Jonny Brownlee signed off his 2024 season with a 14:05 5k on Saturday – the same day the parkrun ‘world best’ was beaten.
The Olympic legend was taking part in the 10th anniversary of the Podium 5k at Barrowford in Lancashire, a relatively short hop away from his Yorkshire base.
And he went into the event buoyed by one of his strongest performances of the campaign in the supertri finale in Neom the weekend before where he finished sixth behind the all-conquering trio of Alex Yee, Hayden Wilde and Léo Bergere.
He’d said after that on Instagram: “It was good to be at the front of the race and be competitive again. Loved it! Not been my greatest sporting year but finished with a race that I am proud of. Thanks to @supertri_ for giving me belief once again.”
It came after a challenging season which just saw him miss out on Olympic selection and the chance to add to his full set of gold, silver and bronze medals.
‘The end of the season for me’
The Podium 5k field was stacked, with plenty of former winners but one man missing was fellow GB triathlete Hugo Milner who was a late withdrawal.
And the Podium 5k series holds a special relevance for triathlon fans as it was where Beth Potter first made global headlines. The former track star, who has switched sports to such stunning effect by becoming a triathlon world champion and winning two bronze medals in Paris this summer, set an unofficial women’s world record road time of 14:41 there in early 2021.
And on Saturday Brownlee clocked a more than respectable 14:04:53 for the 5k, though that wasn’t enough to get him on the podium as the elite men’s race was won by Robin Hendrix in 13:35:54.
Posting afterwards on Instagram, Brownlee said: “Saturday evening under the lights at the @podium_5k 10 year anniversary. What an awesome atmosphere!
“Pleased with 14.05! Still got some speed in the legs 🦵 “
“That is the end of the season for me. Time for our honeymoon adventure 🇱🇰➡️🇲🇻”
Teenager sets parkrun record in Belfast
Also demonstrating incredible speed over the same 5km distance the same say was teenager Nick Griggs after his record parkrun feat in Belfast on Saturday.
The 19-year-old stopped the clock in 13 minutes 44 seconds as he just dipped under the previous best by one second, which was set by Great Britain Olympian Andy Butchart in Edinburgh in June 2023.
parkrun of course is a “run” and not a “race” but it is still the fastest time ever registered in the welcome-to-all format.
Speaking to BBC Radio Ulster, Griggs said “I wasn’t going into it trying to break the record,” but rather treating it as a hit out ahead of the Irish Cross Country Championships a week later.
He added: “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.”
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