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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Promenade packed for a bumper bonanza at Rhos parkrun.

By Don Hale
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*Pictured above - popular sports coach, veteran athlete, and charity fundraiser John Hatton is presented with a special cake at Rhos parkrun by NWRRC club colleague Elizabeth Driscoll for his 400th stint as a volunteer at various venues. Promenade packed for a bumper bonanza at Rhos parkrun. Report by Don Hale. Photos courtesy  of Michael (Pat) Finnie. donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2026 coastandcountry.blog *Above - the start of the Llandrillo yn Rhos parkrun last Saturday. The warmer weather and the Bank Holiday weekend attracted another bumper attendance of over five-hundred runners and walkers to the Llandrillo yn Rhos parkrun last Saturday morning. The event also recorded plenty of personal best times, and visitors from across the UK, who enjoyed this exciting flat, and picturesque promenade route, with the first three finishing places all going to first-timers. Jonathan Shaw  (Steel City Striders) was the first finisher overall and he was delighted with an excellent debut time...
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URGENT APPEAL FOR VOLUNTEERS AT SCHOOLS CROSS-COUNTRY EVENT AT COLWYN BAY

By Don Hale
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URGENT APPEAL FOR VOLUNTEERS AT SCHOOLS CROSS-COUNTRY EVENT. Darren Dentith, one of the XC event organisers is urgently appealing for some voluntary support for an important Cross-Country championship in Colwyn Bay this week. He said: "I will be holding the Colwyn Bay and Abergele schools cross-country event in Eirias Park. Last year over 200 runners participated and it's looking similar for 2026. * Please message me directly via Facebook/Messenger if you are able to help set up, marshal etc, or just turn-up on the day. Thursday 21st May at Eirias Park. Set up from 2.30pm, first race of 4 at 4pm, we should be finished by 5pm. Diolch, Darren If you, or anyone you know can help in any way, please let me know!
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Local runners in top form at the Chester half-marathon.

By Don Hale
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*Pictured above - Jon Evans from NWRRC who was a two-hour pacer. Local runners in top form at the Chester half-marathon. Report by Don Hale. donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2026 coastandcountry.blog   There was a massive entry of over 700 elite, club, and mixed ability athletes at the Essa Chester half marathon last Sunday with several North Wales runners celebrating some superb finishing times and placings. Tomos Roberts  and  Martin Green  were two top members representing  Meirionnydd RC , with Tomos 8th in 1.08.54, and he won his MV35 age cat, with colleague Martin also winning his MV50 cat in 23rd place in 1.15.15.  And full credit to another  North Wales  star in  Steffan Sayer  (Menai T&F) who was 20th in 1.14.42, and fellow Welshman  Matthew Collins  (Oswestry Olympians) in 1.07.58. The overall race was won by  Jack White  (City of Norwich) in 1.05.56, followed by  Luke Burgess  (Bristol & West) in ...
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Tristan Owen's Manchester Marathon plans for the Rotary Club's Community Chest Appeal.

By Don Hale
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*Pictured above - Llandudno undertaker and keen runner Tristan Owen will be competing in the Manchester Marathon for the Rotary Club'a charity appeal. Tristan Owen will be running in the Manchester Marathon and he is fundraising for the Rotary Club’s Community Chest Fun Appeal.   This is another special community-based story within a new series of unique features looking at the life, careers, hopes and ambitions, of many talented and dedicated athletes, sports people, and fundraisers within North Wales. *Tristan is shown (*above), second  from the left with his team mates.   Special sporting feature: Introduction by Don Hale. https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com   This latest feature highlights the determination of a well-known local undertaker, businessman, and charity fundraiser  Tristan Owen , who first began his running journey about 18 months ago, after taking part in the  Conwy parkrun . Since then, the under-taker has fast become an over-taker, recording...
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Talented junior athlete recorded a fast finish at Rhos parkrun - plus a results round up.

By Don Hale
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*(Above) The packed start of the Rhos parkrun last Saturday morning. Talented junior athlete recorded a fast finish at a busy Rhos parkrun...plus a results round-up... Report by Don Hale. Photos by Michael (Pat) Finnie. donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2026 coastandcountry.blog   *Pictured above - some of the team of volunteers at the Rhos parkrun. It was another busy Saturday morning at the Llandrillo yn Rhos parkrun with over 400 mixed ability runners and walkers finally celebrating an open route along the picturesque promenade. JW11-14 youngster  Finlay Potter  (Warriors Pentathlon & AC) was the first runner home with a new course PB in a superb time of just 16 minutes and 54 seconds, and he finished narrowly ahead of  James Yarwood  (Wrexham AAC), who pushed his double stroller child buggy around the course together with his twins in 17.09, with JM15-17  George Ledsham  third with a new course PB of 17.25.  And quite remarkably, the top six finish...
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In the Face of Adversity: A new true and dramatic short story by Debbie Jordan.

By Don Hale
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In the Face of Adversity: A short story by Debbie Jordan. by    Debbie Jordan    (Author):  5.0 (12): *Now available via Amazon:   https://amzn.to/3RhzR3a 5.0 out of 5 stars  A special Coast and Country book review. *Now available via Amazon:   https://amzn.to/3RhzR3a This is a true story of a woman who has gone through more than any one person deserves in a lifetime. She has faced a traumatic childhood followed by fighting for her life on more than one occasion. The trauma and events of her life are unbelievable but through it all she has never given up fighting, and at the age of 62 she has finally come to terms with it all and is able to tell her story. donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2026 coastandcountry.blog
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Road Runner Llyr goes ‘Down Under’ to represent Wales in the World Sprint Duathlon.

By Don Hale
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*Pictured above - Llyr ApGeraint-Roberts at the Cairns parkrun in Australia - as he prepares to represent Wales in the World Sprint Duathlon championships. Road Runner Llyr goes ‘Down Under’ to represent Wales in the World Sprint Duathlon. Report by Don Hale. https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com www.welshmastersathletics.co.uk   North Wales Road Runner Llyr ApGeraint-Roberts has travelled to Australia in readiness to represent Wales in the World Sprint Duathlon Championships on Friday (16th August). The talented Great Britain and Welsh international runner has been selected to represent his country in this week’s major competition, which has attracted about fifty of the top duathlon athletes from around the world, who will compete for honours in this prestigious event. This Sprint Duathlon championship race includes a 5k run, followed by a 20k bike ride, and then another 2.5k dash, and this year it’s being staged at Townsville, a coastal city in North-East Queensland. In preparation fo...
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The unique challenge of the London Marathon - four brave North Wales athletes recall their personal dramas

By Don Hale
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*Pictured above - Rachel Morris proudly displays her London Marathon medal. The unique challenge of the London Marathon - four brave athletes recall their personal dramas... Introduction by Don Hale and reports directly from the athletes concerning their own personal journeys as mentioned via Facebook.   This is a special page to acknowledge the brave and dedicated efforts from just a few of the many North Wales based runners who successfully tackled this year’s London Marathon, with some also raising thousands of pounds for charity and worthy causes.    This is a summary of their dramas and memories from this iconic event.   RACHEL MORRIS: TCS London Marathon 2026  completed in 5hr 15min 04 seconds. I came away with a PB after knocking off 8 minutes from my last London Marathon. Absolutely loved it, so well organised, and the spectators were amazing I had loads of shout-outs due to my name and the Welsh Dragon being on my top  Thanks to all of you who hav...
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North Wales trail team cleared the course at Betws after Storm Arwen damage.

By Don Hale
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*NWRRC athletes Lesley Goodson (*left) and Sarah  Ferguson Hudson. Report by Don Hale. Photographs by Sarah Ferguson Hudson & Steve Jeffery.   Race organisers from the Betws y Coed Trail Challenge events had to call in a determined group of volunteers and supporters last Saturday morning to help clear the course following the aftermath of Storm Arwen, and ongoing weather problems, which had left dozens of fallen trees blocking or restricting several planned routes. *Pictured (above and below) some fallen trees blocked the 5k course. The exceptional gales, heavy rain, and dangerous conditions on Friday night and during the early hours of Saturday morning provided trail officials with a nightmare scenario, but within hours a team of athletes and supporters cleared the way for five out of the six races to go ahead. Initially organisers stated: ‘ Thanks to everyone that has been in touch this morning, the weather here is fine, and we have no snow. We’ve been up on the routes a...
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Last few entries for the Deganwy 5 mile Dash - see full details - 29th May 2026.

By Don Hale
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Time to enter the famous Deganwy 5-mile Dash - limited to just 50 places left for this unique charity race. Report by Don Hale. donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2026 Entries for the famous Deganwy 5-mile Dash are now open, and runners are advised to enter early as numbers are limited with only about 50 places left due to the popularity of this essential fundraising event for Children’s Cancer charities. *This is the important link for Deganwy Dash entries:   https://in.tdlentries.co.uk/2026-deganwy-dash The event on Friday 29th May 2026 starts and finishes on Deganwy Promenade close to the revamped shelter and follows a picturesque course along the river estuary and around Conwy Cob to the RSPB Nature Reserve, where it turns and returns back along the same route to the finish. Run director John Hatton confirmed this week: “The Deganwy Dash is now live now for entries. The aim of the race is to still raise money for Cancer in Children. Joshua Tree is our main recipient for money plus as be...
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