Don Hale Blog

*A group photograph of all the supporters who turned out to remember their friend and colleague John Dalzell on Llandudno Promenade last Wednesday night. Good turn-out on the prom in midweek for a 5k tribute run in memory of John Dalzell. Report by Don Hale.  https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com www.welshmastersathletics.co.uk   About sixty people attended a special tribute and social 5k run/walk on Llandudno Promenade last Wednesday night in memory of a popular North Wales Road Runner John Dalzell, who tragically lost his life last month. John was a well-known ultra-distance athlete and a regular parkrunner at Conwy, who always had time for people, and often gave loads of encouragement to fellow runners, before, during, and after any events.  This special commemorative 5k was arranged by club colleagues and close friends of John, in  Jonathan Kettle  and  Tony Price Jones , and attracted plenty of supporters from numerous clubs and organisations that he was previously associated with, inc

North Wales Junior Mountain Running championships – Girls and Boys.  Saturday 16th  September 2023.  Registration at the Great Orme Summit café from 9am. https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com www.welshmastersathletics.co.uk Event organiser Mike Blake has kindly provided  details  about the NW Junior Mountain Running championships on 16th September. Entries are now being taken for the 16th running of this event on the Great Orme Sat 16th September. for ages 6-18 years.  Entry is £3, with trophies for the  1st 3 in all age groups with certificates and free entry for all to the Great Orme Mines, and the event is also open to guest runners.  *Register with all child's details on, northwalesjuniors@gmail.com , or call or message me for further details, Mike Blake. * https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com

*Pictured above - a popular section of the golden sands of Llandudno beach and how much of it used to look before Conwy Council dumped 50,000 tonnes of rocks on it. Ian Turner's important campaign to help fund the removal of quarry rocks and the restoration of sand and groynes to Llandudno North Shore - just 800 signatures needed. Special report by Don Hale.   https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com *Campaigner Ian Turner (*above) is shown by his petition marquee on Llandudno prom. LATEST UPDATE: FRIDAY 18TH AUGUST: JUST 800 MORE SIGNATURES REQUIRED: PLEASE SUPPORT THIS URGENT APPEAL... Well-known former entertainer, sportsman, Llandudno Town Councillor, Lions C lub  member, Rotarian, and popular MC and charity fundraiser, Ian Turner, has set up a special promotional stand and marquee on Llandudno promenade to highlight the current and disappointing state of the town's once glorious beach! Ian, like so many thousands of other local residents and regular visitors, is campaigning to hig

*Runners wanted for the club relay in August - pictured is Helen Hannam (*above left) with Nicola Wylie. North Wales Road Runners - Summer Relay. The NW Road runners will be staging their Summer Relay on the prom early next month - Tuesday 1st August.  Meet near the Cenotaph at 6.30pm with the relay to start at 7pm, followed by free sausage and chips at the RAOB Club on Madoc Street Llandudno. The relay will be made up of teams of 3 club members per team, with the 1st leg being 1k, 2nd 1 mile, and the final leg 2.5 miles approx. So that arrangements can be made, please confirm in the comments (or by FB messenger) your attendance by the 25th of July.  To arrange the teams, we could also do with knowing your most recent 5k times. Please also confirm any dietary requirements and any guests attending with you for food.        *Flashback to some previous relay action on Llandudno prom (above l-r) Josh Keogh, Kay Hatton and Richard Eccles.

*GOG athlete Craig Rutter (*above) returned to action at  the Nick Beer 10k race and he was one of many GOG Triathlon members who ran last Sunday. Nick Beer 10k charity success as GOG Triathlon runners tackled the Orme in bright sunshine. Report by Don Hale.    Over five-hundred mixed ability runners enjoyed bright sunshine and some spectacular scenery around the Great Orme in Llandudno last Sunday for the ever-popular Nick Beer 10k race. The large crowds of tourists and supporters on the promenade were treated to a feast of entertainment as the mass ranks quickly dashed past the pier and began the challenging ascent and later descent of the Orme prior to returning to the start via Church Walks. There was a large turnout of GOG Triathlon athletes and  Grant Little  was the first club home on 38.05 and he also won his MV40 age cat, with  Jonathan Seymour  close behind in 17th place and 2nd in the same age cat as grant in 38.14, and  Keith Quinton  was the 3rd GOG runner in 39.48. The 1s

Runners set for the Nick Beer 10k Memorial Race. Report by Don Hale.   The Nick Beer 10k memorial race around the Great Orme will take place on Sunday (Feb 12) with over four-hundred runners competing for honours and aiming to raise thousands of pounds for local charities. This popular event, now in its 31st year, has previously been controlled by North Wales Road runners, but this year the management has now passed to  Always Aim High , who confirm they are proud to add this event to their portfolio under the community events section.  The 10k race begins at 12 noon and will be preceded by a children’s 1k fun run with funds raised for St David’s Hospice. The main run is a not-for-profit and will continue to support local charities as well as NWRRC, and the 2023 event will support  Shine, St David’s Hospice, Ty Gobaith, and St John’s Ambulance. Starting and finishing on Llandudno promenade, opposite the Imperial Hotel, and incorporating a tough climb around the spectacular Great Orme a

Entries open for the Nick Beer 10k  memorial race around the Great Orme in Llandudno. Review by Don Hale. Photo by Steve Jeffery.     https://alwaysaimhighevents.com/events/nickbeer10k   Race organisers Always Aim High have taken over the running control of the annual Nick Beer 10k memorial race from North Wales Road Runners who have successfully managed this unique event for the past 23 years.  The new race date of  Sunday 12th February 2023,  with a 12-noon start, has been confirmed for this popular event, but prospective entrants are advised to register their interest as soon as possible. A statement from the organisers, states: “Always Aim High Events are proud to present a new road running event in our race calendar - the iconic  Nick Beer 10k . The event, which is now in its 31st year, has previously controlled by the NWRRC, and we are proud to add this fantastic race to our portfolio under our community events section.  “This is a not-for-profit event which will continue to supp

*NWRRC Christmas handicap race winner Nicola Wylie (*above), and (*below) club members pictured before the start of the race. Nicola wins Road Runners Christmas handicap race in freezing conditions on the Great Orme. Report by Don Hale. Photos by Don Hale, Mike Smith, and Kevin Slattery.   Nicola Wylie was the worthy winner of the North Wales Road Runners’ Christmas handicap race last Sunday as twenty-one fellow club members braved freezing conditions and a bitterly cold headwind to compete over a tough and hilly course. With all the start and finishing times adjusted to consider the age and ability of entrants in conjunction with noting recent parkrun performances, the runners then had to tackle a very challenging route from West Shore to the former WW2 gun sites on the Great Orme and back. The race proved to be a close-run event and  Nicola  ran with an unintentional pace-maker  Cheryl Frost , who was recovering from a fall and simply took part as a non-counting athlete.  *Nicola Wyl

*Lizzie Irvine from GOG Triathlon was the first club runner back at Conwy. Podium places for GOG athletes at Conwy parkun. Report by Don Hale.  https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com   GOG Triathlon runners packed well at Conwy parkrun last Saturday despite preparations for the Conwy half-marathon the following day and claimed four podium places including three second place finishes. Many of the parkrun finishing times however, probably reflected the preparation needed for this tough challenge around the Great Orme just 24-hours later and included tackling the usual rather soggy and puddle-filled 5k course. Lizzie Irvine  led a team of seven GOGs members home with another superb display as the 5th female runner, in 32nd place overall in 23 minutes and 18 seconds to finish 3rd in her VW35 age cat.  Gareth Jones  (*pictured below right) finished 50th in 24.38, with  Sarah Gallacher  53rd, and 2nd in her VW40 age cat in 25.06. John Farrell  ran well in 60th place in 25.23 with  Clare Parsley  6