Ben Branagh and Lauren Cooper ran the fastest parkrun times in the UK this weekend (25th February).
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St. Malachy’s Ben Branagh was this week’s fastest man at parkrun clocking 14:37 at Belfast Victoria. Hot off the back of a 14:02 clocking at the Armagh International Road Race Branagh has started 2023 where finished after a fabulous 2022. Branagh clocked PBs of 13:58 over 5km and 29:32 over 10km last year.
Lauren Cooper was the fastest woman at parkrun this weekend with 17:33 at Walsall Arboretum. The Shrewsbury athlete was recently selected for her first area vest for the Midlands at next week’s Trafford 10km. Cooper has made a flying start to 2023 with a a 10km PB of 35:54 in Valencia and a third placed finish at Farnborough Half Marathon.
Best of the rest
Plenty of quick times this week with three men running sub 15 with David Devine the next fastest this week as he broke the course record at Croxteth Hall with 14:43. Devine made his half marathon debut earlier this month winning Village Bakery Half in 67:30.
Under 20 Poppy Palmer-Malins is a former Sussex County Schools 1500m Champion and English Schools competitor. We can’t see competitive action over for Poppy over the last couple of years but her 17:35 at Dulwich was enough to see her as this week’s second fastest parkrunner.
Christopher Holdsworth ran 11 parkruns in 2022 coming home first in all of them. He starts 2023 as no doubt he means to go on with another first place finish and a big parkrun PB of 14:50 to break the course record at Burnley.
Sinead Bent was this week’s third fastest woman running 17:36 at Salford as the first three women this week were separated by just three seconds. Bent set a big 10km PB at Leeds Abbey Dash in October running 34:17.
The fastest course?
Belfast Victoria and Croxteth Hall shared the honour the Fast Running fastest parkrun of the week.