Indira Patel and Jake Smith ran the fastest parkrun times in the UK this weekend (25th 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.
The parkrun report is late this weekend as Robbie is in Taiwan for the 24hr Running World Championships which start on Friday 1st December. Follow his Instagram for updates if you’re bored.
There were parties at Cardiff and Durham parkruns this weekend, but no one told Indira Patel and she tops the table with an excellent run of 16:36 at Long Eaton parkrun. The Shaftesbury Barnet Harrier hasn’t raced in 2023, according to Power of 10, so a late November parkrun PB is an excellent sign and is also a few seconds quicker than her 5k PB from Podium 5k in April 2022 as well.
Jake Smith was the best of the bunch for the chaps, with 14:32 at Cardiff parkrun and the first of five men under 15 minutes. The NN runner is another who has had a bit of a quiet year but this Autumn has bounced back into action including 18th place at the competitive NN Zevenheuvelenloop 15K in Holland last weekend and an 8th in 48:30 at the Great South Run 10 in October.
Next weekend he’s pacing at Valencia… maybe he’ll accidentally win again? Might be a struggle in Spain compared to Chester.
The best of the rest
Both mens and women’s results saw multiple runners under our standard “podium” mark of 15 and 17 minutes, with five men and four women, as well as someone dead on 15:00 and 17:00 in each list.
The fastest runners at Dulwich and Cardiff made up the women’s top three with Rebecca Johnson running 16:41 at Dulwich parkrun and Olivia Tsim 16:47 at Cardiff.
Rebecca Johnson has a few profiles on Power of 10 but our best guess is Highgate runner who has a 5000m PB of 15:46.71 at the Hercules Wimbledon Festival 5000m sponsored by Tripadvisor in August. It’s a hefty parkrun PB today, nearly two minutes, but the last one was run in 2017.
Tsim, who made it a double Pontypridd Roadents first finish at Cardiff now that Jake Smith is listed as one of their runners too, was only three seconds off her parkrun PB of 16:44, but it is her quickest of 2023 and maybe we’ll see a new best this winter alongside some of the many 10ks and other events Tsim races.
Nearly a Cardiff dominance
Adam Peacock interrupted the Cardiff parkrun dominance of the men’s rankings with a 14:49 at Arrow Valley. The B.R.A.T. runner has been racing well from 400m to half marathon this year, with a 51.2 400m PB all the way to a 66:59 half marathon. You’d not want a sprint finish with Mr. Peacock after 20 kilometres.
The next two athletes were at Cardiff behind Smith with 14:50 for Felix McGrath and 14:46 for Adam Ede, who we hear was tempted from the course by a tasty looking apple in the final stretch.
The fastest course?
So normally we go for just who features most often, but this week I’m not sure. Dulwich feature five times, Cardiff four times, but Dulwich score 2nd, 5th, 6th, 8th and 9th, whereas Cardiff have 1st, 3rd, 3rd, 4th so if it were first four to score then it would be a Cardiff win.
Who do the people think should be the fastest course this weekend?