Tyrone teenager hailed as 'a superstar' after breaking Parkrun world record in Belfast
County Tyrone teenager Nick Griggs has broken the Parkrun world record after completing the Victoria Park event in Belfast on Saturday morning in an incredible time of 13:44, which means athletes from Northern Ireland now hold best efforts in both men’s and women’s categories following Ciara Mageean’s exploits in December.
The 19-year-old, who was previously Head Boy at Cookstown High School, has long been used to breaking records after setting a new Irish-best U18 time of 14:15.98 in the 5000m and won the national U18 3000m title in 8:11.15.
He also registered a new Irish U23 5000m record at the Morton Games in Santry earlier this year, clocking 13:13.07, and competed at the European Athletics Championships.
Griggs collected 3000m gold at the European U20 Championships in 2021 and two years later secured silver in the same event in Jerusalem, while he celebrated team success at the European Cross Country Championships alongside an individual bronze.
Parkrun, a collection of 5km events that takes place every Saturday morning at more than 2,000 locations in 22 countries across five continents, has grown into a worldwide phenomenon since being created in 2004.
His sensational time of 13 minute and 44 seconds means Griggs broke the record by one second, which was set by Team GB Olympian Andy Butchart in Edinburgh in June 2023 – the previous best men’s time was recorded in 2012 by another Olympian, Andy Baddeley, at the venue of the first-ever Parkrun at Bushy Park, London.
Griggs took part in what was an exceptionally quick event at Victoria Park in the Connswater area of Belfast with five of the seven fastest Parkrun times across the United Kingdom this weekend recorded there – Luke Kelly (14:49) was second on the list while Conall McClean (15:18), Peter Donnelly (15:19) and Fionntan Campbell (15:20) also raced home in fine style.
Meanwhile, Robyn McKee (17:04) finished third-fastest in the women’s UK category at the same venue, coming in just five seconds behind the best effort of Isabella Harrison in Battersea.
Local running fans rightly celebrated Griggs’ achievement with one labelling him as a “superstar” and another hailing the record as “absolutely unreal”.
In December, Mageean ran the Victoria Park course in a new women’s world record of 15:13, bettering previous holder, Welsh athlete Melissa Courtney-Bryant who held the best time for nearly a year, by 18 seconds.