A retired South Leeds man has credited parkrun with saving his life, after a noticeable drop in his running performance led doctors to discover a blocked artery, which ultimately resulted in a triple heart bypass operation.
Bill Brady, 71, a regular at Cross Flatts parkrun in Beeston, first noticed something was wrong in September 2024 when his times began averaging five minutes slower than usual and he found himself repeatedly running out of energy mid-run.
After mentioning his symptoms to his GP, he was referred to hospital and diagnosed with a blocked arterial branch. His cardiology consultant told him that had he not maintained his fitness through parkrun, he would likely have suffered a heart attack.
In March 2025, Bill underwent triple bypass surgery. He missed just four parkruns before returning and initially noticed new symptoms of dizziness and light-headedness, which led to his medication being adjusted. Bill believes it shows how parkrun can help people’s health significantly.
He said:
“It shows that taking part in parkrun and checking your own performance can help identify health issues early.
“parkrun fills a gap in daily social interactions which retirement inevitably brings. It has helped me maintain a reasonable fitness level, supported my mental wellbeing and saved my life – it has done a lot for me.”
Bill first came to Cross Flatts parkrun in 2016, aged 61, after signing up to run the Leeds 10k for the Leeds Rhinos Foundation. A fellow runner suggested parkrun as training.
Despite being nervous when he first went, he quickly felt welcomed into the community. He has since achieved both his 250-run and 250-volunteer milestones.
parkrun is a free, weekly, timed 5k event held every Saturday morning in parks and open spaces, run by volunteers and open to people of all abilities.
There are two parkruns in South Leeds every Saturday at 9am. Cross Flatts takes place in Cross Flatts Park with the start near the Beeston Road end of the park. Middleton Woods parkrun takes place in Middleton Park starting near the Leeds Urban Bike Park. There is also a Junior parkrun at Cross Flatts on Sunday mornings at 9am. This is a 2km event for children aged 4-14 years old.
To find out more about parkrun and where your nearest event to run, walk or volunteer is, visit www.parkrun.org.uk.
This post is based on a press release issued by Run Communications
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