

Men’s top 10

1) parkrun: Cardiff
Jonathan Hopkins, 14:44, Swansea AC/RunFast
2) parkrun: Bushy
Jack Rowe, 15:09, Aldershot, Farnham & District AC
3) parkrun: Edinburgh
Peter le Grice, 15:11, Mount Bay Harriers
4) parkrun: Rushmoor
Joe Morwood, 15:23, Aldershot, Farnham & District AC
5) parkrun: Bromley
Alex Goodall, 15:28, Windsor, Slough, Eton & Hounslow AC
6) parkrun: Poole
Chris Powner, 15:29, Winchester and District AC
7) parkrun: Belton House
Sam Mitchell, 15:32, Notts AC
8) parkrun: Cardiff 
Christopher Carpanini, 15:38, Swansea Harriers AC
9) parkrun: Wimbledon Common
Alex Milne, 15:40, Enfield & Haringey AC
10) parkrun: Normanby Hall
William Strangeway, 15:45, Lincoln Wellington AC
11) parkrun: Llanerchaeron
Michael Kallenberg, 15:46, Carmathern & District Harriers AC
12) parkrun: Kettering
Jack Hope, 15:50, Kettering Town Harriers
13) parkrun: Northwich
Ed Shepherd, 15:51, Woodford Green AC with Essex Ladies

The men’s list goes to 13 this week as we added the Cardiff and Bromley results later and wanted to include those who had previously made the top ten list. Likewise with the women’s top 11.

Women’s top 10

1) parkrun: Preston
Eleanor Whyman-Davis, 16:55, Preston Harriers
2) parkrun: Belfast Victoria
Rachel Gibson, 17:27, North Down AC
3) parkrun: Pegwell Bay
Alexandra Millard, 17:33, Invicta East Kent AC
4) parkrun: Perth
Jennifer Wetten, 17:37, Central AC
5) parkrun: Merthyr
Clara Evans, 17:39, Pontypridd Roadents AC
6) parkrun: Wanstead Flats
Danielle Nimmock, 17:40, City of Norwich AC
7) parkrun: Luton Wardown
Rosie McNabola, 17:41, Luton AC
8) parkrun: Cardiff
Tamara Beach, 17:43, Les Croupiers RC
9) parkrun: York
Sophie Crumly, 17:45, Newbury AC
10) parkrun: Portobello, Edinburgh  
Charlotte Morgan, 17:50, Carnethy Hill RC
11) parkrun: Isabel Trail
Danielle Smythe, 17:56, Heaton Harriers & AC

If you enjoy running at parkrun but want to develop and get a bit faster then find a running club near you. Clubs have all the social aspects of parkrun and cater for all levels to help you progress. More information can be found here.

Also 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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The post 10 fastest UK parkrun times on Saturday 12th January (2019) appeared first on Fast Running.

After the previous weekend of other nations dominating the global parkrun rankings, British athletes decided to fight back. Elsey Davis and Paul Martelletti topped both the UK and Global rankings with lightening quick times for the 5k time trail.

Davis, building up to cross country relays for Preston Harriers, only added Wolverhampton parkrun into her week on a drive across the UK. Such is the class of the Helen Clithroe coached runner that the 16:54 posted was good enough to list as the fastest in the UK and overseas.

Emma Waudby, a top ten regular, also ran an excellent 17:09 to secure second spot globally, albeit joined by Ireland’s Catherina McKiernan who regularly tops the Irish parkrun list.

Regular racers

Paul Martelletti often includes parkrun with his high mileage training and the 2:16 marathoner has been the number one runner on numerous occasions. This was only one week after running 2:27:02 to win the Yorkshire marathon.

Matthew Cox, of the Australian Run Crew, was only two seconds behind, running a fine 15:04 at the Panania parkrun in Sydney. This also comes a week after a marathon where Cox ran 2:21:34 at the Melbourne marathon.

Third placed Gregory Jayasuriya only ran a 10km cross country race the weekend before, finishing second in 33:13 at the 10km North Yorkshire & South Durham League meet.

Featuring three times Bushy parkrun was once again the fastest course for the top ten listings.

Men’s top 10

1) parkrun: Victoria Dock
Paul Martelletti, 15:02, Victoria Park Harriers & Tower Hamlets AC
2) parkrun: Panania, Australia
Matthew Cox, 15:04, Run Crew
2) parkrun: Albert, Middlesborough, UK
Gregory Jayasuriya, 15:08, Middlesbrough & Cleveland Harriers
3) parkrun: Bushy, UK
Allan James Stewart, 15:14, Chiltern Harriers AC
4) parkrun: Worthing, UK
Paul Navesey, 15:21, Crawley AC
6=) parkrun: Long Eaton, UK
Alex Ediker, 15:23, Chesterfield & District AC
6=) parkrun: Penrose, UK
Finn Birnie, 15:23, Newquay & Par AC
8) parkrun: Lake Joondalup, Australia 
Brandon Ford, 15:24
9=) parkrun: Camperdown, Dundee
Kristian Jones, 15:31, Swansea Harriers AC
9=) parkrun: Bushy, UK
Harvey Dixon, 15:31, Aldershot, Farnham & District AC

Women’s top 10

1) parkrun: Wolverhampton, UK
Elsey Davis, 16:54, Newquay Road Runners
2=) parkrun: Heslington, UK
Emma Waudby, 17:09, Pocklington Runners
2=) parkrun: Malahide, Ireland
Catherina McKiernan, 17:09
4) parkrun: Gatton, Australia
Tamara Louise Carvolth, 17:11
3) parkrun: Ellenbrook Fields
Annabel Gummow, 17:11, Winchester and District AC
6) parkrun: Yamba, Australia
Jenny Blundell, 17:21, Sydney University AC
4) parkrun: Woodley
Kirsty Walker, 17:30, Reading AC
8) parkrun: Blenheim, New Zealand
Hannah Oldroyd, 17:36, Airedale Dodgers
5) parkrun: Bushy
Molly Renfer, 17:44, Core Active Triathlon Club
9=) parkrun: Willoughby, Australia
Fiona Yates, 17:45, Sydney Striders

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

Are you a fan of Fast Running? Then please support us and become a patreon. For as little as the price of a monthly magazine you can support Fast Running – and it only takes a minute. Thank you.

The post 10 fastest parkrun times in the world on Saturday 20th October (2018) appeared first on Fast Running.

Exactly a minute quicker than Jo Williams was in top spot last week, Elsey Davis ran a fine 16:54 at Wolverhampton parkrun. In true parkrun tourist style the Cornish athlete was returning home to the southwest and couldn’t resist a quick blast in the Wets Midlands.

Next up for the Helen Clitheroe coached athlete is the Cross Country relays for Preston Harriers and we expect Davis to continue her fine 2018 form.

Paul Martelletti is no stranger to the parkrun rankings and regularly includes the five kilometre time trials as part of his high mileage training. His 15:02 at Victoria Dock parkrun was quick enough to hold off second place by eight seconds and may put him atop the global rankings this weekend

Special mention to Paul Navesey of Crawley AC. This is the first week that the former British 100km champion has remembered to bring his barcode to parkrun and an excellent 15:21 put him in fourth place. Coached by Alison Benton, Navesey is preparing for a PB attempt at Frankfurt marathon.

It seems there was a canicross race at Brockenhurst parkrun as Sharon Singer and Alice Rudd were just one second apart at the finish. 16:58 and 16:59 times were still piped by Davis in first place, but that’s some fast running even for canicross.

Canicross results are not included in the top ten, but Jason Pascoe’s 13:51 at Penrose parkrun is also well worth a mention. It’s the super quick time and the ‘Active Dog Cornwall’ club name that gives it away.

Molly Renfer and Kim Fawke both ran 45 seconds quicker this week than last. But as the standards rose it was only good enough to hold fifth and sixth place respectively for two consecutive weeks. Hats off to both athletes for bringing their A game to parkrun this week!

It was a day of nation-wide sprint finishes for the men as fifth, seventh and ninth were all tied by two athletes. Yet all were at different parkruns across the United Kingdom.

Bushy parkrun was the most featured with two males and one female gracing the rankings. If you’re looking for a parkrun PB then it’s a great place to go visit one Saturday morning.

Men’s top 10

1) parkrun: Victoria Dock
Paul Martelletti, 15:02, Victoria Park Harriers & Tower Hamlets AC
2) parkrun: Albert, Middlesborough
Gregory Jayasuriya, 15:08, Middlesbrough & Cleveland Harriers
3) parkrun: Bushy
Allan James Stewart, 15:14, Chiltern Harriers AC
4) parkrun: Worthing
Paul Navesey, 15:21, Crawley AC
5=) parkrun: Long Eaton
Alex Ediker, 15:23, Chesterfield & District AC
5=) parkrun: Penrose
Finn Birnie, 15:23, Newquay & Par AC
7=) parkrun: Camperdown, Dundee
Kristian Jones, 15:31, Swansea Harriers AC
7=) parkrun: Bushy
Harvey Dixon, 15:31, Aldershot, Farnham & District AC
9=) parkrun: Riverfront
Christopher Carpanini, 15:33, Swansea Harriers AC
9=) parkrun: Coventry
Mohamed Daud Mohamed, 15:33, Coventry Godiva Harriers

Women’s top 10

1) parkrun: Wolverhampton
Elsey Davis, 16:54, Newquay Road Runners
2) parkrun: Heslington
Emma Waudby, 17:09, Pocklington Runners
3) parkrun: Ellenbrook Fields
Annabel Gummow, 17:11, Winchester and District AC
4) parkrun: Woodley
Kirsty Walker, 17:30, Reading AC
5) parkrun: Bushy
Molly Renfer, 17:44, Core Active Triathlon Club
6) parkrun: Telford
Kim Fawke, 17:51, Lawley Running Club
7) parkrun: Bakewell
Rebecca Robinson, 17:54, Kendal AAC
8) parkrun: Woodhouse Moor
Elizabeth Davies, 17:59, Springfield Striders RC
9=) parkrun: Troon
Jennifer Wetton, 18:00, Central AC
9=) parkrun: Felixstowe
Philippa Unthank, 18:00, Ipswich Harriers

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

Are you a fan of Fast Running? Then please support us and become a patreon. For as little as the price of a monthly magazine you can support Fast Running – and it only takes a minute. Thank you.

The post 10 fastest parkrun times in the UK on Saturday 20th October (2018) appeared first on Fast Running.

Elsey Davis and Matt Clowes have been awarded the Run 4 Wales 10k series crowns, which consisted of three races; the Brecon Carreg Cardiff Bay Run, ABP Newport Wales 10k and Brecon Carreg Barry Island 10k.

In order to be eligible for the overall series prize, athletes had to have competed in at least two of the races. Their two fastest times were totalled to determine the female and male series winners.

Bristol & West AC’s Davis was the deserving women’s champion after storming to victories on the South Wales coast at Cardiff Bay and Barry Island.

The NHS doctor saw off her main rival, former GB athlete Rachel Felton, to complete both 10k races in 68:19. Shaftesbury Barnet/Run Fast’s Felton competed in all three races but could not close the gap and finished 1 minute, 25 seconds behind Davis.

Cardiff AAC’s Lucy Marland finished third, Ruby Orchard was fourth and Louise Flynn completed the top five.

Despite finishing second to Charlie Hulson at Cardiff Bay and Dewi Griffiths on Barry Island, Clowes clocked 29 minutes 37 seconds in the series opener before battling the hills and heat of Barry to finish in 30:27.

The Cardiff AAC runner blitzed the competition with his total time of 60:04 to take the inaugural men’s crown.

Newport Harriers’ Eritrean prospect Abed Teweldebrhan finished 2 minutes, 48 seconds back after impressive runs at the Newport Wales 10k and Cardiff Bay Run.

Swansea Harrier Phil Matthews finished third with a time of 63:35, ahead of Bristol & West AC runner Luke Evans and White Rock Runner Oliver Williams.

Run 4 Wales 10 Series winners were rewarded with a £300 prize, second earned £200, third received £100, fourth £75 and fifth £50.

Age category winners were awarded a £20 kit prize and winners were: Phil Matthews (M35), Richard Baker (M45), Ian Bell (M55), Alan Davies (M65+), Rachel Felton (W35), Deb Goule (W45), Deb Chick (W55) and Brenda Avery (W65+).

RELATED: Stepping back from the marathon pays off for Elsey Davis

Are you a fan of Fast Running? Then please support us and become a patreon. For as little as the price of a monthly magazine you can support Fast Running – and it only takes a minute. Thank you.

The post Elsey Davis and Matt Clowes clinch Run 4 Wales 10k series crowns appeared first on Fast Running.