Don Hale Blog

Sign up for the Seal Splash 2025 - Conwy Mind. https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com After launching to great success last year, Seal Splash is back! Join our Mascot Seren the Seal for our coldwater sea dip to raise vital funds for Conwy Mind.  Where?   Near Parisella’s, Colwyn Bay Promenade When?   10am, Sunday 8th June 2025 *Purchase your tickets for just £5 each!  https://www.conwymind.org.uk/support-us/fundraising-events/seal-splash-2025/   The event is open to everyone aged 11+ on the day of the event.  At Conwy Mind, we are committed to improving mental health across our community. Despite our successes, funding challenges threaten our ability to sustain and expand our services. That’s why we are encouraging our seal splash participants to set a fundraising goal of £50 this year, on top of their entry fee.  Not sure where to begin? We know £50 may sound like a lot if you’ve never fundraised before, but it’s actually really easy! Check out our the fund...

Master Track & Field event at Worcester for MND Association...see timetable and information images. Urgent appeal by Roger Garland on behalf on Welsh Masters Athletics. https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com www.welshmastersathletcs.co.uk I am one of a small group helping to organise a Masters T&F Open Meeting on Wednesday 4th June , which is intended  to raise awareness of and raise funds for the Motor Neurone Disease Association. We are doing this because one of our Welsh Masters athletes, Jan Timberlake, is suffering with MND .  The Open Meeting will be organised along somewhat similar lines to that of a local evening league fixture.   It will take place at Worcester, starting at 7pm - please see Timetable and Promotional Leaflet attached. We are keen to attract a large number of vet/masters athletes, supporters, officials and helpers to the event. Can you circulate this information and the two attachments to all the officials, helpers, supporters and vet/masters at...

*North Wales athlete Llyr crosses the finish line at the Euro champs in Poland. Llyr competed well for GB at the European Duathlon Championships...plus Sandy on song at Wrexham 10k. Report by Don Hale.  https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com   North Wales Road Runner Llyr ApGeraint-Roberts competed for Great Britain last Saturday in the European Triathlon Duathlon championships in Poland. Llyr performed extremely well, yet returned home slightly disappointed despite a brave effort, where he finished in the top ten in his respective age category and recorded his quickest time ever in both the running and cycling events! The prestigious bi-annual championships were held this year in Rumia, Poland, and attracted about 500 top athletes from across the continent to this popular location, which the organisers say has a rich tradition of staging major Triathlon and Duathlon championships.  After returning home, Llyr confirmed:  “This was the European Duathlon Championships, and I...

*Pictured above - Conwy runners and volunteers at the Nova event. Prestatyn’s Nova parkrun proved popular again with Conwy tour members...plus other results round-up. Report by Don Hale. Photos by Gwyn Williams at Nova and Mike Finnie at Penrhyn. https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com *Conwy parkrunners on tour at Nova (above l-r): Darren Dentith, Don Hale, Liz Evans  and John Stallard. The Nova parkrun at Prestatyn was one of the best attended local parkruns last Saturday morning with 285 entrants including local club athlete Tom Carter, who was the first finisher with a new PB in 17 minutes and 15 seconds, with the first three finishers all recording new course PBs. Tom however was pushed all the way by rival Matthew Baker, and he was just 4 seconds adrift, with JM11-14 junior Seth Williams 3rd in 19.00. *The first female was SW20 athlete Eve Manifold (23rd), with a PB in 21.23, with Abbey Young 2nd, (29th), with a new PB in 21.58, whilst teenager Erin Thinas (34th), finished in 2...

*Pictured above - Sarah Ferguson  Hudson at the finish of her marathon. Sarah beats the bug and completes the famous Boston Marathon in style... Report by Don Hale. https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com North Wales Road Runner Sarah Ferguson Hudson has finally completed a lifelong ambition to take part in the famous Boston Marathon in America. The popular ultra-distance veteran runner who had to overcome illness last week battled her way around this challenging course to record an excellent time of 3 hours 59 minutes and 27 seconds.  Sarah was absolutely delighted to dip under the four-hour mark and after her race she confirmed: “I am o ver the moon after my bug last week! Had to cling on for dear life to get that! It was super-hot too, and hilly but such an amazing experience. I Loved it! “Still can’t quite believe that I have run the Boston Marathon, Crazy! I need to work on shorter runs again now and will try and pick up some pace again. Way off my marathon PB pace, but I think ...

*Pictured above - some of the many hard working volunteers at the Nova parkrun. Course debutants and first timers boosted local parkruns over Easter...plus results round-up. Report by Don Hale.   https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com *Members of the NWRRC team at Nova (*above l-r): Gwen Charlton, Hannah Griffith, Carla Green, Cheryl Frost,  Daniel Hennell, and Nia Lister, with Adam Lemalle on the back row.   The Easter weekend series of local 5k parkruns attracted massive attendances again this year, with many recording record numbers of entrants including a large input of course debutants and first timers! Nova at Prestatyn and Penrhyn Castle parkruns, were probably the most popular events last weekend in North Wales, with bumper attendances also reported at Newborough Forest, who welcomed 297 runners, and Nant y Pandy 145, whilst most other local events also welcomed a large number of families, visitors and first-time participants. Conwy parkrun director  Gwyn Williams ...

*North Wales athlete Steve Gardner (*above) in the 1500m steeplechase race. Four new Welsh records by father and son at the NW Track & Field open meeting at Deeside... Report by Don Hale.  https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com   Father and son Dave and Steve Gardner celebrated once again after breaking four Welsh Masters records at the first outdoor event of the season, during the North Wales Endurance Track and Field open meeting, held at the Deeside Stadium, Connah’s Quay, on 4th April. Super veteran Dave competed in the javelin and the shot putt events and he won his M85 age category in both mixed age competitions to add to his many other previous and prestigious Welsh Masters Athletics championship victories and records.  In the Javelin, his winning throw was 15.32m, and in the shot event he recorded another successful throw of 7.19m. Steve meanwhile competed in the 1000m and in the 1500m steeplechase races, and he too won his M60 age cat in both events and smashed two...

Great performance and possible new record for Ifan Lloyd in 20-mile race... Report by David Gibson. https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com   Swansea Harrier Ifan Lloyd ran at Merthyr Tydfil in the San Domenico 10 and 20-mile road race event on 30th March and probably set a new M65, 20-mile UK record.  The route was a five mile out, and five mile back, on the Taff Trail path from the Merthyr Tydfil Leisure village, with a deceptively steep climb at around 4.5 miles. The 20-mile race repeated this for a second time. Ifan's race went to plan. His target was 2hrs10min, and he finished just under this in 2 hrs 9 mins and 44 secs, to take first position in the men 65+ age category. Pace at 4min/km was the same as his average in the World Championship M65 winning Bucharest marathon last October when he was in better shape. The previous was 2hrs 15 mins and 55 seconds. There was the added bonus of scoring for Swansea Harriers to take the team race alongside Dewi Griffiths (who had a superla...