Mark McKinstry and Aoife Brady ran the fastest parkrun times in Ireland this weekend.

Once again a high percentage of the weekend’s fastest times were run on the Belfast Victoria course including four of the top five women’s times and three of the men’s top 10. The new parkrun at Ballyclare, Sixmilewater, looks a great addition for those looking for fast times this week providing the setting for two of the top three men’s times.

McKinstry lays down a marker

Whilst only in it’s second running Mark McKinstry set a course record that will take some beating at Sixmilewater. The North Belfast Harrier’s time of 15:40 took 100 seconds of last week’s fastest time. McKinstry is having a fine 2019 setting new PBs at Armagh 5km (14:39), Terenure 5 miler (24:39) and Omagh Half Marathon (68:40).

Fresh off the back of a new 10km PB of 31:59 at last week’s Alderley Edge Bypass 10K, Nathan Harrison clocked 15:55 at Belfast Victoria to finish as this week’s second fastest parkrunner. The Sale Harrier has a parkrun best for 15:36 and completed his 127th parkrun this weekend.

William D Simpson was also back in the top 10 times this week, also running Sixmilewater to finish within 10 seconds of his parkrun best of 16:01.

Brady tops the lot at St Anne’s

The fastest women’s time set this week was 18:26 set by Aoife Brady at St Anne’s in what was a new parkrun PB for the Sportsworld runner. Brady, an Irish cross country international, has run 17:02 for 5km and was a medallist at the Irish Track and Field Championships in 2011.

Featuring in the top 10 times most weeks are North Downs AC’s flying sisters Kirsti and Lucy Foster. Both under 15s ran impressive times again this week with Kirsti running 18:46 to finish as this week’s second fastest female. Lucy was one place higher in this week’s top 10 moving to fourth fastest with 19:13, both at Belfast Victoria.

Collette McCourt was just one second outside her parkrun PB of 19:09 to finish third in this weeks top 10. The Dub Runner of Belfast was a finisher at this years Belfast Marathon finishing 22nd in 3 hours 13 minutes.

Men’s top 10

1) parkrun: Sixmilewater

Mark KcKinstry, 15:40, North Belfast Harriers

2) parkrun: Belfast Victoria

Nathan Harrison, 15:55, Sale Harriers Manchester

3) parkrun: Sixmilewater

William D Simpson, 16:10

4) parkrun: Belfast Victoria

Joe McAlister, 16:13, St Malachys AC

5) parkrun: Poolbeg

Thomas Stevens, 16:21, Cambridge and Coleridge AC

6) parkrun: Clonmel

John Courell, 16:26, Ballina A.C.

7) parkrun: Belfast Victoria

Brendan Guiney, 16:39

8) parkrun: Donnabate

David Rooney, 16:45

9) parkrun: Portrush

Peter Moffett, 16:46, Falkirk Victoria Harriers

=10) parkrun: Ballincollig

Ben Goddard, 16:47, Woking AC

=10) parkrun: St Anne’s

John Higgins, 16:47, Mayo AC

Women’s top 10

1) parkrun: St Anne’s

Aoife Brady, 18:26, Sportsworld

2) parkrun: Belfast Victoria

Kirsti Foster, 18:46, East Down AC

3) parkrun: Belfast Victoria

Collette McCourt, 19:10, Dub Runners of Belfast

4) parkrun: Belfast Victoria

Lucy Foster, 19:13, East Down AC

5) parkrun: Belfast Victoria

Hannah Gilliland, 19:31, Willowfield Harriers

6) parkrun: Ballincollig

Carol Finn, 19:36

7) parkrun: Falcarragh

Morag McCracken, 19:38, Hunters Bog Trotters

8) parkrun: Avondale Forest

Catherine O’Connor, 19:50

9) parkrun: Stormont

Jennifer Black, 19:50, Victoria Park and Connswater AC

10) parkrun: Ormeau

Shileen O’Kane, 19:52, Lagan Valley AC

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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