Don Hale Blog

*Stuart Culverhouse (*in red top) leads a pack of runners at Conwy parkrun. Splashdown for North Wales athletes at Conwy parkrun. Report by Don Hale.   Colwyn Bay youngster Alfie Shiland showed his more experienced senior rivals a clean pair of heels despite the mud at the Conwy parkrun last Saturday, as he splashed around the puddle-filled 5k course to claim another notable victory. The talented JM11-14 athlete recorded an excellent time of 18 minutes and 20 seconds to finish twenty-five seconds ahead of his nearest challenger  Sam Davies , who despite recording a new PB of 18.45, was still unable to catch Alfie. Paul Jones finished 3rd in 19.36, and there were 176 finishers. Carla Green  (*pictured above) from NWRRC was the 1st female finisher, in 8th place overall, and she also won her VW50 age cat in 20.15, with a couple of other promising local juniors claiming the next places including  Olivia Jones  who was the 2nd female in 22.28, and she also won her JW15.17 cat, with Colwyn B

*Martin Green (*above in white vest) leads the pack at a previous Pier to Pier race. MESSAGE FROM ORGANISER OF PIER TO PIER 10K RACE - EVENT POSTPONED TILL NEXT JANUARY 2023. It is with regret we will have to postpone this year’s race. We have tried numerous different weekends and simply just cannot co-ordinate First Aid and transport with so many events back in the calendar following the lifting of Covid -19 restrictions. This time of year is worsened with the promenade being so busy at Llandudno, Rhos and Colwyn Bay it has been made even more difficult as we approach the summer period. For those that have entered we will postpone the race to January 2023 and entries will automatically be deferred. The date will either be the 14th  or 21st  January 2023 and will confirm as soon as the tide information has been revealed. If you wish to receive a full refund please click  here  before April  30th 2022, after this we will transfer any entries to the 2023 event. Thank you for your patienc

*Course PB for Mark Jessett at New Year’s Day parkrun in Kent. Report by Don Hale. Some photos by Steve Jeffery.   Mark Jessett was up bright and early on New Year’s Day to take part in the Bexley parkrun at Sidcup in Kent and was rewarded with a great new course PB of 18 minutes 26 seconds. The NWRRC athlete was 3rd overall out of 271 finishers, and he also won his MV35-39 age category. Mark also recorded his third PB out of his last four outings at this parkrun and knocked eleven seconds of his previous performance in Kent. The event was won by James Macdonald (Cambridge Harriers) and 1st MV40 cat in a fast time of 17.10, with Alexander Barber, SM25-29, 2nd overall in 18.00, with Mark  Jessett 3rd. *Mark Jessett in action at a previous Conwy  Parkrun. Tour De Llyn Llydaw race. Well known local athletes   Nic Brook   and his partner   Gemma Brown   competed together in the Tour De Llyn Llydaw fell race on New Year’s Day. The experienced endurance runners completed a tough 5-mile cours

Parkrun finally returned to North Wales and Bryn smashed course record. Report by Don Hale. Photographs by Steve Jeffery.   Parkrun finally returned to Wales, and to the Conwy RSPB site on Saturday for the first time in about seventeen months due to Covid-19 restrictions, and despite light rain and a puddle-ridden course, the event was welcomed by 310 muddy finishers, including many tourists, and several athletes from top clubs across the UK. Colwyn Bay AC’s teenage athlete  Bryn Woodall  (*pictured top of page) stole the show however, and recorded a tremendous new course record of just 15 minutes 16 seconds over this picturesque 5k route, which was voted ‘runner-up’ last year in the Parkrun “World Cup” contest. The SM18-19 runner knocked more than two minutes off his own previous personal best time at Conwy, set in January last year, and he also smashed the previous course record set more than six years ago by Andi Jones of 15.52 in August 2015. Bryn, who is about to leave Wales short