The couple who completed a Parkrun in Pontypridd just hours before getting married

Richard and Ceridwen donned their running shoes to take part in the 5km race ahead of tying the knot. Credit: Parkrun

A bride and groom have completed a 5km Parkrun on the way to their wedding.

Ceridwen Boon, 42, and Richard Appleford, 44, put on their running shoes to take part in the event at the Ynysangharad War Memorial Park in Pontypridd on the morning of their wedding.

Ceridwen wore her running shoes along with her wedding dress, with Richard dressed in a top hat and tuxedo-style t-shirt to do laps of the park just hours before saying "I do."

Richard originally proposed to Ceridwen in January last year after running a marathon in London.

Ceridwen said: "We knew we had to do a run on our wedding day as we got to know each other through running, he proposed to me after a run, and most of our free time is spent either running or looking for events to run.

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Richard originally proposed to Ceridwen in January last year after running a marathon in London Credit: Parkrun

Ceridwen was joined on the run by her dad Richard before he then walked her down the aisle at the Manor Parc Country Hotel in Thornhill.

She said: "We got married at 3pm in the afternoon after a crazy rush for me to get back and shower so I could have my hair and makeup done.

"We're still on cloud nine trying to take it all in. Everyone says your wedding day goes so fast so even though we were running 5km, we actually found the Parkrun part of the day one of the most relaxing and gave us a good opportunity to see people and catch up.

The wedding comes after the couple started dating in March 2020 after meeting at a running group called Caerphilly Runners.

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The couple sought to raise money for good causes whilst undertaking the run. Credit: Parkrun

The newlyweds thanked Pontypridd Parkrun director Karl Johnson for his help on the big day - and event donations were given to Salem Chapel Foodbank.

Ceridwen added: "Doing parkrun on our wedding day was the absolute best way to start the day and made it incredibly special. People are all really nice to you when you're dressed as a bride.

"We're not superstitious so it was fantastic to be able to see Richard on the morning and be able to relax and just have fun doing something we love.

"We're planning a Scandinavian cruise later in the year but we're having a minimoon in Portland this weekend where we'll be running about 28 miles of the Jurassic Coast on Friday and then doing Weymouth parkrun on the Saturday."

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