In Belfast’s Victoria Park, 19-year-old Irish athlete Nick Griggs set a new parkrun best, running 13:44 and breaking Andy Butchart’s record by one second.
Griggs’ remarkable run falls just short of his personal 5km record of 13:39, set earlier this year. His achievement further underscores Ireland’s prominence in parkrun rankings, with Ciara Mageean also holding the fastest women’s time of 15:13, set last December in the same park.
Although parkrun events are billed as casual, Griggs’ performance has garnered widespread attention.
“I wasn’t out to set a record,” Griggs told BBC Radio Ulster. “But I was in good form and thought there was a chance.
I didn’t realize until I checked my watch—I’d taken a second off. It was a great feeling and caused a bit of excitement when we realized.”
The European under-20 3000m champion, Griggs used the event to prepare for the upcoming Irish Cross Country Championships in Enniskillen on November 17, hoping to secure a place on Ireland’s team for the European Cross Country Championships in Turkey.
Last year, he earned bronze in the under-20 race in Brussels, trailing Denmark’s Axel Vang Christensen and the Netherlands’ Niels Laros.
Griggs also competed for Ireland at the World Championships in Budapest, where he finished 12th in his 1500m heat. His personal bests include 3:35.04 for 1500m, 7:36.59 for 3000m, and 13:13.07 for 5000m.
