Tom Pidcock's curious new 5km PB running time at world class pace | Sticky Bottle

*Tom Pidcock out for a run but his 5km time definitely seems too good to be true. He has pledged to have a go again, which should be interesting (Photo: Martine Verfaillie)*

Tom Pidcock has yet to pin on a number for new team Ineos Grenadiers but he's already making waves - this time for a 5km running personal best that has some people saying is too good to be true.

The 21-year-old British rider, who was 4th in the elite men's race at the World Cyclocross Championships the weekend before last, was out for a run as part of his off-bike training.

He posted the run on Strava, which included a new 5km personal best time of 13:25, which is very fast indeed - especially considering the 5km was only part of a longer run.

To put that 5km time in an Irish, and even European, context; Pidcock's time is one second faster than the Irish 5km road run record set by Alastair Cragg.

That record set by Cragg, a former European indoor champion over 3,000 metres, was also the European record for a 5km road run at the time it was set in 2012 (since lowered from Cragg's 13:26 to 13:18 by France's Jimmy Gressier).

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Some people have suggested Pidcock's time is down to a GPS error and that his real time may have been a good bit slower. Michael Woods is one of those who commented on the time and the Canadian knows a thing or two about athletics.

Woods (Israel Start Up Nation) won the gold medal in the 1500 metres at the 2005 Pan American Junior Athletics Championships.

"I've been getting a number of messages asking if (Tom Pidcock's) 13:25 5km was legit," Woods said. "I don't mean to knock the guy, as he is an incredible athlete, but based off that (video) and his GPS data, I'd bet a lot of money he was running far closer to 15 min pace - still very respectable time."

Pidcock posted the run data and later said he would try the run again to validate the time before adding "maybe running is the sport for me". Either way, if he sets out to do the fastest 5km time he can possibly run it will be interesting to see what he clocks.

As you can see below, his run has been flagged on Strava, He appears to have used the wrong date when posting it; going on the run yesterday in Leeds but with the Strava post dated December 18th.