Poole Powerhouse: Nine-Year-Old Boy Sets New 5km parkrun World Record

After the huge hype surrounding Kelvin Kiptum’s scintillating marathon world record in Chicago on Sunday, you’d be forgiven for not thinking about Poole parkrun. 

But let’s take a moment to think about Poole parkrun. 

Why? Because here, on Saturday 7 October, nine-year-old parkrunner Louis Robinett ran an outstanding race to secure not just a PB, but also a world record of his own. 

Completing the 5km course in a phenomenal time of 17:40, Louis stormed to the top of the JM10 rankings, beating the previous world record – set in California in October 2017 – by an impressive 13 seconds. 

A member of Poole Runners Junior Athletics Clubs, Louis is a regular at the weekly Saturday morning event in Dorset, having completed 24 Poole parkruns so far. He has also logged speedy times at other parkruns and 3km junior parkruns in the area.

Reflecting on his achievement, Louis said: “I’m on top of the world right now! It’s a huge deal to break a world record.

“I couldn’t have done it without the support of my family and the team at Poole Runners.”

Since Louis is under the age of 11, he is required to run within an arm’s reach of an adult at parkrun events. For this momentous run, Louis was accompanied by adult Dion Garner, a fellow member of Poole Runners.

Dion was thrilled to run beside Louis and be part of the world record-breaking experience. Praising Louis, he said: “His natural talent, combined with his dedication and spirit, is mind-blowing. He’s not just a star in the making – he’s a star right now”.

While Kiptum’s heavily-publicised marathon heroics have gobsmacked the global running community, Louis’ 5km accomplishment at a local parkrun is no less inspiring. He is a brilliant young athlete with aptitude, enthusiasm and promise, and a great role model for other young runners across the world.

Poole parkrun attracts almost 600 runners each week, with the current male record – held by Ben Brown and achieved in September 2021 – standing at a rapid 14:32. Could Louis be the one to steal this course record in the years to come?

_{Image credit: Poole Runners}