No, it wasn't...botched media reports. Nyiragongo set the record for fastest lava flow in an eruption some years ago. This eruption, you could outrun the lava on foot. Media likes amazing statistics, they started mentioning the old lava speed as if it was from this eruption.
I think that depends on how long and how far the lava flowed and what you physical condition is. The world's fastest human in the 100 m. dash averages about 25 mph in track shoes on level ground running a straight path. Marathon runners average about 8 mph over the 26 miles. A four minute mile is about 15 mph. I can run about a 6 min mile or 10 mph. What I'm saying is that if the lava flowed long enough, I think most people would run out of gas at about the 2 mile mark where the lava would overtake them. Sort of like the tortoise and the hare with the lava being the tortoise and the humans being the hare.