Nick Griggs: County Tyrone 19-year-old sets world’s best time for Parkrun in Belfast

Tyrone 19-year-old Nick Griggs set a new world’s best time for the Parkrun when he clocked 13 minutes and 44 seconds at Victoria Park in Belfast on Saturday.

The Newmills runner’s time for the 5km distance cut one second off the previous mark set by Great Britain Olympian Andy Butchart in Edinburgh in June 2023.

The women’s world best was also set at the Belfast venue last December when Griggs’ fellow Irish international athlete Ciara Mageean clocked 15 minutes and 13 seconds.

Parkrun does not classify times as world records or indeed world bests with the organisation describing its events as a “run and not a race”.

Griggs burst on to the athletics scene in the summer of 2021 when he won the European Under-20 3,000m title as a 16-year-old.

He has gone on to win further European Under-20 medals on the track and in cross country while his first season at senior level this year saw him representing Ireland in the 1500m at the European Championships in Rome.

The 19-year-old, who will turn 20 next month, missed out on a place in Ireland’s Olympic team as he was pipped for 1500m selection by Andrew Coscoran, Luke McCann and Cathal Doyle.

However, Griggs regrouped from that disappointment to produce personal bests over 1500m, 3,000m and 5,000m.

His Northern Ireland record 3,000m time of 7:36.59 at the Diamond League meeting in London on 20 July moved him to fourth on the Irish all-time list for the distance ahead of greats including 1983 world 5,000m champion Eamonn Coghlan.

Griggs also smashed the Northern Ireland 5,000m record when he ran 13:13.07 at the Morton Games which elevated him to fourth on the Irish all-time list for the distance and he improved his 1500m personal best when taking victory in 3:35.04 at the British Milers Club meeting in Tooting a few days before the start of the Olympics.