Fastest Parkruns in the UK
Caught the bug? Have you seen your parkrun time improve since running your first, but finding it harder and harder to bring it down any further? With courses varying hugely in the UK between pancake-flat, fast courses to ridiculously hilly-might-as-well-be-UTMB variations, it helps to know the one near you where you really can push for that PB. We delve into the fastest courses in the UK to give you some inspiration of where to go for that next hard effort.
Official Ranking
Power of 10, the running stats website in the UK that keeps track of times at all events in Britain, has its own ranking of fastest Parkruns, with the top 10 looking like this.
1 Pegwell Bay
2 Bromley
3 Poole
4 Hull
5 MUSA Cookstown
6 Belfast Victoria
7 Worthing
8 Harwich
9 Widnes
10 King’s Lynn
However, these rankings are based on complex algorithms devised around actual finishing times, so we have come up with our own list below.
1. Cardiff Parkrun
One of the biggest Parkruns in the UK until 2022 when Llanishen Parkrun opened nearby to take some of the pressure off, Cardiff boasts an out-and-back course running alongside the River Taff within Bute Park. With no multiple laps here to get caught up overtaking slower runners, it was the proud host of the female Parkrun world record in 2020, when Charlotte Arter ran 15:49.
2. Dulwich Parkrun, London
England’s capital has more than 50 different Parkruns to choose from, but it is Dulwich Parkrun that has most to excite those looking for a fast time. In December 2018, triathlete Alex Yee became only the second person to go under the 14-minute barrier, running an impressive time of 13:57. The flat course takes in wide, smooth, tarmac paths across three laps, with minimal sharp turns helping runners keep their speed up.
3. Edinburgh Parkrun
Edinburgh parkrun takes place next to the Firth of Forth along the Cramond / Silverknowes promenade and is entirely along tarmac footpaths. It can be exposed to the elements on bad weather days, but that wasn’t enough to stop GB Olympian Andy Butchart setting the current Parkrun World Record there in June 2023, running 13:45. One to add to the itinerary of any running enthusiast’s visit to the Scottish capital.
4. Long Eaton Parkrun, Derbyshire
For those living in the Midlands, Long Eaton is a great option. More than 15,000 personal bests have been recorded since the first event in June 2015, with the course sweeping around two laps of wide, tarmac paths. No world records have been set here, but in a nod to the real heroes of Parkrun, Val Naylor achieved an age grading of 99.18% in the 75-79 age category!
5. Belfast Victoria Parkrun
With fewer runners than the other events on this list, Belfast could be a great place to go if you are looking for somewhere with fewer crowds and a good community feel, while offering you the chance to attack your PB. The course is pancake flat and takes in inspiring views over the iconic Samson and Goliath shipbuilding cranes, the biggest free-standing cranes anywhere in the world.
With Parkrun growing in popularity over the last decade, there are of course many other options in the UK and around the world. Although this is an article pinpointing places for fast times, with Parkrun it is of course the taking part that counts for more. Find your nearest event, or perhaps an inspiring new one you hadn’t thought of before, here.
