Don Hale Blog

*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

*Gwyn Williams (*pictured above) at Conwy parkrun. Praise for hard working Event Directors at Conwy parkrun. Report by Don Hale.   Conwy parkrun officials announced some changes to the event director’s positions at this popular event and paid tribute to several important volunteers and their dedicated service. Parkrun official and regular run director Gwyn Williams stated: “Well done to everyone who joined us to run, jog, and walk the course this morning on a crisp and beautifully morning. We had fifty first timers taking part and an incredible thirty-four runners recorded new PBs. Thanks also to the twenty-two wonderful volunteers who made the magic happen." *Event Directors Mark Jessett (*above left) and Bethan Wyn Roberts at Conwy. Gwyn added: “I would like to offer congratulations to today’s Run Director  Mark Jessett , who completed his 100th volunteering stint. Some of you may not be aware that Mark, along with Bethan Wyn Roberts took on the baton of the Event Directorship

*GOG athlete Jose Eduardo Vega Perez (*above) was the first club runner back at Conwy parkrun. Snooker champion Ronnie O’Sullivan at Conwy parkrun as GOG’s claimed four age cat wins. Report by Don Hale. Photos by Steve  JEFFERY.   Nine GOG members took part in the Conwy parkrun last Saturday and recorded four excellent age category wins on a dry but windy event that also welcomed snooker star Ronnie O’Sullivan. Numbers were boosted by many tourist entrants during the half-term weekend with the run attracting 233 mixed ability runners from various parts of the UK, including  Ronnie (*pictured below)  who had been performing at Venue Cymru in the Welsh Open championships. Jose Eduardo Vega Perez  was the first club man home and finished 1st in his MV35 age cat in 19.38. He was followed by  Lizzie Irvine  who also won her VW35 cat in 23.56 in 47th place overall, with  Andrea Cody  claiming the 2nd spot in the same cat as Lizzie finishing 59th in 25.05. Nicola Tomlinson  was 86th and 3rd i

*Youngsters led the way to fast times (*above) at a soggy Halloween parkrun at Conwy. Report and photographs by Don Hale.   It was rather soggy Conwy parkrun with mist and a steady drizzle, yet this heavy weather still failed to deter a hardy bunch of regular and travelling athletes from enjoying a Halloween special event last Saturday morning. And despite another waterlogged 5k course, a posse of five youngsters, including one from Yorkshire, and another from the West Midlands, ensured it made for a fast pace at the top end of the scale, with twelve runners dipping under twenty-minutes. Teenager  Dion Griffith  claimed 1st place, and he also won his SM18-19 age cat in just 16 minutes and 27 seconds, which was quite a remarkable time in those conditions. He was followed by  Alex Mosley  (Doncaster AC) in 17.21 and 2nd SM18-19 cat, with local youngster  Alfie Shiland  (Colwyn Bay AC) finishing 3rd, but he won his JM11-14 age cat in 17.50. The next two places also went to some exceptiona

Conwy parkrunners’ battled atrocious weather conditions. Report by Don Hale. Photos by Steve Jeffery.    Conwy parkrun attracted 146 determined finishers last Saturday morning despite athletes having to battle with atrocious weather conditions. It was certainly not a day for any fair-weather runners with the course near waterlogged, and coupled with wind, rain, sleet, and bitterly cold temperatures. This half-term fixture however, welcomed tourist runners from as far afield as Taunton, Newcastle, Bromsgrove, Chester, and Abingdon, with just twenty-two seconds separating the top three finishers, and six men dipping under the twenty-minute marker. *Mark Jessett was the first NWRRC athlete back at the Conwy Parkrun. Jonathan Tyler  (Betsi Runaways) claimed 1st place in 18 minutes 11 seconds and was 1st in his MV35-39 age category.  James Smith  (Menai Track and Field) was 2nd overall and 1st in his SM18-19 cat in 18.29, with  Pete Vale (Bromsgrove & Redditch) just four-seconds behind