Don Hale Blog

*Youngsters led the way to fast times (*above) at a soggy Halloween parkrun at Conwy. Report and photographs by Don Hale.   It was rather soggy Conwy parkrun with mist and a steady drizzle, yet this heavy weather still failed to deter a hardy bunch of regular and travelling athletes from enjoying a Halloween special event last Saturday morning. And despite another waterlogged 5k course, a posse of five youngsters, including one from Yorkshire, and another from the West Midlands, ensured it made for a fast pace at the top end of the scale, with twelve runners dipping under twenty-minutes. Teenager  Dion Griffith  claimed 1st place, and he also won his SM18-19 age cat in just 16 minutes and 27 seconds, which was quite a remarkable time in those conditions. He was followed by  Alex Mosley  (Doncaster AC) in 17.21 and 2nd SM18-19 cat, with local youngster  Alfie Shiland  (Colwyn Bay AC) finishing 3rd, but he won his JM11-14 age cat in 17.50. The next two places also went to some exceptiona

*GOG triathlete Paul Garstang (*pictured above) won his MV55 age cat at Bangor half-marathon...and all the latest news about the monthly GOGcast. Report by Don Hale.   GOG Triathlete Paul Garstang enjoyed a good run out at the Bangor half-marathon last Sunday and crossed the  finish line in 1 hour 35 minutes and 7 seconds to take 1st place in his MV 55-59 age group. Also competing in the same event were  Billy Thomas , who bagged a PB with a 1.42.15 and  Steve Dutton  who finished in an impressive 2.04.17. Meanwhile in the  Bangor 10K  GOG Triathlon Club had a number of participants, taking part. Tom Simpson  46.04 ,   Phil Tracey  49.59 ,  Liz Evans  54.01 , and  Joshua White  59.15 . Andy Jones  was the only GOG at the Ras Y Mynnydd 5-mile fell race in an strong 42.30, taking 4th place overall.     GOG Podcast or GOGcast now available.   The GOG Triathlon Club now have their very own innovative podcast. Club member Simon Roxburgh confirmed: “The club run their very own GOGcast with m

 *Some of the NWRRC members who ran at Bangor last week (l-r) Llyr ApGeraint Roberts, Mike Hayton, Rob Fryer, Kelly Alford and Cai Roberts. Llyr won a surprise victory at the hilly Bangor 10k race. Report by Don Hale. Photos by Steve Jeffery.   Travelling Road Runner Llyr ApGeraint-Roberts was the surprise winner of the hilly Bangor 10k race last Sunday. The East Midlands based athlete finished just 15-seconds ahead of his nearest rival and won his MV45 age cat in just 37 minutes and 3 seconds. Llyr (*pictured left) led home a NWRRC team of eight runners amongst an entry of some 198 finishers, with five members recording podium places including four runners, who also won their respective age categories.   After the race Llyr admitted his surprise at his outstanding victory. He said: “ The race was great as I won, but I went into it with the sole purpose of just doing a course PB, and then see what would happen, so I was surprised when I crossed the line first!” Llyr’s colleague  Harry

*John Dalzell (*above) led the North Wales Road Runners home. Hat-trick of age category wins at a bright and sunny Conwy parkrun...plus other race results. Report by Don Hale.   North Wales Road Runners entered thirteen athletes in last Saturday’s Conwy parkrun and claimed eight podium places including three age category victories. Blessed this week with bright sunshine and a light breeze, the event attracted over two-hundred runners of varied ages and abilities, and from different parts of the UK.  The first man back was  James Yarwood  (Abergele Harriers), the runaway leader who won his SM30 age cat with a fast time of 17 minutes and 32 seconds. The second spot remained undeclared, but the 3rd placed runner was  Matthew Young  in 19.09. The 1st Lady was  Anna Drinkwater  (Eryri Harriers) in 6th place overall in 20.00, with  Elisha Price  2nd in 23.26, and  Ffion Williams  3rd with a new PB in 24.47. The parkrun attracted 211 finishers. NWRRC endurance athlete  John Dalzell  led the R

*North Wales Road Runner Dave Spofforth (*above) with his family. Spooky Dark Run success for Hope House and Ty Gobaith Childen’s Charities...  Report by Don Hale. Photographs by Steve Jeffery. A slightly early but rather spooky Halloween style 5k Dark Run took place last Saturday night from the RSPB site near Llandudno Junction, and followed the Conwy 5k parkrun course under lights to help raise funds for Ty Gobaith and Hope House Children’s charities. CHECK OUT THE LATEST UPDATES AND DRONE FOOTAGE:  https://youtu.be/ONwPKoIiM It was not a race, yet the event still attracted 250 runners and walkers of all ages, who carried special Glow Sticks and head torches to help light their way across the bridge to the Cob, then out and back along the river path towards Deganwy Quay. Backed by a superb team of event marshals and volunteers, the entrants enjoyed a great physical warm up at the start under bright floodlights with music, backed by a further disco set pitched along the Cob to give so

*Rhian Roxburgh (*above) was the pick of the GOG Triathlon team after a 2nd place finish in her age category at the Ironman event in Portugal. *The GOG Triathlon team (*above and below) at the Cascais Ironman challenge. Rhian Roxburgh leads the GOG’s to success at Ironman challenge Report by Don Hale The highly talented GOG Triathlon Club  also  had a total of eight squad members competing in the gruelling Ironman 70.3-mile race in Cascais, Portugal, last weekend, including  Elizabeth Driscoll, who has dual membership with NWRRC, but Rhian Roxburgh was surely the pick of the team after claiming a podium place with a 2nd place finish in her respective age group. A GOG club spokesman confirmed their outstanding success: “As a club, we're super proud of the eight squad members that raced Ironman 70.3 in Portugal.   Every single one of them put in tremendous performances and got to run down the famous red carpet.  “With many of them overcoming injuries and sickness, just getting to the