Daisy Rawlings and Jonathan Hopkins ran the fastest parkrun times in the UK this week (11th January).



Even though parkrun isn’t a race, it seems no one told our quickest athletes this week. Several events feature multiple times in the top ten with Dulwich, Brighton & Hove, Burnham & Highbridge and Southampton seeing multiple quick finishers.

In the ladies it was Daisy Rawlings who once again broke seventeen minutes (16:58), having also done so on New Year’s Day. We didn’t include Rawlings that time as we could not find any information anywhere about the speedy athlete.

One reader did get in contact, who had been running at Dulwich, to say Daisy was in fact real and not being pulled along by a cani-cross lead, but we couldn’t find out any more information than that. The suspicion is that Daisy is a triathlete as both times Luke Pikett was just ahead, possibly pacing and he is a triathlete. The mystery continues.

The fastest male we do know of though. Jonathan Hopkins ran 14:42 at Porthcawl parkrun in Wales, which is a two second parkrun best, although it’s a way short of the Swansea athlete’s 5000m best of 13:57.26 ran last year at the The 5000m Track Challenge in Nottingham.

Over in South East London there was a bit of a race that led to second, third and fourth in the rankings all coming from the same location, although not as close as one might initially imagine. Mohamed Ali was first finisher in 14:56 and 11 seconds clear of second finisher Charlie Eastlaugh.

Now come the complicated part for us. Oliver Way, William Cork and Joe Arthur all ran 15:26. Normally this would just be =4th for all, but Cork and Arthur were both at Brighton & Hove, so there would have been a 1-2 positioning into the funnel. But Arthur should still be even with Way, as should Cork. I’ve no idea what to do so all will be marked equal, for sake of fairness.

Then you have Ben Savill of Lewes AC just five seconds behind the first finishers at Brighton & Hove, so six of the top seven positions were at two parkruns this weekend. Savill may have lost the sprint in the south-coast, but rumours tell us that he was once again the best dressed at parkrun.

In Congleton Lauren McNeil was the second quickest lady of the weekend with a 17:20. The Buxton AC athlete and this marks another excellent parkrun best for McNeil, continuing on from the 17:24 PB set on Christmas Day. Great signs for 2020 for the U23.

Racing at Burnham and Highbridge likely led to Hannah Taunton filling our third spot, with Kate Drew only 26 seconds behind. Taunton, who ran excellently in Doha in 2019 at the World Para-Champs, is a parkrun, and our top ten, regular.

Men’s top 10

1) parkrun: Porthcawl

Jonathan Hopkins, 14:42, Cardiff AAC

2) parkrun: Dulwich

Mohamed Ali, 14:56, Ealing, Southall & Middlesex AC

3) parkrun: Dulwich

Charlie Eastaugh, 15:07, Hercules Wimbledon AC

4) parkrun: Dulwich

Oliver Way, 15:26, Ealing, Southall & Middlesex AC

5) parkrun: Brighton & Hove

William Cork, 15:26, City of Norwich AC

6) parkrun: Brighton & Hove

Joe Arthur, 15:26, Edinburgh AC

7) parkrun: Brighton & Hove

Ben Savill, 15:31, Lewes AC

8) parkrun: Edinburgh

Daniel Dixon, 15:33, Morpeth Harriers & AC

9) parkrun: Long Eaton

Bruce Raeside, 15:38, Kimberley & District Striders

10) parkrun: Huddersfield

Joe Sagar, 15:49, Spenborough & District AC

Women’s top 10

1) parkrun: Dulwich

Daisy Rawlings, 16:58

2) parkrun: Congleton

Lauren McNeil, 17:20, Buxton AC

3) parkrun: Burnham & Highbridge

Hannah Taunton, 17:32, Taunton AC

4) parkrun: Gunnersbury

Georgia Bell, 17:34, Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers

5) parkrun: Burnham & Highbridge

Kate Drew, 17:58, Taunton AC

6) parkrun: Southampton

Ellie Marie Monks, 18:03, Southampton AC

7) parkrun: Chelmsford Central

Emma Prideaxux, 18:09, Billericay Striders

8) parkrun: Southampton

Orla Tuohy, 18:11, Eastleigh RC

9) parkrun: Bushy

Molly Renfer, 18:15, Highgate Harriers

10) parkrun: Sheffield Hallam

Ellen Downs, 18:19, Sale Harriers Manchester

If you would like to run faster at parkrun, top tips to help runners of all abilities can be found here.

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