Despite the fact that parkrun has eliminated official course data to advertise inclusivity, the weekly 5K occasion nonetheless attracts a few of the world’s quickest runners as a check of health. On Nov. 9, at Belfast’s Victoria Park parkrun, 19-year-old Irish runner Nick Griggs set a brand new parkrun world greatest, finishing the 5K in a formidable 13 minutes and 44 seconds.
Griggs’ time shaved one second off the earlier report, held by British Olympian Andy Butchart. Eire now has each the lads’s and ladies’s parkrun bests, with middle-distance runner Ciara Mageean setting the ladies’s report of 15:13 on the similar location final December.
Parkrun, a free, community-based, timed 5K occasion held in parks and open areas worldwide, is held each Saturday morning. Though parkrun organizers emphasize that the occasion is “a run, not a race,” Griggs’ efficiency has gained consideration, even from parkrun. “Congratulations to Nick Griggs on setting a brand new quickest parkrun time. This was one in all an incredible 51,356 parkrun PBs set this weekend,” wrote parkrun on X.
“I wasn’t out to set a report,” Griggs shared with BBC Ulster. “However I used to be in good kind and thought there was an opportunity. I didn’t notice till I checked my watch—I’d taken a second off.”
We love the non-public achievements of everybody within the parkrun group 🧡
Congratulations to Nick Griggs on setting a brand new quickest parkrun time of 13:44 at Belfast Victoria parkrun on Saturday.
This was one in all an incredible 51,356 parkrun PBs set this weekend. Nicely completed everybody. pic.twitter.com/J4lMl9UYro
— parkrun 🌳 (@parkrun) November 11, 2024
Griggs informed the BBC that he selected the native parkrun to gauge his health forward of the Irish Cross Nation Championships on Nov. 17, the place he hopes to qualify for Eire’s crew on the European Cross Nation Championships in Turkey on Dec. 8.
In 2023, Griggs earned a bronze medal for Eire within the U20 European Cross Nation Championships. He additionally represented his nation on the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, the place he achieved a private greatest of three:35.04 within the 1,500m at 18. Since then, Griggs has continued to excel, setting data in Northern Eire and securing his place amongst Eire’s distance-running greats. Though he narrowly missed qualifying for Eire’s Olympic crew for Paris, Griggs’ expertise suggests a brilliant future within the sport.
