Three stunning world records have caught our eye in recent weeks here at runABC Towers – and each for completely different reasons.

Firstly, the incomparable Lithuanian ultra-runner Aleksandr Sorokin, who took six seconds off his own 100K record on Sunday 14 May 2023, running in his home city of Vilnius.

Sorokin started his running career in Vilnius and it was at the World's Fastest Run 100K powered by Nord Security that the legendary 41-year-old home favourite ran 6:05:35 – or 5:53 min/mile for just over 62 miles! Put another way, just try to imagine running 20 parkruns non-stop in 18:15 for each one.

It had been reported that Sorokin was running up to 300K a week in training and a session completed one month before his latest world record was 40 times 1,000m, with one to two minutes rest, at an average pace of 3:28/km – simply astonishing.     

Next to the indefatigable 96-year-old Rejeanne Fairhead (pictured above) who took four and a half minutes off the world masters W95 5K record in Ottowa on Saturday 27 May, despite searing 30C heat. The age group 95-plus women's 5K record had stood at 55:48 to 97-year-old American Betty Lindberg, who set her mark at the Atlanta Peachtree 5K on 26 February 2022 – beating the previous best then by over 30 minutes!

Fairhead is actually getting faster with age as she improved her PB by seven minutes to attain the new record and was actually placed first in the W80-plus category at Ottowa. In the pre-race conference, she said: “I try to be active in all sports, take care of myself and be happy." She raised over $60,000 for the Perley Health Foundation, home to over 600 Seniors and Veterans living in independent apartments or receiving long-term care, where she has volunteered for the past 27 years and where she does much of her training.    

Finally, the simply sublime Faith Kipyegon – the reigning Olympic and World champion – who became the first woman to beat the 3:50 barrier for 1500m in Florence on Friday 2 June to improve Genzebe Dibaba's seemingly impregnable eight-year-old record of 3:50:07. 

In what is being hailed as one of the greatest ever women's middle-distance running performances, Kipyegon (29) from Kenya destroyed a world-class field – including Scotland's Laura Muir, second in 3:57:09 – and only had the Wavelight technology for company as she crossed the finish line in 3:49:11 in the Diamond League event held in the Luigi Ridolfi Stadium.

Three remarkable records to inspire us all as we enjoy the arrival, at last, of summer weather in the UK.

Image of Rejeanne Fairhead courtesy Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend on Twitter