Is there a reason there's a lot of french runs or is it just because runners are french? has anyone timed using JP text or anything?

The French version of the game runs the fastest due to fewer text boxes however it is slightly riskier as the item 'Hero' can miss depending on your SPR stat I believe.

French is the fastest out of the ones available on Steam. To use Japanese version you would need to have a Japanese Steam account, which is not easy to get.