Welsh Masters Athletics Photo special from the Inter-area indoor champs by Roger Garland.

By Don Hale

Welsh Master and photographer Roger Garland captures some of the action from the recent Inter-Area Indoor championships at Lee Valley...

 
 


  

 
 
 





 






 


 

 

 















Don Hale is a former award winning investigative journalist and now a best-selling author who has created a very popular blog post linked to numerous social media sites. donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2025.

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A fast start and finish by some quality visiting athletes at the Rhos parkrun - plus other North Wales parkrun results and reports.

By Don Hale
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*The start of last weekend's Rhos parkrun. A fast start and finish by some quality visiting athletes at the Rhos parkrun - plus other North Wales parkrun results and reports... Report by Don Hale. donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2026 coastandcountry.blog  *Pictured above  - Members and supporters of the 5k Your Way, Move Against Cancer Group at the Rhos parkrun last Saturday morning.  Report by Don Hale. Rhos photos by Michael (Pat) Finnie. The Llandrillo yn Rhos parkrun welcomed over 500 runners, walkers, and volunteers to their Saturday morning event last weekend, including many members from the 5k Your Way, Move Against Cancer group, for their regular monthly gathering. It proved to be a very warm but blustery day and attracted numerous quality athletes and visitors from all parts of the UK and abroad.  Six out of the first ten finishers were all first-timers and it was a keen battle for top placings with visitor  Harry Hammon  (Bramhall Runners) just hanging o...
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Runners were on track to Race the Highland Train at Caernarfon in midweek

By Don Hale
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*The North Wales Road Running  team at the Race the Train event in midweek, pictured left to right: Jonathan Kettle, Helen Hannam, Hannah Griffith, Nia Lister, and Daniel Hennell. Runners were on track to Race the Highland Train at Caernarfon in  midweek... Report by Don Hale. donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2026 coastandcountry.blog   Nearly three-hundred club and mixed ability athletes took part in the popular annual Race the Highland Train 5k dash last Wednesday night at Caernarfon. Departing from the Highland railway station in town, 278 runners, then travelled by train to the next station along the line at Dinas, before returning on foot to take on the challenge of trying to beat the train back to its start, along a mainly downhill and very fast course. A trio of runners from  Meirionnydd RC  claimed the first three finishing places with some excellent times including  Owen Roberts, the first man home in just 14 minutes and 13 seconds, with  Gavin Stuart...
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Ben and Sarah competed in the 5 and a bit mile race

By Don Hale
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Ben and Sarah Hudson (*pictured above) competed in the 5 and a bit mile race Race warm up for marathon training. Report by Don Hale. donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2026 coastandcountry.blog   North Wales endurance athletes Ben and Sarah Hudson were back in action again last weekend at the Run Cheshire Huxley 5-miler - and a bit race – as part of a warm up for their forthcoming marathon training. Ben finished in 131st place in 36.07, whilst Sarah was 165th in 40.15.  After their run Sarah confirmed:  “A fab morning at the Huxley 5-miler, with a few extra miles thrown in for good measure. I tried  to channel my inner  Josh Kerr  but could not quite cling on for a sub-40-mins result but loved it all the same… in my defence I was going 5 times as far!” This is the link to the Coast and Country online magazine post: https://www.coastandcountry.blog/post/ben-and-sarah-tackled-the-5-mile-and-a-bit-race-at-huxle  
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Blooming Great news for the Joshua Tree charity following a large donation from the organisers of the Deganwy Dash.

By Don Hale
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*Pictured above - John Hatton in the white shirt is shown holding  the  fundraising cheque for nearly £4k for the Joshua Tree, along with his colleague Carla Green (*far right) and (*far left) Lee Talbot from Brown & Brown, was available together with a charity official and other race sponsors. Blooming Great news for the Joshua Tree charity following a large donation from the organisers of the Deganwy Dash. *John Hatton and Carla Green with race sponsors and the Joshua Tree cheque. donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2026 coastandcountry.blog Fundraising  was blossoming this week with some blooming great news for organisers of the Joshua Tree charity following the presentation of a large cheque for £3,955.37 from John Hatton the run director of the popular Deganwy 5 mile Dash. John and his club and event colleague Carla Green were on hand to present these funds to the deserving charity watched by race sponsors from Specsavers, Brown & Brown, MKM and Jennings Civil Engi...
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Personal and professional care provided by Tom Owen and Son, independent family-run funeral directors in Llandudno, Conwy and Colwyn Bay

By Don Hale
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Kelly and Tristan Owen with some of their team at Tom Owen and Son.  Personal and professional care provided by Tom Owen and Son, independent family-run funeral directors in Llandudno, Conwy and Colwyn Bay A special Coast and Country online promotional  feature. coastandcountry.blog donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2026   *Funeral Directors  Tristan and Kelly Owen at Tom Owen and Son. It Takes a Team - by Tristan Owen - a director of Tom Owen and Son. A special local business feature.   As a small family funeral directors, people often expect to see Kelly or me when they come to Tom Owen and  Son. In many ways, that is exactly as it should be.  Families place a great deal of trust in us, and being personally involved in the care we provide is something we take very seriously.  But no small family business can run well without good people around it.   A funeral home may look calm from the outside, but behind every funeral there are many quiet acts of ...
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RUNNING FOR FUN (NEW) by Don Hale

By Don Hale
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  NEW – Running for Fun By author, sports writer, and award winning journalist, and former investigative reporter, and editor Don Hale - An amusing look back at his early running and football career – with fitness tips and advice. This short book was originally published in 1986. *The early days from a jogger to a marathon runner (drawing by the late Norman Taylor) NEW RUNNING FOR FUN by Don Hale  Without doubt it is one of the most amusing and yet fully informative books ever written about running. It explains the enthusiasm of the FUN & SERIOUS RUNNER ...    PUBLIC REACTION TO THIS MASTERPIECE: -   * I found that I couldn't put the book down - Foreman at the glue factory. * My own performers were anxious to get their teeth into it - Lion Tamer. * A very useful item, the section on leg injuries was most interesting and it has now stopped my sideboard from wobbling - DIY Enthusiast. * My wife and I both rushed for a copy at the ...
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Welsh Master Athlete Peter Watkeys is a unique 1500m double record holder within days of each other..

By Don Hale
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Welsh Master Athlete Peter Watkeys is a unique 1500m double record holder within days of each other. Report by Don Hale.  https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com www.welshmastersathletics.co.uk Welsh Master Peter Watkeys recorded a superb new WMAL record at a 1500m event on August 19th,   and then bizarrely improved upon his time just four days later at another similar meeting - by over 7-seconds - to claim a unique double! Peter, who was additionally representing his Basingstoke & Hants club in the MV40 age category, first ran in a Southern League Athletics Division 1 track meeting at Tooting Bec on 19/8/23, where he set a new record of 4 minutes 19.71 seconds. He received a special commemorative certificate of achievement from the WMAL record and stats official Chris Pruski, but then surprised himself by quickly improving on this excellent time to claim another new record of 4 minutes 12 .83 seconds over the same distance during the Watford Harriers Open Graded track meeting on...
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An exciting start and finish at Rhos parkrun plus a NW results round-up.

By Don Hale
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*The busy start at the Llandrillo yn Rhos parkrun last Saturday with some dramatic actions till to come on the dash to the finish. An exciting story and finish at Rhos parkrun plus a NW results round-up... Report by Don Hale. Photos by Michael (Pat) Finnie. donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2026 coastandcountry.blog   It proved to be yet another exciting and very close start and finish at the Llandrillo yn Rhos parkrun - with the top three athletes all battling it out over the final kilometre - before Conor Davies and Michael Corrales, eventually held on to keep James Yarwood and his famous double twin buggy in third place! Connor had an outstanding 5k run in just 16 minutes and 53 seconds, with Michael second with a new course PB in 16.59, and James (Wrexham AAC) a close third in 17.00.  *The first female finisher was  Elin Jones  in 20.13 (18th overall) in 20.13, with JW11-14 athlete  Savannah Williams  a close second with a new course PB in 20.22, and visitor...
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Artist Elizabeth Haines’s exciting new ‘Thin Places’ exhibition in Fishguard. 14th July to 29th August 2026.

By Don Hale
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Artist Elizabeth Haines’s exciting new ‘Thin Places’ exhibition in Fishguard...14th July until 29th August 2026. Special Coast and Country online art feature. coastandcountry.blog donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2026 *Pictured above and below - some of Elizabeth's paintings in the Peppers Gallery. The much-admired Pembrokeshire artist Elizabeth Haines will be staging an exhibition of her latest and exciting paintings from Tuesday 14th July at Peppers in West Street, Fishguard until 29th August. This week Elizabeth confirmed:   This is to let you know about my forthcoming exhibition at  Peppers (West Wales Arts Centre) in Fishguard.  The theme is  Thin Places:  a term rooted in ancient belief, but referring to any physical location where the boundary between the mundane world and the divine or spiritual realm is felt to be especially permeable. It’s often used to describe sacred sites, perhaps associated with ancient ritual, or areas of great natural beauty. In a ‘thin ...
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NWRRC athletes record top age gradings at Rhos parkrun - plus Kevin runs the first 10k at Stockport County.

By Don Hale
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NWRRC athletes record top age gradings at Rhos parkrun - plus Kevin runs the first 10k at Stockport County. donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2026 coastandcountry.blog     *Pictured above left - Steve Gardner, with Kay Hatton, and (*right) Kevin Higgins who ran in the first 10k at Stockport County. *Rhos:   two members from NWRRC recorded the highest age grades at last Saturday’s Rhos parkrun. Team GM and Welsh International track star  Steve Gardner  finished 5th overall and his time and performance in 18 minutes and 12 seconds earned him a 91.30% age grade in his VM60 age cat. Meanwhile fellow veteran  Kay Hatton  also had a great run and she was 70th overall in 23.41 and her VW60 age grade was 84.31%. *Stockport: NWRRC member Kevin Higgins ran at Stockport last Sunday:  He confirmed: “The first ever Stockport County 10k race this morning in very hot and humid conditions. My time was not the best 66 minutes and 20 seconds, but probably one of the best me...
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