Week Ending - 2025/08/02

FOUR PARKRUN WINS SPANNING THREE COUNTRIES

In the week leading up to the eagerly anticipated Joy Cann Memorial 5 race, Badgers enjoyed terrific success at a number of parkruns with four of their athletes taking a first-place finish across three different countries. The stand-out run was undoubtedly that of Mark Cox, who travelled to the fast Abbey Park course in Leicester, hoping to finally break 18 minutes for the first time after coming within two seconds in July. The 41-year-old Stoke Golding Dad has run 17:15 for 5K previously but never at a parkrun, despite having trotted out over 100 events now.

His first mile set the tone, a rapid 5:34 for the hard-hitting, floor-fitting phenomenon, leaving the rest of the field trailing in his wake. He used all of his legendary ultra marathon grit to ensure his pace did not waver, crossing the line 2.1 miles later in a stupendous 17:09, a huge new personal best. In addition, he became one of only a small group of Badgers ever to have recorded a wava rating in excess of 80%, a quite magnificent feat. While he was winning at home, his daughter Mia was winning at her grandparents’ home in Las Debinski in Poland, making it a Cox family double at the weekend, over 1,000 miles apart. Her time of 22:12 was too fast for all the other females in the event as she became one of four weekend winners for Badgers. 

In the Republic of Ireland, Sam Starkey had to charter a special flight to reach the idyllic yet geographically isolated Idis Meain parkrun on the west coast. He triumphed in a superb 20:05, and there was no stopping the pacy Ryan Preece, who could not be overtaken once he had got his head in front at the double-lap Market Bosworth course, breezing home effortlessly in 17:32. 

Had Chris Horton (17:54) and Megan Griffiths (23:21) both finished a place higher at Kingsbury, there would have been yet more winners. Danny Warren managed a fine third at Kingsbury parkrun too. Lilly Wilson managed an exceptional 7th at the hugely busy Coventry parkrun, helping herself to a great new PB time of 24:48. 

Andy Altoft was tearing it up at Braunstone, clocking a PB of 22:00 for the 5K distance. Stefan Martin might be older and fatter than in 2025, but he is also quicker as he stormed to a superb new course best time at the infamous Woolacombe Dunes parkrun, renowned as one of the hardest in the world. At Long Eaton, Neil Rose produced a sparkling season’s best time of 20:54. 

Away from parkrun, Carl Ford and Vicki Brunsdon were both in action at the Derby Running Festival. Vicki managed the half marathon distance in 2:25 off less-than-ideal prep (she ran the same distance the day before as a training run!) Accountant Carl completed the summer series with a strong performance in the 10K event.