Teen breaks Parkrun world record with mind-blowing 5k time

A 19-year-old has broken the Parkrun world record after completing the 5-kilometre run in a staggering time.

One teenage runner achieved an incredible feat after breaking the Parkrun world record in Belfast on Saturday (9 November).

Nick Griggs from County Tyrone in Northern Ireland completed to 5k distance in just 13 minutes 44 seconds, taking a second off the previous record set in June 2023 by Olympian Andy Butchart.

Griggs broke the record at the Parkrun in Victoria Park in Belfast and said he was “buzzing” at the unexpected feat.

He explained he was using the event as a “hard run out” before competing in the Irish Cross Country Championships.

“I wasn’t going into it trying to break the record," Griggs said on BBC Radio Ulster.

“Before the race, I knew I was in good shape and knew I should be within a chance of breaking the record. It was a bit of a sprint finish to get it but it was a good feeling.”

While the organisers of Parkrun describe it as a “run and not a race”, it is the second time the Belfast event has seen a record broken after 32-year-old female runner Ciara Mageean set a time of 15 minutes 13 seconds in December 2023.

Griggs will feature in the Irish Cross Country Championships later this month and also has his sights set on the European Championships in Turkey.

“Our training group do the Parkrun the week before the Irish Cross Country Championships as a hard run out so we can feel the pain a little bit and get prepared,” explained Griggs.

“I don't think anyone really knew until we finished. I looked at my watch and saw I had taken a second off the world record,” he continued.

“It was pretty shocking. I wasn’t really thinking about it, to be honest. We all realised after and there was a bit of a buzz around it.”

Running clubs have soared in popularity, with people crediting the sport for improving their mental well-being and for being a great way to create community, as well as date.

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