NW Road Running duo ran well in the Chester Marathon.

By Don Hale


*Pictured above -Steve Bozier at the Chester Marathon.

NW Road Running duo ran well in the Chester Marathon.

Special report by Don Hale.

donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2025

 

Two North Wales Road Runners tackled the windswept Chester Marathon on Sunday and they both performed well, especially given the extremely challenging conditions.

Steve Bozier was a little apprehensive about running this distance at first after taking some time out from longer races, but he ran well in chip positions of 844th out of 6,698 entrants in 3 hours 26 minutes and 12 seconds, and afterwards he said: A great day back racing again, my first marathon in a year, and only my second race this year. 

“I really enjoyed that and only entered two weeks ago with just six weeks of training as a warm-up for the Eryri Marathonin three weeks. I took it relatively easy and paced it well to get my second fastest marathon time. Rest now, recover, and onto the next one!" 

Jon Evans (*Pictured right) also celebrated following his fine effort as a 4.45 pacer at the Chester Marathon and confirmed: “Really pleased. I felt super strong today. My heart rate averaged 135. Next up, Conwy Half pacing. 4 hours 43 minutes and 48 seconds, is a long time on your feet, but I really enjoyed it and feel really good now.”


*Chester Metric Marathon: Mandy Owen ran in the associated Chester Metric Marathon and despite some earlier reservations, she ran well overall in those tough conditions and finished in 3 hours 20 minutes and 24 seconds.


*This is a link to the all the provisional results from the Chester races:

https://ale.niftyentries.com/Results/2025-MBNA-Chester-Marathon?#


*Heaton Park 10k: Kevin Higgins travelled to North Manchester for the Heaton Park 10k and despite competing over a hilly course with a buffeting wind, he later spoke his battle, saying: “A bit of a tough one this morning in the Heaton Park 10k Race in Manchester. Very undulating and quite windy. A few puddles to contend with on the way around. My time was a bit down on recent weeks in 61 minutes and 40 seconds, and I was 4th in my VM60 age cat.


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.

Comments

Post a Comment

Your comments are welcomed

Most recent posts

Festive demands and the weather kept numbers down at NW parkruns.

By Don Hale
Image
*Pictured above - Run Directors Richard Peevor and Dougie Graham at Rhos. Festive demands and the weather kept numbers down at NW parkruns... Report by Don Hale. Rhos parkrun photos courtesy of Pat Finnie. donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2025   It was a cool, damp morning at most of the local parkruns last Saturday, with numbers down at the majority of them, probably due to festive demands and the problematic weather conditions, with some flooding on numerous 5k courses. Conwy may have suffered the most, with entrants down for the third week on the trot, and only 80 determined athletes – including 24 visitors – who completed the swampy riverside route at the RSPB, whilst Nant y Pandy’s event was cancelled altogether! The new  Llandrillo yn Rhos parkrun  still remains a novelty but entrants were down from last week’s launch of 501 to 345, and the stats were very interesting with 240 first timers, and nearly half of the previous week’s entrants recorded new PB’s this week! *S...
Read more

Dave Hughes ran 100-miles for the Pancreatic Cancer charity.

By Don Hale
Image
*Pictured above - joint restaurant owner and athlete Dave  Hughes with his family at Conwy parkrun after completing his 100-mile fundraising race for charity. Joint restaurant owner Dave Hughes ran 100-miles for the Pancreatic Cancer charity.. Report by Don Hale.  donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2025   Well done to popular local athlete and restaurant owner Dave Hughes who has completed an amazing 100-mile ultra running challenge to help raise funds for Pancreatic Cancer in memory of his father-in-law Alun Yu. Dave, who jointly owns the  Paysanne restaurant at Deganwy , finally achieved his mileage target at Conwy parkrun, where he was welcomed by family members on the finish line, with the exciting news that his sterling efforts are now close to raising nearly £1,000 via his JustGiving charity for this worthy cause. On his fundraising page he confirmed the reasons for his gallant efforts and explained:  “ This year, I lost someone special - my father-in-law – and it w...
Read more

North Wales duo completed the gruelling Sea to Summit Challenge.

By Don Hale
Image
*Pictured above and below - Cheryl Frost and Kay Hatton North Wales Road Running duo completed the gruelling Sea to Summit Challenge... Report by Don Hale.  donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2025 Two top veteran female athletes from North Wales Road Runners completed the gruelling Sea to Summit Offa’s Dyke Challenge on Sunday. This was a very demanding race for Welsh international, club colleagues and friends  Cheryl Frost  and  Kay Hatton , as the event covered 14-miles and some 3,700ft of ascent, and took the pair 3 hours and 40 minutes! After the event, Kay said:  “Cheryl and I have just finished the Challenge. It was a race, but most of us either ran/walked as there were numerous steep gradients and was very muddy! ”        
Read more

The Adventures of Skye and Other Tales of Enchantment - exciting new children's paperback by Sebastian Stumblebum.

By Don Hale
Image
Coast and Country spotlight book feature: The Adventures of Skye and Other Tales of Enchantment  - exciting  new children's p aperback by Sebastian Stumblebum - with some superb illustrations by Cerys Edwards. donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2025   The Adventures of Skye and Other Tales of Enchantment is the latest book from established children’s author Sebastian Stumblebum.    Talented artist Cerys Edwards created the illustrations throughout the book. Join Skye the fairy and the other fantastic characters on their adventures of fun, enchantment and mystery. Suitable for children of all ages. Now available from Amazon:   https://amzn.to/4pgMkjy Coast and Country spotlight book feature:    Cronkle and the Hedgehog   – another new p aperback by Sebastian Stumblebum with some superb illustrations by Cerys Edwards.   donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2025   Now available from Amazon: https://amzn.to/3Meh9qG   Cronkle and the Hedgehog is the lat...
Read more

What being a teacher is really like: YEAH, BUT YOU GET LOADS OF HOLIDAYS THOUGH: By Bill Simon.

By Don Hale
Image
Coast and Country spotlight book feature:  donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2025 What being a teacher is really like: -  YEAH, BUT YOU GET LOADS OF HOLIDAYS THOUGH:  By Bill Simon. Now available on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4pS1PP0 Synopsis:  As children we are oblivious to the inner workings of teaching and school life. Leaving the impression that teaching is easy, with short hour days, high pay, no pressure and all the holidays you could ever want. What really happens in the safety of the staff room? When stepping into the job you are met with a barrage of challenge, responsibility, accountability, reward, politics, abusive children, delightful children, stress, and anxiety. All of which you had no recollection of from your own school days, and never fully anticipated when posing in your cap and gown upon completing teacher training. Yeah but you get loads of holidays though, is a record of the typical highs and lows of being a teacher. Exposing the frustrations of being go...
Read more

BMAF 10km championships - Goodwood Motor Circuit, Chichester 1st Feb 2026 - Don't delay!

By Don Hale
Image
*Pictured above - a previous 10k start on the Goodwood Race Circuit. BMAF 10km championships - Goodwood Motor Racing Circuit at Chichester 1st February 2026. donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2025 In its eighth year based at the Goodwood Motor Circuit, the 2024 race attracted a huge field of athletes, including some of the best masters athletes in each age group from across the UK.   We have already 63 entries for the BMAF 10k Championships to be promoted on Sunday 1st February 2026 at the Goodwood Motor Circuit, Chichester, Sussex.  Due to parking limitations at the venue, the event does have a strict entry limit.  Those 63 entries wanted to be the very first to enter before we announced there were only 600 race bibs left. The race organiser says they could all go before the end of the year.   So if you want to be part of a 5 Star competitive 10k experience on a traffic free fast course  please act fast.   We are awarding medals on this occasion based on chip timin...
Read more

Cronkle and the Hedgehog is the latest illustrated children’s adventure book by Sebastian Stumblebum,

By Don Hale
Image
Coast and Country spotlight book feature:    Cronkle and the Hedgehog   – another new p aperback by Sebastian Stumblebum with some superb illustrations by Cerys Edwards.   donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2025   Now available from Amazon:   https://amzn.to/3Meh9qG   Cronkle and the Hedgehog is the latest book from established children’s author Sebastian Stumblebum, and forms part of the ‘Cronkle’ series of books.    Illustrated throughout with colour artwork created by talented artist Cerys Edwards. Follow Cronkle and his friends as they hurry to rescue Spike the Hedgehog, who has become trapped in a dangerous net. Suitable for children of all ages. Coast and Country spotlight book feature: The Adventures of Skye and Other Tales of Enchantment  -  exciting  new children's p aperback by Sebastian Stumblebum - with some superb illustrations by Cerys Edwards. donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2025   The Adventures of Skye and Other Tales of E...
Read more

SPECIAL AMAZON FESTIVE OFFERS ON GARMIN WATCHES

By Don Hale
Image
SPECIAL AMAZON FESTIVE OFFERS ON GARMIN WATCHES...Top discounts available now. Order your festive GARMIN WATCHES NOW in time for Christmas - check the varied range of superb watches now available at SPECIAL discount prices on these unique links.  *Promoted by  Amazon in conjunction  by Coast and Country online magazine.    Email:  amazononlinebooks@btinternet.com   donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2025   *CLICK THE LINKS TO SEE BENEFIT FROM THE LATEST DISCOUNTED OFFERS...up to 30% discount on selected items.  Garmin Venu 3S GPS 41mm Smartwatch , AMOLED Touchscreen, All-day Advanced Health & Fitness Features, Voice Functionality, Music Storage, Wellness Smartwatch with up to 10 days battery life, French Grey.  800+ bought   in past month . AMAZON’S CHOICE. *£339.00 check SPECIAL offer details   https://amzn.to/4oPpU7Y Garmin Forerunner 55 GPS 42mm Running Smartwatch, Easy to use, Lightweight, Training Guidance, Safety & Trackin...
Read more

Conwy Urban Night Score – Explore the Medieval streets of Conwy – 8th January 2026.

By Don Hale
Image
Conwy Urban Night Score – Explore the Medieval streets of Conwy – 8th January 2026. Unique orienteering event. By Gwennan Charlton. donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2025   For anyone who’s been thinking of doing one of the Orienteering Urban Night races, we’re coming to Conwy on the 8th of January! Link for more info/entries here:   https://facebook.com/events/s/conwy-urban-night-score/1186436856278025/ *Gwennan Charlton (*above left), is helping to promote the Conwy event, with Lizzie Bennett, who is a keen urban orienteer. Get ready for the first orienteering event of 2026!  We're exploring the medieval streets of Conwy for this one. And it's going retro- pen, paper and clues only! No map run.   I've got a series of clues- both educational and non-educational for you to gather around town. Think treasure hunt, but the pot of gold is a lamp post!   Entries are open online at :   https://pre-entries.co.uk/dl/events Online entries shut at 8pm on 7th January so ...
Read more

50TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL - MURDER IN THE GRAVEYARD - 50-years since a brutal murder, a wrongful conviction and a 27-year fight for justice

By Don Hale
Image
A GRIPPING TRUE-CRIME INVESTIGATION INTO THE LONGEST MISCARRIAGE OF JUSTICE IN BRITISH LEGAL HISTORY - NOW BEING LINKED TO YORKSHIRE RIPPER PETER SUTCLIFFE. * The book and campaign was featured on the Mark Dolan show on GB News on 10/2/24. This is the link:  https://twitter.com/GBNEWS/status/1756443424654233978 *Don Hale’s campaign and incredible story were also featured by ITV’s Judge Robert Rinder on his recent true crime series. *Read Don Hale's revised and thrilling true-crime  book –  MURDER IN THE GRAVEYARD , published in 2019 by Harper Collins.   https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com In September 1973, Stephen Downing was convicted and indefinitely sentenced for the murder of Wendy Sewell, a young legal secretary in the town of Bakewell in the Peak District. Wendy was attacked in broad daylight in Bakewell Cemetery. Stephen Downing, the 17-year-old groundskeeper with learning difficulties and a reading age of 11, was the primary suspect. He was immediately arrested...
Read more