Don Hale Blog

*North Wales Road runner Mal Preece (*above) at the London Marathon. Mixed emotions but a great experience for athletes at the London Marathon...plus other results and updates... Report by Don Hale. https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com www.welshmastersathletics.co.uk   Seven North Wales Road Runners competed in the televised London Marathon last Sunday amongst a mass participation of some 50,000 runners, who raised tens of thousands of pounds for various worthy charities, with many athletes recalling mixed emotions and personal best times! Mal Preece  was the first NWRRC member home with an excellent time of 3 hours and 20 minutes, and he celebrated following a great new PB time. Afterwards he confirmed:  “Very pleased with a new six-minute PB. I ran my first marathon back in 2011 at Chester, and to date I’ve knocked 20 minutes off that time. Looking to chip away my latest PB again next year with GFA time. My goal was to get my qualifying time for Berlin next year, which I achieved. ” *Pic

*Will Williams (*above), was the first NWRRC athlete at Conwy parkrun. Unusually dry conditions at Conwy parkrun boosted the numbers and finishing times... Report by Don Hale. https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com www.welshmastersathletics.co.uk   North Wales Road Runners only entered nine athletes this week at the Conwy parkrun due to other commitments including the London Marathon the following day, but they still claimed four age category wins and recorded some excellent finishing times. This ever-popular weekly event attracted another bumper attendance with 239 mixed ability runners taking part in this spectacular 5k riverside course, which again proved unusually dry despite mixed weather conditions all week. NWRRC athlete  Will Williams  enjoyed a good result in 2nd place overall and won his VM50 cat in 18 minutes and 36 seconds, with  Stuart Culverhouse  4th, and 2nd in the same cat as Will in 20.21, and  Adam Lemalle  also celebrated another great new PB time of 21.22 and won his VM4

*Martin Green (*above), crosses the finishing line at Colwyn Bay. Great performance by Martin Green to win the Pier2Pier half-marathon...and some other excellent club results... Report by Don Hale. Photos by John Hatton and Dave Jones. https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com *The NWRRC team (*above) at Colwyn Bay for the Pier2Pier half-marathon.   North Wales Road Runner Martin Green quickly bounced back to top form last Sunday to win the new Pier2Pier half-marathon race following a close a battle with his club colleague Jonathan Kettle and the third placed finisher Chris Pownall. Martin, who has only just returned to racing following a period of ill health, looked comfortable all the way along this challenging promenade course from the Eirias Park Stadium to Llandudno Pier and back, despite a blustery wind, and dodging the aftermath of storm damage. He was one of ten NWRRC members who competed in this well organised event by RunWales, and he was pleased with his time of 1 hour 17 minutes and

*Martin and Carla Green (*above), were welcomed back to Conwy parkrun. The Green duo welcomed back at Conwy parkrun in cool, blustery but relatively dry conditions... Report by Don Hale.  https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com www.welshmastersathletics.co.uk It was another good turn-out at Conwy parkrun last Saturday as nearly 300 athletes of mixed ages and abilities enjoyed an unusually dry 5k riverside course, yet they still had to contend with a rather cool and blustery wind. The event welcomed back  North Wales Road Runners  Martin and Carla Green  following a period of absence, and this formidable duo formed part of a club team of twelve entrants, who collected two age category wins, three second places and two third. They both took it steady, like many other runners this week, due to additional race commitments the following day, with  Martin  finishing 6th overall, and he was 2nd in his VM45 cat in 20 minutes and 39 seconds, whilst  Carla  won her VW50 cat in 62nd place in 25.05.  Wil

Crazy weekend and results round-up as Road Runners battled against the elements... Report by Don Hale. https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com www.welshmastersathletics.co.uk It was a super-crazy, and very busy weekend for a host of North Wales Road Runners last week, as many were winding down their marathon training plans to concentrate  on a few varied distance  races, only to be hit by Storm Kathleen, and faced a succession of gale force winds, and driving hail, or rain. Tom Aindow faced mixed weather on the coast at  Brighton where despite an injury collected near the start of his full marathon race, but he bravely continued to record a decent finishing time. And plaudits too, to Jon Evans at the Berlin half-marathon, where he too faced his demons following a debilitating illness, to complete his 'target race' in a good time. Ben and Sarah Hudson , also faced a tough encounter from strong winds, with Sarah also collecting some unwanted blisters just weeks before her London marath