Fastest & Slowest UK parkruns - 2025 update

[@path2running]

Yes!! The essential 2025 update! Thank you

[@TimGrose]

Thanks!

[@christophergreenaway4031]

It would be fantastic if you could do a ranking for the German parkruns - probably still alot of work for you, but less parkruns and less attendance, so maybe doable? It would be lovely for us German parkrunners

[@TimGrose]

@ we have an agreement with parkrun to take their UK runner data for Power of 10 and runbritainrankings.com which is also UK only so to do it elsewhere is only really a "possibility". Also the algorithms make use of race data which we compile for the UK but not obviously elsewhere.

[@jl45000019]

Amazing I’ve been waiting so long for this!!! ❤️

[@TimGrose]

Thanks! Never an ideal time to publish a new list as new parkruns keep appearing and I waited a bit for the stats "saga" to die down this time last year then Battersea popped up which needed a bit of time to really assess.

[@SagasuRunning]

I'm shocked how packed some of these courses are. Strollers and dogs are allowed on them? What? I'm also shocked many are mixed surface, what would be considered XC courses in the US. Fascinating video Tim...I see why this one took so much work. Well done!

[@TimGrose]

Thanks! As parkrun are always keen to point out, their events are not "races" so they operate on a more inclusive basis and the things you mention are allowed. That said you are now only allowed one dog per human (have seen 4 dogs to 1 in the past!) and the lead must not be one that is attached to you like used in cani cross races which used to be allowed and recall there was a 12 minute "dog assisted" parkrun one time. I would say the majority of courses are "multi terrain" so bit of Tarmac, trail, grass and even sand. The fastest ones are generally more like road race courses and the slower ones anything but. There are some all grass courses which would effectively be XC courses where spikes could be worn if so desired. I do recall seeing a few events that disallow spikes - perhaps for a combination of concens of safety to other runners and/or churning up the ground.

[@SagasuRunning]

@ ahh yes… I forgot about in “inclusive” angle of Parkruns. Now it makes sense.

[@ChloeHamard]

Thanks for this round up! My time at Bromley parkrun was indeed my fastest 5k at the time, and it's still my parkrun PB. Such a great course for those who enjoy a multi-lap format. Good to see snippets of Walsall Arboretum which I hope to visit soon.

[@TimGrose]

Thanks Chloe. Hopefully you can challenge that PB at Walsall ! Have you done Shrewsbury ? I see it is fairly high at 200th.

[@ChloeHamard]

@@TimGrose Yes I did it a couple times! I definitely won't set a new parkrun PB on this course, 3 hills are a bit much

[@josephgonzalez_]

Nice one Tim. Can’t see the point of doing Pegwell Bay - as Danny mentions it’s only 4.8km. The time there means nothing. Good to see the Bromley winter course- that’s where I did my parkrun pb. Very quick. And Battersea Park is no surprise obviously!

[@TimGrose]

I was thinking if some chancer (like Chris Ness!) nicks my club age group parkrun record I will be off to check out Pegwell Bay. Mind you if I went there now, I would claim it is "long" :)

[@josephgonzalez_]

@@TimGrose 😂… yeah that Chris Ness eh!? Looks far too young to be an M50!

[@TimGrose]

@ at least he is younger than us :) My Walton M55 parkrun best time is "vulnerable" as it is. Not much under 20. Something to work on this year me thinks.

[@DeadCal]

Great job. I have done Great Yarmouth and it's the slowest one I've done where I have run all the way, by around three minutes.

[@TimGrose]

Ah thanks "sort of" good then! Tempted to try this one sometime but need to lower my time targets for sure!

[@MikeHarper-xe5vr]

Spot on as ever, always a few that surprise me, I ran 18 mins at Dulwich but only 20 mins at Bromley, but probably just a bad day. I have run all 5 slowest parkruns and would concur. Firstly yes Mount Edgcumbe is stunning and you can go over to the start by ferry from Plymouth. An average 21 min runner I ran 25 mins at Mt Edgcumbe, 26 mins at Woolacombe Dunes, Durslton and Whinlatter, but 29 mins at GYNB!

[@TimGrose]

When I checked back I actually ran the "summer" course at Bromley way back in 2011 and did run somewhat quicker there than Dulwich albeit with less fitness! I do recall Dulwich has a bit of a drag each lap past the start area and I certainly felt it that day. But yeah I would expect if I went to both back to back (well the winter Bromley course) and tried the same on "good" weather days there would be very little in it. This analysis suggests no more than 3 seconds! Amazing how much soft sand slows you down isn't it. In Portugal I sometimes do some beach runs and especially if there is a headwind kind of feels are barely moving.

[@MikeHarper-xe5vr]

@@TimGrose yes the sand courses are interesting, depending on tides at Woolacombe, if high tide you're in the Atlantic for maybe 100 mtrs. At Woolacombe I tend to run miles in 6.45, 7.30 and 10.30 as last mile starts at the base of the Dune of Doom! GYNB is another level, it's my legs that feel it rather than the breathing, so more like a muddy XC champs at Parliament Hill, saps the legs very quickly.

[@PaulBeverley]

That is great work Tim. Thank you ever so much. I use this list to take my wife on reasonably flat courses especially down on the south coast. She can handle anything from about 512th and up. The bottom 300+ will have to take a timeout. OMG That is incredible how Parkruns move above as us fatties go to them and put in a bang average time. Poole! We apologise from taking you from 3rd to 31st . .

[@TimGrose]

Ha ha thanks. Some of these are so close that the differences between 3rd and 31st are only a few seconds anyway. Also I changed the algorithm this time and now it is more average conditions than best ones before. I have done Poole once and ran well but was little or no wind but maybe other times that is more of a factor. Still very fast whatever. Ironically I did my 2nd fastest ever parkrun time at Wimbledon Common which is a lowly 671st. Probably would have been 2nd at the time as did it not long after it started when was only just also Bushy. Was however late summer and pretty much dry.

[@dannynorman4717]

Just to confirm, Pegwell Bay was measured fairly recently at 4.80k by their local ambassadors.

[@TimGrose]

Ah thanks Danny so indeed not even quite 3 miles.

[@speedcubingdotorg]

Thank you for doing this again, broadly speaking it seems pretty accurate, although I have an advantage sprinting downhill at the end of a hilly course! Interesting to see Stevenage ahead of Ferry Meadows, I have done both multiple times and have always been at least 10 seconds faster at Ferry Meadows, it is also interesting to see Nonsuch so low down as that is where I got my parkrun PB but I suspect that was just a perfect race and conditions last September.

[@TimGrose]

I see Stevenage & Ferry Meadows have the same SSS but Ferry Meadows must have a lot more week to week variability. Both though seem to be faster "on average" in the summer than the winter. Nonsuch I have done once as it is quite close to me. I also did it in Sept (but 23) and recall had quite a lot of grass which although dry wasn't exactly the easiest to run on. I used to see some of my friends running very fast here and think it might have been a bit short in the past. I see it is also even more slower in comparison in the winter which makes sense when the grass gets muddy/wet. Not sure if they have an alternative course there now.

[@speedcubingdotorg]

@TimGrose the nonsuch course has constantly been changing but apparently they now have a course which should work all year round that is also actually 5km so that might have forced it down, it does still get muddy in the winter though from what I hear and is often cancelled but one Saturday in September last year I was one of 4 running under 16 minutes so it definitely can be fast.

[@dannynorman4717]

P.S. I may revisit making vids down the line, but not for a while yet. :)

[@TimGrose]

Ah look forward to that in due course. I saw on another comment you had your camera stuff nicked - that's a b***er for sure. Had my laptop stolen from car at Colets few years. Never great.

[@JasonCliftJones]

Thanks for the update, these are always brill :) Isabel Trail is such a slight gradient that it feels flat heading out, but you notice the downhill on the way back. Whinlatter used an alternative course due to forestry work for Q1 last year, but both courses are prob amongst the very slowest anyway. Danny's not filmed recently as his camera equipment was stolen at a service station on the way to Perry Hall in 2022.

[@TimGrose]

Thanks. I usually find it ideal if a course is slightly slower out but not that you really notice and gives a nice left back. Keswick also an out and back railway one I found too much of a drag up out that had lost too much time by the turn. Somebody else mentioned alternative Whinlatter course. I don't think it would have made much of a difference to the stats. Yeah that's a real b**er about Danny's camera stuff. He says elsewhere he that may get to back it in time and hope he does always showed off each parkrun he covered in a great way. We go back quite a long time as when I started at Bushy in 2007 he was already a regular there.

[@61js]

Great update. I'm fortunate to have both ends of the scale quite neat to me. Belvoir Castle sunmmer in 807th and winter 708th and Yarborough in 11th and Doddington Hall 33rd. Funnily enough, Belvoir is my favourite. Maybe because it attracts fewer runners, which generally guarantees a good finishing place 😅😅😅😅

[@TimGrose]

Yeah always nice to get a lower numbered token! Battersea is quite easy for me to get but I would have to forget about positions there!

[@Mack.Tracks]

Fantastic work, Tim. Cheers!

[@TimGrose]

Many thanks!

[@RoshanFernandez-md5cf]

Thanks for a great video!! I need to do some parkruns for pace and race training. 🙌🏽

[@TimGrose]

Thanks and yes good for that for sure.

[@tworunningbrooms]

Outstanding piece of work. I'm sad to see Hull sink so far down. I scratch my head at Aberbeeg as there is a noticeable incline at the far end despite it being an old railway line. Mt Edgecumbe looks worth a visit and yes Durlston is breaktaking but very very tough.

[@TimGrose]

Aberbeeg has been in the fastest 5 and I had noted it is a bit like Keswick and defies the myth railways aren't always flat as Keswick is a drag up all the way out then you blast back but I found it tough to stay motivated uphill and landed up with an "annoying" 20:00 ! So you have done Aberbeeg? I do wonder if there is some statistical quirk if a parkrun is the fastest in a more "remote" area as then there are less fast courses/races to compare and the sample sizes here aren't always that high. Still as I said this isn't ever going to perfect especially if one just "glimpses" one parkrun versus another with different fitness/effort/weather etc etc. Hull I understand from Gareth is using a slower temporary course but not for longer. Also I changed things back to the 2022 method this time and more "average" conditions than "best" ones - likely why some of the seaside ones have dropped a bit this time. That said not obviously a factor at Hull bit does it get windy there sometimes perhaps?

[@tworunningbrooms]

@@TimGrose Yes we did Aberbeeg once and it is certainly a very fast last mile. And perhaps it is one people go for a PB or SB.

[@r_unner_G]

Good video again Tim. I did Bromley on NYD and was only a few days recovered from an awful manflu. I could feel it was a fast sweeping course with bouncy tarmac albeit a couple of tricky corners to negotiate, but had the impression if I was really fit I could get a very decent time there (a bit like Dulwich). Also really want to give Woolacombe Dunes a try. Interesting you mention about which shoes to wear for these multi-terrain courses, I find that the Takumi Sens (recent ones) are v good for most terrains, are lightweight, and obviously give you a bit of extra bounce. I often find that hard packed gravel can be more energy sapping in the warmer months compared to winter as you find yourself sliding about, but then running on grass far easier in summer! Parkruns are never easy to be honest!

[@TimGrose]

Turns out I did the "summer" course at Bromley way back in 2011 and although I ran "OK" that day, it took me a while to work out what they do there. Dulwich has a bit of a drag up past the start each lap which felt took a little off but otherwise no dead turns or anything and plenty of room in the main. I did think about the Takumi Sens but having now got the Adios 9 might give them a go - so light and low to the ground and flexible. I thought the Sens were a little too "stiff" for off road unless really firm underfoot when I have tried.

[@sagsdothedu]

Thanks for the data dump Tim 👏. Very interesting. Isabel Trail is just down the road for me. I’ll have to go searching for a fast time 🏃‍♂️

[@TimGrose]

Yeah be good for some "first hand" reports of that one. Got to assume the old railway "main" course has been flooded of late as they have been on the alternative one this year so far. Any insight into where it floods?

[@sagsdothedu]

@ yeah I think I know exactly where it floods. I’ll try and check it out.

[@v6i838]

Thank you for all the incredibly hard work you put into these videos Tim. It’s very very appreciated! I talked about Widnes in another comment but I have a few other observations about other courses. Crosby is short. Many people including myself have said the same thing and our watches corroborate it. It’s at a minimum 30m short but I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s as high as 75 metres short. Crosby also has a B course that is used when the tide is in. I don’t know if the B course is short Conversely. I think Kew Woods is 100 metres long, although my watch could be messing up a bit as there’s a short big hill you have to do 3 times. Ormskirk surprised me as being deemed faster than on the 2023 list. There are 2 extremely fast runners that I know of who do that one regularly (very low 15 mins). Could they be skewing the results slightly? I don’t think it’s outrageously wrong on your list or anything but I think it’s slightly slower than the list suggests, as it is slightly hilly. Finally tawd valley I don’t have anything to say other than it’s awesome and one I’d highly recommend to anyone. It’s a good challenge with a lot of elevation change that goes through a shopping centre, woodland, housing estate and an underpass and overpass

[@TimGrose]

Thanks! I guess parkrun only really try and provide courses that are a notional 5K and certainly not measured to road race standards even if you could. Pegwell Bay from other comments here is now "known" to be 200m short which even if in my younger, faster days is massive! I guess in the general scheme of things it matters little if courses are exactly 5K or not as most comparisons I think are done on the same course week to week. I think most of the now 87 different ones have done (I tend to tour to test my algorithms) have been "about right". I think a very tough one near me Homewood might be somewhat short but it is 782nd so maybe they took a bit off to help us out! Sounds similar at Crosby.

[@Ruffnreddyrunner]

your correct with Hunstanton the summer course is all grass gradual incline out decline back but 4 times and winter is along flat promenade out n back twice what makes it harder is the wind never a non windy day there its my local one I alternate between Hunstanton,sandrigham, kings Lynn, Brandon and holkham 😀thanks for this video very in-depth and informative Tim.

[@TimGrose]

I think I must have been "lucky" when I visited Hunstanton for event #7 back in Nov 19 as it wasn't too windy at all ! Certainly went bit faster there than Holkham week later. Was staying at Blakeney for my birthday then. King's Lynn I did on a previous visit. Which one of those do you typically find the fastest and slowest? I've also done Norwich, Sheringham and Blickling in Norfolk. Was at UEA Norwich 85-92 - could have done with parkrun then - could have staggered to either Norwich or Colney Lane!

[@Ruffnreddyrunner]

@ I find kings lynn quicker as more people to pull you along so to speak

[@PAJackson]

Thanks. Whinlatter is one of our favourite courses, but it is brutal. Last year their normal course was being repaired and so they had an alternate course which was even harder, with a steep uphill on a muddy trail path to finish. It would be interesting to see how the B course fitted in with the 5 slowest.

[@TimGrose]

Ah thanks had not picked up on that. Can you recall roughly when the alternate course in use? Was the course I showed in the video the "normal" one? I did calculate the data for just summer, just winter, 2023 only and 2024 only and Whinlatter is more or less the same so no obvious difference in that respect.

[@PAJackson]

@@TimGrose Yes the one on the video is the usual course. "Beauty and the Beast" as they call it.

[@TimGrose]

@@PAJackson Must get there sometime. Twice Sue and I have stayed in Kendal and I got the bus first over to Keswick and did that. I tried to work how to get to Whinlatter from Keswick but seemed to need a 5 mile or so largely uphill road run to get there and then have to do the hardest "non sand" one out there! Another time :)

[@stephenlee1643]

Lovely stuff. Being an East Midlander, spoilt for choice here (though done over 200 different locations overall). Walsall in recent years always been quickest for me, though variable week to week based on amount of people on a narrow section near the tennis courts. It's always come out faster than Long Eaton that used to be equally ranked. Otherwise Alvaston usually quick, but interested to see the fall of Hull.

[@TimGrose]

Yeah got some good ones there. I will have to look into Hull. From other comments they have been on a slower temporary course but not for long. I change the algorithm this time to reflect more average conditions than good conditions before so that might effect some more than others.

[@KernowMikey]

Thanks Tim!

[@TimGrose]

You're welcome!

[@geoffclarke8934]

Thanks Tim, interesting analysis. That parkrun in Belfast looks very scenic and one I'll check out if ever I'm in NI. The fastest parkrun I've done is Dulwich but a friend of mine reckons the all tarmac course at Bromley is a fraction quicker so will have to check out Bromley as like Dulwich around 10 miles from me. Love Battersea Park 5K's but not sure about the parkrun if going for a time as a lot of effort passing other runners. My local parkrun is Banstead Woods, a very pretty course on trails which I think was the third parkrun established back in 2007. You do get to run a fast downhill section twice but the second lap especially is tough as you have a nasty steep climb that is very energy sapping. Hope your over your man flu and other injuries and back running.

[@TimGrose]

Funnily enough I did Banstead in its early days and despite its relative toughness my younger legs seemed less bothered and got some of my fastest ever parkrun times there. Dulwich has a bit of a drag each lap past the start/finish which I certainly noticed the one time I did it. Sure will get to Battersea at some point for a parkrun but the Vets AC 5K races I often do there have much smaller fields. The parkrun seems more of a "race" there than the actual races!

[@geoffclarke8934]

Yes despite the undulating nature of the course at Banstead, you do see some surprisingly quick times there especially in the spring and summer when free of mud. I know Banstead Woods very well as worked for many years at Legal & General, just a few minutes jog away so would regularly run there in my lunchbreak and after work. There were a lot of keen runners at L&G and from September to April each year there was a series of lunchtime handicap races from around 2 miles up to around 5K, one of which was at BW on a similar route to the parkrun so was not a shock when I did my first parkrun there in 2012. Agree at parkruns like Dulwich and Battersea there is very much a race vibe with sub elite runners like Nick Bester turning up, the motoring equivalent of a Formula 1 race at Silverstone in contrast to many others parkruns which are more chilled like a relaxed Sunday drive in the countryside.

[@TimGrose]

@@geoffclarke8934 yeah must say even though Bushy is my nearest I haven't been there for years as although I like to "try" in parkruns kind of prefer to be at least be somewhere towards the front! Mind you that is getting ever harder anywhere with advancing years and slowing legs :)

[@Runner_Emma]

Surprised to see Sommerdale Pavillion at 20th. All grass, crazy course running around in tight circles. Thanks for the new listings, great work Tim. Much appreciated.

[@TimGrose]

Yes that is a bit odd. I do wonder if that course may come up a bit short? I did notice that at the most recent event there that they used an alternative largely "out and back" course and the first finisher did a time a good minute faster than he normally does. That said everybody else was more as expected.

[@Runner_Emma]

@TimGrose yes, they recently came up with the alternative course thanks to so many cancellations for flooding. On the normal course, there's no chance people would run as fast as on tarmac. It's long grass and you go in and out of the curly wurly circle 3 times, the most twisty turny parkrun out there I'd guess. Having done it twice myself, adds 1 to 2 mins in my parkrun time. They try to do the traditional course as much as possible as it's one of the parkrun iconic courses. Highly recommend you give it a go,it's bonkers but so much fun.

[@themussile3335]

As Event Director I can confirm that we measured both our courses. The B is a bit longer but we try to hybrid our A and B when possible. It always measures short on GPS but some of that is due to the sampling on watches. The fast time a while ago was down to a marshal not on the ball and he missed a small section. I am a bit surprised to see us jump up the fastest times so much and maybe down to us cancelling a lot in crap conditions

[@Runner_Emma]

@themussile3335 your parkrun is amazing. Done it twice. The post parkrun venue on site is great too. Thanks for what is probably my favourite course. Most fun had whilst running a parkrun.

[@nemesis225]

@@themussile3335 it 100% cannot be the 20th fastest in the country!!

[@paulk7663]

Awesome Tim. You so deserve more subscribers. All KZbinrs need to publicise this man. Any stats on Daisy as she’s been tagged Does Crosby have any variance as I believe their course is tidal based?

[@TimGrose]

Thanks! Daisy has just appeared next to me typing this back in the front room. When she disappeared for 6 weeks back in 2016 (jumped out of box at the vets) we put a GPS tracker on her for a bit only to discover went nowhere. The tag is an Apple one which is sometimes handy to spot her "under something"!

[@BenNotley]

Some great courses to take your mate's to for some time trial action. 😎🤘

[@TimGrose]

Only if they get up in time else solo TT on the track. Plenty of courses also to do goal pace for a bit then ease off as got one next week :)

[@runstokesrun]

As someone who has done Great Yarmouth whilst on holiday there, I can confirm that it’s bloody hard 😂

[@TimGrose]

Ah thanks. Must get to that one at some point. I went to uni in nearby Norwich but long before parkrun started!

[@G_Widdicombe]

Excellent. For info, Torbay Velopark has 2 courses. Interestingly, for me, in good conditions, the winter course is faster and is actually my PB course. Summer is 2 laps of a tarmac track, and then a lap of a field. Winter is 3 laps of the track and then a short out-and-back on a gravel path. In the winter, if the field of waterlogged but the gravel path happens to be decent (it can also be flooded a lot), the winter course is faster for me.

[@TimGrose]

Ah thanks had not picked up on that. Do they use the winter literally all winter or more variable? Which one is showing at www.parkrun.org.uk/torbayvelopark/course/ ? I note it mentions 2 laps. I did a calculation for just summer (Apr-Sep) and winter (Oct-Mar) and this comes up the same.

[@G_Widdicombe]

@ in that link, that is the summer/usual course, but as far as I know they don’t have a set period for winter and summer. For example, if the field happened to dry out enough, I think they’d use it even if it was still winter.

[@TimGrose]

@ ah it is tricky enough to work out which course is used in general and for a few I literally had pour over Strava segment entries week to week. So in the end I figured I only really wanted to try and properly include alternative courses if they made a significant difference with Bromley & Marine Parade being the the most notable thereof.

[@neilcam]

Hang in there Daisy!

[@TimGrose]

I tried to film this the day before this actual version when Daisy was with me but I messed up on the sound quality so re-recorded the lot last night (Monday) and she wasn't here then. Thought would at least use the Daisy bit! For the "practice" intro she was on my bike trainer table!

[@neilcam]

@@TimGrose I have to say, she doesn't look 18 in the short footage we saw of her. And very glad you did include the 'Daisy bit'! Kitties make most things better.

[@Wotlarks]

My first park run was Mount Edgecombe and my home park run is Pegwell Bay. Would agree that it is 4.8k but I’m not complaining 😂

[@TimGrose]

Ah two extremes there for sure! Is there ever any talk of adding back in the other 200m somehow?

[@johnrichardson7785]

Where does Rutland Water Parkrun appear? On the 18th Jan 25 someone ran it in 15:13

[@TimGrose]

66th so yeah I could see a good runner could well run that time there. It's just ahead of Bushy Park for instance.

[@richardrundle3638]

One of the factors for Mt Edgcumbe is that the start is a lot lower than the finish (so a net uphill), in comparison to say Eden Project where the start is at the top and the finish at the bottom (so a net downhill)

[@TimGrose]

Ah interesting. I've done Eden Project and certainly the first mile is a "gift" downhill but recall then it gets more rolling but at least you don't go back up again. So how far is the start from the finish at Mount Edgcumbe? Thinking about it, these two plus Whinlatter Forest all have some start/finish separation which isn't too common is it.

[@garthcox4307]

The isabel trail is brilliant. Walsall is quick and attracts a lot of fast runners and is deservedly popular. I'm not surprised that it's the fastest that is actually 5k long. Battlestead croft at 536th is pancake flat but is a mudpit for much of the year.

[@TimGrose]

Be keen to do those ones at some point. Yes a flat course needs to be also firm as otherwise could be slow. Indeed Great Yarmouth North Beach is the obvious example there.

[@garthcox4307]

​@TimGrose I think the relative rankings ring true from my experience. My favourite atm is beacon which is 54th on your list.

[@NathanHeaver]

very interesting data any chance you could do the same thing for other countries I'm from New Zealand and would love to know the analysis.

[@TimGrose]

In theory yes but in practice to do exactly like I do here means having a contract, like we do for the UK, to collect and disseminate all NZL race results and parkrun allowing general access to NZL data.

[@mattpotter8725]

I'd hardly call the uphill section at Walsall up a hill, it's more of a false flat imo. When you finish this section and make the turns down the start/finish straight you do notice the downhill, which is nice after the drag up to it. It can get busy and the are some narrow sections so you have to get lucky where you lap people if they aren't keeping to over to one side to get the optimal time, but it is quick and the run down to the finish is great. Personally i prefer the slightly more undulating trail courses, even if harder in places, more than the urban ones and can't even imagine doing one that's a straight out and back course, but i guess it all depends on where you live. In the end if one course is harder than another you can always judge your performance against previous times, assuming fitness, health, and other factors are similar. It's interesting seeing the parkruns I've done and done i find more difficult than others coming out in similar places on your list, my closest one that long at it shouldn't be more difficult i just can't get and i can never put my finger on it.

[@TimGrose]

Thanks for the info. I guess my main point was to convey it is not absolutely pan flat but clearly not "hilly" per se. In a way this is a kind of comprehensive guide for parkrun tourists depending on what sort of "speed" experience they want to have or if just going "somewhere" and some indication what the local parkrun is other than just reading the course description of course. As to your last point, the differences between adjacent parkruns are tiny or really even "nothing" and do represent "average" conditions. If you went to the same parkrun twice or more in quick succession the on day difficulty will very likely also vary a bit as well and sometimes a lot.

[@framebadger]

Would it be possible to get the spreadsheet tagged according to the type of paths involved? e.g. my home parkrun, Clair is all tarmac paths but still has a score of 4.0. I think that's spot on by the way - if I run at one of the flat nearby promenade courses I'm 1:30-2:00 faster. I think loads of the runs that are harder would be trails, so it would be interesting to filter it like this. Might be a lot of data collection to do the filtering but a volunteer effort if needed?

[@TimGrose]

I have tagged each one as an R for road for M for multi terrain to be like it would be if a race was held over the course. If look closely at the right side of the spreadsheet in the video can see them. Not done Clair but understand it is quite hilly so that probably matters more than the surface although surely would be slower still if on grass/trails.

[@MattH6565]

Love the video and the list! Bromley is definitely a quick parkrun, but i wonder if given its a 2.5 lap course its scores higher due to people finishing after only 1.5 laps? (My mum did this once aha)

[@TimGrose]

@@MattH6565 ha ha my filters should detect runners doing over 5 minute PBs !

[@Ambition-Ability]

Would it be possible, in theory, to assign an SSS score to locations without lots of runner data? I run in Saigon, which is usually very hot and humid... but also flat and at sea level. On a "chilly" day here, maybe 23 degrees centigrade at 05:00, 30 degrees by 08:00... running feels so much easier. Some months the low is 26 or 27, and any kind of effort is a real struggle. SSS score would be fascinating... what is xx in Saigon worth in the UK? etc.

[@TimGrose]

Yeah and indeed often need to for non UK parkruns when UK based parkrunners are doing them as we take those runs for Power of 10 and runbritainrankings.com . If there was literally one runner for which we have data we would just use that but the accuracy could be very questionable. Basically the bigger the field, the more accurate the SSS is likely to be.

[@lukob6368]

Thanks for the info Tim! So suprised to see hastings drop from 11th to 72nd! Especially as it is promenade tarmac out on the flat to a cone, turn around to do the same 2.5km back! What do you think might have caused that?

[@larkim1]

Curious as to why so many scores have dropped from 2023 to 2025, even if relative position has increased. e.g. Widnes drops from 0.7 to 1.2, but rises from 9th to 7th. Is there a different "average" being calculated, or is it down to the current calculation including fewer winter runs?

[@TimGrose]

Yeah I basically went back more to the 2022 "model" so that and this time are based on average conditions week to week whereas in 2023 I essentially computed a ranking list of the best times done at each parkrun in the relevant period and worked out an SSS from that. So largely the SSS I show this time will be a higher number and aren't directly comparable. It might also partly explain some shuffling of positions as in theory a course that is faster for periods of the year might have been higher before. Good example being seaside prom courses. On best (calm) days probably as fast as anywhere. On windy days a right struggle.

[@lillydog12]

Can someone explain what kind of time difference one should expect on a course with a SS score of say 2.5 and a course with a SS of 1.0?

[@TimGrose]

As a rough guide 1.0 SSS is about 30 secs so 45 secs slower in your example .

[@al_conroy]

Any chance you would do this for Irish Parkruns or share your methodology so I could 🙂

[@TimGrose]

We don't have race results and/or parkrun data for Ireland to do the same comparisons but you could probably do something similar if just had the parkrun data. The general methodology I mentioned in the video - see from 12:24

[@al_conroy]

Thanks Tim, I get it now, you're using power of 10 data as well

[@TimGrose]

@ yeah useful to set the parkruns in better context. The algorithm I use requires a certain amount of races and/or parkruns by each runner for that one to "count" as otherwise somebody who only does a few parkruns might not have a good "best time" for these purposes.

[@mattpotter8725]

Would love to see this. I was over in Ireland on holiday a few years ago and did Macroom, which I thought was quite tough. Wanted to do Inch Beach on the Dingle Peninsula, County Kerry, whilst over there but it was further away than I thought so couldn't in the end. I bet there are a lot of tough courses there, especially those in the west, on or near the Wild Atlantic Way.

[@alfdickinson1971]

Great work, especially seperating the winter/summer courses. How does your calculations compare to the actual course records in terms of order?

[@TimGrose]

Thanks! I didn't really do that comparison as often the course record is just a reflection of how good the course record holder is generally. As I mentioned the fastest ever parkrun times male or female were both done at Belfast Victoria and the previous male records were set at Edinburgh and Bushy Park. They are 6th, 58th and 75th. By and large I would say any course in the Top 100 on a good day will be "quite fast".

[@alfdickinson1971]

@TimGrose I think fast courses tend attract higher volume od fast runners in the mood to have ago and the competition definitely helps faster times. But your stats hold true for the slower ones, I dont think 20mins has been broken at GY yet and I cant imagine the slowest 6 records being much faster. So maybe the comparison is not as far off as you may think-I dont know?

[@oliverhughes2122]

Finally! You skipped a year! 🤣👏🏻👍🏻

[@TimGrose]

@@oliverhughes2122 I was intending to do one this time last year but felt was inappropriate when all the stats got removed.

[@oliverhughes2122]

@ It’s a great list. Quite a few changes this year. My home run (Coed Cefn-pwll-du) has dropped out of the top-ten hardest!

[@TimGrose]

@ don't know too much about that one? Was it also quite new when I last did this so the stats may have stabilsed a bit more.

[@oliverhughes2122]

@@TimGroseIt started in January 2020

[@scotteaglen4872]

As someone who ran Great Yarmouth recently, my normal time is 18 mins(ish). There I struggled to get 22 mins. Running 5k in sand felt like a marathon. You simply can’t get any sort of rhythm and every step feels like a slog.

[@TimGrose]

That's actually rather oddly not bad! I do wonder if the only way forward here is to wear spikes. Even then going to be a big struggle.

[@scotteaglen4872]

@ probably a fair point. People should treat it more as a cross country run. I did enjoy the stay at the start. Over 4000 people have run at GY, but apparently less than 100 have run it more than once. Very much a tourist run!

[@LightspeedAstronaut]

I did Greendale farm shop last saturday and i think there will be a big difference in times between winter and summer, i ran 20;25 there, just for context my parkrun Pb is 16;52 at Exmouth, In summer at greendale i i think i could run low 18 minutes.

[@TimGrose]

Thanks. Thought might be the case. Always a bit tricky with ones like this that have just started and going to have very variable conditions. If I omit them then somebody will say "whatabout ...". I was kind of relieved it did not make the slowest 5 then would have to have "fiddled" it a bit !

[@v6i838]

Widnes B course I think is even faster than the regular course. It doesn’t get run often but when it does it’s almost as if you’re running around a 400m track, just a big bigger

[@TimGrose]

Ah interesting. I see like Belfast Victoria it is normally 3 laps of a Victoria Park. Why does the B course come into play?

[@v6i838]

@@TimGrose I think it’s either when there’s ice around the lake, or if they’re doing maintenance around the lake. It was coned off last Saturday because I think there was cracked paving stones or something. I’m not entirely sure Last Saturday’s results may look like it skewed towards the b course being slower, but I had a look and a lot of very fast runners were taking it easy for one reason or another, so the winning time was much slower than usual. It’s usually well under 17 mins but it was in the 18’s last Saturday The regular course is 3 and a bit laps, the b course is 4 and a bit laps but there’s no tight turns on the latter whatsoever

[@therunningmaninblue]

Surprised to see Hull drop from 4th to 82nd… perhaps a temporary course has slowed results slightly.

[@TimGrose]

Ah just commented over on your channel about Hull seeing you have just done a video from there but on their "temporary" 3 lap course which I did note you (Gareth that is) thought was slower than the standard 2 lapper. Any idea how long the temporary one has been used for now? Hull was unfortunately one was not able to separate the stats for if another course is used more than just the odd time. I did also change the algorithm compared to last time. This time it is more "average" conditions whereas previously was more "best" conditions. SSS for Hull on Saturday (25th Jan) was only 2.0 which isn't going to "help" if get too many of them. At least both you two were filtered out from that calculation for being slower than expected which at least is a good validation there!

[@therunningmaninblue]

@ you could assume it was used between and including these dates; 23/11/24 - 14/12/24 and 1/1/25 - present Now they have the temporary course set up, they’ve used it a couple of times due to ice around the main lake and mainly due to the paving slabs being replaced near the start line.

[@TimGrose]

@ SSS weekly scores here vary quite a lot - from 0.6 to 3.8 and been 32 weeks in last 2 years when been 2.0 or higher so seems more to it than this more recent temporary course. Also last time when was 4th was based on each parkrunner's best time here within the period in question so more indication of potential on a fast day than this time which is more based on average conditions. That does seem to effect some courses more than others. Average conditions will probably pull back the potentially very fast up and down a prom seaside courses which is why say Worthing has dropped a bit this time.

[@tworunningbrooms]

@@TimGrose it's a head scratcher as Hull is not as vulnerable to wind as a seaside prom course. Wind in Hull tends to come in from the West, and on the westerly part of the course there is usually decent tree shelter, depending on the angle. The more open part of the course would usually have the wind behind you. Unless it's a cold easterly coming off the North Sea.

[@nemesis225]

Somerdale Pavilion in 21st MUST be a mistake?! All on grass/mud and with the curly whirly?! All the others around it are flat, fast and on tarmac??!!

[@TimGrose]

Please excuse copying and pasting some thoughts from another thread here. I looked at the stats a bit more and the week to week SSS scores here are very variable going from 0.0 (and with a decent "sample size") twice both in June - e.g. last year www.runbritainrankings.com/results/results.aspx?meetingid=622352 to 4.5 on NYD 2025 so the "median" is between the two and more slanted to the lower scores hence the 1.3 as it is. There does seem to be a summer/winter effect which is logical for a grass course which if firm and dry can be as fast as anything hence the long standing old parkrun "world record" at Bushy Park by Andy Baddeley. Indeed the summer only median SSS is 1.1 but winter is 2.4 so if you only "see" this one in "winter conditions" no surprise that you think it is slow. Conversely goto a Worthing or Hove Prom in say a 20 mph headwind morning and you probably won't be going too quick either! Indeed in a similar way Worthing SSS week to week has varied from 0.2 to 3.6 and Hove from 0.4 to 4.1. So this analysis basically tries to come up with "something in the middle". I have little doubt Worthing on a windless day is going to be quicker than Somerdale assuming of course everything is measured to road race standards can be difficult on off road courses. However that is rarely going to be the case.

[@nemesis225]

@@TimGrose thanks Tim. I absolutely agree with the logic of variability on grass etc, but that would surely be the case for all parkruns on grass? This data is then indicating that of 835 parkruns, SP is the 20th fastest on ‘dry grass’ despite there being many, many more parkruns on tarmac and other hard, flat surfaces?! It just doesn’t make sense!

[@TimGrose]

@@nemesis225 it is "odd" I agree and this one was well down in the 2022 and 2023 lists so bit puzzling why some weeks (especially in summer) in last 2 years it appears as fast as anywhere. I do wonder how accurate a 5K it is. Must be very difficult to really accurately measure a course like this. Think will have to get down to it to see for myself! Similar thing happened with Eden Project one year. That has a big downhill first mile that you don't go back up. Clearly not that. I did note it doesn't seem to attract that many "very good" runners so the analysis is more looking at "decent" ones. Often with say courses like Battersea you can just peruse the top runners and think OK yeah easy to see that this one really is quick.

[@RunningwithMA]

Superb video Tim 🙂, I can definietly concur with the Marine parade parkrun, I have ran it 7 times with the fastest being 18:04 (2nd place) and 18:09 (1st place) and my slowest being 20:06 (4th Place) with the 20:06 time being on the beach. although I would caveat it with I recorded a distance of 5:17k, although I am told that generally alternative courses are over measured to prevent PB's that then cant be achieved on the regular course. I have started my own running channel recently kzbin.info/www/bejne/oHOnhpqwmp6IhcU and actually filmed the regular marine parade course last weekend, and if you check out the video can see that the course is very wide and pancake flat... (although does contain 4 dead turns)

[@TimGrose]

Just watched your one and commented. Nice to see it as haven't before. As you say looks fast but got to like those U-turns and yellow top was a tough opponent! So is the sand version basically the same but obviously "over a bit". 20:06 I would say was a good run to be only 2 mins back. Not sure they need to make the sand one "long" - hard enough as it is. Presume the sand isn't too soft like Great Yarmouth North Beach ?

[@RunningwithMA]

@TimGrose - thanks Tim, yes Yellow top was humbling 😆. I haven't done great Yarmouth, so no direct comparison, but the run moves to the beach in the busier months when the promenade is busy, so generally in the warmer months when the sand is would be softer.. however from what I have seen and read, don't think it is anywhere near as bad as great Yarmouth. 😊

[@mattmiller8139]

I disagree with you about Bromley. The Summer course is faster & it is short. I reckon it is only 4.7km. I got my fastest time there in June 2016 & have never got within 36 seconds of it. One of our Run Directors at Squerryes ran there a lot & everytime he did the Summer course his times were a minute faster. I’ve done both courses once. I think Bromley’s Summer course & Pegwell Bay should both be excluded from the results as they are short.

[@nopeflag2822]

I think they must have modified the Bromley summer course since you did it as I tracked it as a full 5km when I did it last year. I felt it was slower than the winter course as you had to run on a fair amount of grass.

[@TimGrose]

As it happens I did what must have be the summer course way back in 2011 www.strava.com/activities/39317158 which matched on this "full course" segment www.strava.com/segments/9403023 which I see has plenty of 2023 & 2024 entries. No indication that one is anything other than a full 5K. What date(s) did you do the "4.7K" version? Do you also have Strava to see if something "funny" happened that day. If the course was 300m short (Pegwell Bay is only 200m) it surely would have come up with big "red flags" in my analysis like say Pegwell Bay has but actually not totally obviously.

[@mattmiller8139]

I did the Summer course at Bromley in June 2016. My time was 22 mins 12 secs. I have only ever run under 23 minutes three times in 391 parkruns. My next fastest were 22 mins 48 secs at Bushy in April 2017 & 22 mins 51 at Dulwich in the Summer of 2016.

[@timeonfeet]

Great video, thanks for this Tim. I'm surprised to see Elder Park ranked faster than Worthing - as a course Worthing is definitely better for PB potential but then maybe it's because of the coastal wind factor with Worthing like you say and you have to turn up on a day with no wind to get a PB!

[@TimGrose]

Yeah this list is largely based on "average" conditions. I have done Worthing 3 times myself and do recall, as I mentioned, that one week it was a headwind out and was a bit of a struggle and you never make it back up the other way especially as is shorter on the return. Elder Park my friend Ian ran about 30 secs quicker there last year than anywhere else and he does parkrun most weeks. Part of it was he said just felt good that day. Have you done that one? As I mentioned the differences here are very small. This analysis suggests no more than 6 secs and Worthing is one where on an "ideal" weather day it is going to be as fast as anything over an actual 5K.

[@TimGrose]

PS what's the score at East Brighton if you have done that one? Wasn't really sure why they have winter and summer courses there as don't look hugely different. Maybe there is a very muddy bit they miss out in winter?