Don Hale Blog

*The NWRRC quartet pictured above (l-r): Nia Lister, Kay  Hatton, Cheryl Frost and Mike Hayton. NWRRC quartet tackled an 8-mile challenge for the South Snowdonia Search & Rescue Team. Report by Don Hale. https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com www.welshmastersathletics.co.uk   North Wales Road Runners entered a quartet of hardy athletes in the SSART Trawsfynydd Multi-Terrain 8-mile race last Sunday afternoon amongst an entry of 232 finishers who helped to raise essential funds for the South Snowdonia Search & Rescue team. Described as a beautiful multi-terrain race starting from the Magnox Power Station and then around Trawsfynydd Lake in the Eryri/Snowdonia National Park, the course was claimed to be fast, with just one challenging hill over a mixed tarmac and trail route. The NWRRC team  performed well despite the very blustery conditions, combined at times with hail showers, but  Cheryl Frost  led her group home in 68th place, as the 9th female athlete, with an excellent chip time

*Pictured above - Jonathan Kettle at Conwy parkrun. Conwy parkrunners battled against Storm Kathleen. Report by Don Hale. https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com www.welshmastersathletics.co.uk   It was wild and extremely windy at Conwy parkrun last Saturday as nearly 300 mixed ability athletes braved Storm Kathleen on this blustery riverside 5k course. Once again, this popular event attracted a host of visiting runners from across the UK, but they all faced the usual swamp-like, waterlogged course, following several days of heavy and unrelenting rain, combined with 40-mph plus head and side winds! North Wales Road Runners  entered eleven members and J onathan Kettle  led the team home with an amazing performance considering the atrocious conditions under foot to finish in 3rd place overall, and he also won his VM45 age cat in just 18 minutes and 19 seconds. Will Williams  was also in good form, and he won his VM50 cat in 6th place in 19.02, with  Steve Mason  10th in 19.45, and 3rd in his VM

*Pictured above and below - volunteer and photographer John Hatton captures the unique atmosphere as the  large number of runners begin their Easter dash at Conwy parkrun last Saturday morning. Bumper Easter turn-out at Conwy parkrun boosted by a host of visiting UK club and social entrants. Report by Don Hale. Main photos by John Hatton. https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com www.welshmastersathletics.co.uk   It proved to be another bumper Easter attendance at Conwy parkrun last Saturday as some 435 entrants from all parts of the UK, tackled  the   picturesque  but soggy 5k riverside route to help celebrate the Bank Holiday weekend, and they  just missed out on setting a new attendance record! Parkrun official Mark Jessett  confirmed: " Saturday was our second highest attendance, and our highest since we restarted post-2020. Our highest attendance was at Easter in 2019.  "Overall, across the UK, parkrun saw its highest attendances since the restart. Many parkruns in North Wales (D

*Carla Green (*above) finished as the first female at the Nova parkrun. North Wales Road Runners travelled to various parkruns. Report by Don Hale. https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com www.welshmastersathletics.co.uk   It was another very busy weekend with many club runners travelling to take part in numerous parkruns around the country.   *Prestatyn: Carla Green  was the first female finisher at the  Nova parkrun  at Prestatyn last Saturday, in 13th place overall, and she also won her VW50 age cat with another excellent performance in 21.39, and she was just ten-seconds off her PB. This result mirrored her run the previous week at the  Aberystwyth parkrun , where she also claimed the first female title, and she was 12th overall, in 21.05. *Ben Hudson (*above left) with Sarah Ferguson Hudson. *Keswick: Ben and Sarah Hudson   made their course debuts at the  Whinlatter Forest parkrun  near Keswick but faced mixed results on a very tough and challenging route. Ben finished 21st overall in 25

Llyr ApGeraint-Roberts (*pictured above) wins qualification to the GB Team for 2025 Duathlon Championships. Report by Don Hale. https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com www.welshmasterathletics.co.uk North Wales Road Runner Llyr ApGeraint-Roberts has gained qualification to the GB Team after finishing 3rd in his respective age category during a 2025 Duathlon Championships qualifying event, held last Sunday on the East Fortune Race Circuit, near Edinburgh. Welsh master Llyr competed in a 5k run, followed by a 21k bike ride, and a final 2.5k run, with his excellent times, and age cat position ensuring him an automatic qualification. His very fast times for each event included his first run of 5k in just 18 minutes, the 21k cycle race in 36 minutes, and the final 2.5k run in 9 minutes. After the event, he confirmed: “I secured my qualification for the 2025 championships by finishing in the top-four of my age group at this event (I missed out at Castle Combe at the beginning of March). “Overall, I

*Some of the NWRRC team pictured above at Colwyn  Bay (back row l-r): Dave Jones, Phil and Carol Moss, Rob Fryer, Rachel Morris, Sarah Jones, Daniel  Henley, and (*front row), Don Hale, Mike Hayton and Cheryl Frost. Medals galore and PBs for NW Road Runners at the Colwyn Bay Metric races... Report by Don Hale. Most photos by Lesley Goodson. https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com www.welshmasterathletics.co.uk   Nearly three-hundred mixed ability runners took part in the challenging Colwyn Bay Metric Marathon, and Metric Half-Marathon races, run together last Sunday in cool and very breezy conditions. Well-organised by RunWales, and well supported by numerous volunteers and marshalls, including a generous number from Porth Eirias Runners, the entrants had to battle with very strong and blustery headwinds on the re-routed four-mile outward course towards Penrhyn Bay from the start on the running track at the Eirias Park Stadium. The Metric half-marathon  (13.1 kms/8.13 miles), attracted 87 run