
Emma Pick and Jack Kavanagh ran the fastest parkrun times in the UK this week (Saturday 1st Feburary)
Our weekly parkrun top ten is now sponsored by the Coggiola Endurance Centre, a residential coaching and performance facility in the Italian Alps. Follow on Instagram for more updates in the new future.
Emma Pick tops the women’s rankings this weekend, after running 16:57 at Alvaston parkrun. It is the Peel Road Runners athlete’s first time at this course, and is also her first time running under seventeen minutes. Her previous parkrun best was 17:48, run at Long Eaton in November, so this was a considerable improvement. Impressively, Emma has yet to not be out running at 09:00 on a Saturday this year; last week, she ran 17:50 at Conkers. A quick search suggests it may be her first time featuring in the top-three of the rankings, let alone reaching the top.
Jack Kavanagh of Holland Sports is no stranger to these articles, however. His three fastest parkruns in 2024 all saw him top the rankings, most recently with 14:32 at Poole at the start of November. That was his fastest parkrun – until today. Returning to the same venue he ran an impressive 14:10 – a 22 second improvement. It is the fastest parkrun by a British athlete in 2025 and, I believe, puts him joint fifth on the UK “all-time” list, equal with Dewi Griffiths. Only Andy Butchart, Andy Baddeley, Alex Yee and Adam Clarke have run faster. Apparently you need your name to start with an ‘A’ to get higher!
Jack ran 13:48 for 5k last summer, so perhaps there is more to come!
Best of the Rest
Eleven seconds behind Emma sits Eilidh Dallas, who finished the Perth parkrun in 17:08. The U17 Strathearn Harrier had a previous best of 17:54, run in 2023, so she too has made an excellent start to the year. With 17:17, Charlie Thornton of Lincoln Wellington AC completes the top three this weekend. That time, run at Market Rasen Racecourse, is two seconds faster than her previous quickest of the year and only eleven seconds shy of her fastest.
A close finish between Raif Serif and Edward Pettit saw the two reach the top-three of the men’s rankings. The pair ran 15:00 and 15:01 at the now regular course of Battersea Park. Edward finished second on the rankings last week with 15:10 at the same venue, and is getting quicker. However, the elusive sub-15:00 performance in the South London park remains elusive!
Fastest Course
It only features three times this week, but it is still more than any other venue. You’ve guessed it, Battersea Park takes the honours once more.