Famous faces join runners at popular Welsh parkrun
Nation.Cymru Staff
A free weekly running event in south Wales attracted some high-profile sporting visitors this weekend.
Former Wales rugby star George North and his wife Becky James North, the Olympic silver medal-winning cyclist, were among those taking part in Bryn Bach parkrun in Tredegar.
Abergavenny-born Becky James North is a former track cyclist who won world titles in the sprint and keirin in 2013 before claiming two silver medals at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
Though born in England, husband George grew up on Ynys Môn and played for Scarlets and Wales at international level for 14 years until 2024.
The couple now live in Aix-en-Provence, France, but visited the UK for this year’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, where Team Wales cyclists took gold in the women’s team sprint.
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“Two great Welsh legends of sport and also two lovely people,” a fellow participant shared, while another joked that George North was “Only there for the toast”.
Bryn Bach parkrun organisers shared on Saturday (8 August) that the athletes were “just two of many famous faces we’ve seen running around the lake at Parc Bryn Bach over the years,” as they encouraged others to sign up.
Among the hundreds of runners who regularly take part in the weekly 5k event, BBC Wales presenter Sue Charles, Channel 4’s Steve Jones, and runners Tom Marshall and Adam Bitchell have previously been spotted.
Bryn Bach parkrun takes place every Saturday morning at 9am around the lake at Parc Bryn Bach, offering a free, volunteer-run 5km event open to walkers, joggers, runners and spectators of all abilities.
Participants register once with parkrun before taking part, with timings recorded using a personal barcode, while children aged four to 14 can also join the nearby junior parkrun events held on Sundays.
Organised entirely by volunteers, the event has become a popular fixture in the local community, with participants encouraged to stay for a post-run coffee at the park café.
The tarmac course winds through the country park and is designed to be welcoming to everyone, regardless of pace or experience, with organisers encouraging people to take part, volunteer or simply come along to support others.
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