Don Hale Blog

 *Pictured above - Gwennan Charlton and her family at the Penrhyn Castle event. Penrhyn Castle Dark Run Join the Penrhyn Castle Dark Run – Light Up the Night for Hope House Children’s Hospices! Get ready for a magical evening at the stunning Penrhyn Castle as we light up the night for a truly special cause. The Dark Run is a family-friendly event in support of Hope House Children’s Hospices, offering a fun and unique 3K route (or 1.5K for little legs) through the beautiful castle grounds – all after dark!   October 18th 2025, 6pm Our warm up will begin at 6.10pm and at 6.30pm sharp we will start the run! Every participant will receive a bespoke glow-in-the-dark medal and a goody bag to remember the night. Dress up in your brightest, most glowing outfits (optional, but encouraged!) and help us bring light and hope to local families who need it most. We kindly ask each runner to raise as much as they can – every penny goes towards supporting th...

*Pictured. above - flashback to a previous Conwy Dark Run for charity. Conwy Dark Run 2025. Join the Conwy Dark Run – Light Up the Night for Hope House Children’s Hospices! Get ready for a magical evening at the Conwy Quay as we light up the night for a truly special cause. The Dark Run is a family-friendly event in support of Hope House Children’s Hospices, offering a fun and unique 4K route (or 2K for little legs) with the estuary backdrop – all after dark! October 25th 2025, 6pm.   https://www.hopehouse.org.uk/conwy-dark-run-2025 Our warm up will begin at 6.10pm and at 6.30pm sharp we will start the run! Every participant will receive a bespoke glow-in-the-dark medal and a goody bag to remember the night. Dress up in your brightest, most glowing outfits (optional, but encouraged!) and help us bring light and hope to local families who need it most. We kindly ask each runner to raise as much as they can – every penny goes towards supporting th...

*John Hatton (*above far right), who completed his 350th volunteering role last week is pictured with some of the many friendly volunteers at Penrhyn Castle parkrun. Young athletes star at North Wales parkruns: plus results round-up from around the region... There were some fast times and several top three finishes for young male and female athletes at various parkruns across North Wales last Saturday morning. With the fine weather and dry conditions continuing for the past few weeks, it was the turn of several promising youngsters to show their more experienced rivals a clean pair of heels. William Delamere  was perhaps the pick of the bunch, where the JM15-17 athlete was the first runner home at the  Newborough Forest parkrun  in just 17 minutes and 31 seconds, and his  sister Lucy Delamere  also ran well as the third female in the same event, with the JW11-14 athlete recording another good time of 21.55. Fred Reese  was another fine junior athlete on the...

*Pictured above - super veteran John Hatton at Penrhyn Castle. John Hatton celebrated his 350th volunteer role at Penrhyn parkrun...plus other results... Report by Don Hale. https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com   Super veteran John Hatton, a well-known local race director and a prolific charity organiser/fundraiser, celebrated his 350th role as a volunteer at the  Penrhyn Castle  parkrun event last Saturday morning. VM80 athlete John, who also represents  North Wales Road Runners  (NWRRC), said he was delighted to have been given the opportunity to reach this parkrun milestone at Penrhyn, and he confirmed: “It was my 350th volunteering opportunity, and I was so thrilled to achieve this number at this particular venue, as they are always so welcoming.” He later helped out with barcode scanning and was also able to witness an exciting fast paced finish by the top three male athletes, which included the first two sharing the exact same times.  Visitor  Daniel...

*Pictured above - the NWRRC relay team and supporters on Llandudno prom. Hot pace on a warm night for the club relay teams. Report by Don Hale. https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com   Members of North Wales Road Runners took part in their annual team relay challenge last Tuesday night on Llandudno promenade amidst glorious sunshine and very warm conditions. Eighteen runners competed in six teams of three, with their previous average times over 5k estimated to help equalise the competition. The event, which included each runner targeting a specific distance, was well organised by  Carla Green , with support from  John Hatton ,  Elizabeth Driscoll and others , was eventually won by a team consisting of  Gwennan Charlton, Molly Evans, and Kevin Slattery , who finished in an overall time of 28 minutes and 34 seconds. The runners-up team included:  Mark Davies, Richard Scamans, and Molly Evans in a combined time of 28.34,  with all the team finishing quite close...

*Pictured above - some of the new SAVE CONWY PARKUN group after their meeting last Saturday morning at the RSPB site at Conwy. *Blogstory about the SAVE CONWY PARKRUN campaign on the NWNW back page. Conwy parkrun under threat due to new proposals  Report by Don Hale https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com   The future of Conwy parkrun is currently under threat after Welsh Parkrun officials have decided to impose new changes to this picturesque 5k course, which include plans for a different start area on Conwy Cob, with alternative car parking arrangements. This parkrun has been out of action for about twelve weeks due to construction work on part of the course for a multi-million-pound cycle track, but just as runners were preparing to re-start their activities, they have now been hit a series of interventions, restrictions, and demands on the event organisers by parkrun officials who have continued the suspension of this popular event. Just a few years ago however, this event was vo...

RLNI Llandudno 5K & 1K Fun Run Sunday 28th September 2025 Join Us to Support RNLI Llandudno! https://rnli.niftyentries.com/RLNI-Llandudno-5K-1K-Fun-Run-2025 https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com Be part of something special and help save lives at sea by signing up for our  first-ever charity run !  **URGENT: Just 50 places left so hurry to book your place. 🏃‍♂️  5km Run  – Open to all ages and abilities 👟  1km Fun Run  – Perfect for children and newbies to running This exciting event is the first of its kind hosted by  RNLI Llandudno , and  your support will make a real difference . Every step you take and every pound you donate helps our volunteer lifeboat crews continue their vital work— saving lives and keeping people safe along the beautiful North Wales coast . 🌊 Together, we can make our shores safer. 💙 Sign up today and be a lifesaver! Description :  A fast and flat course for both distances. The race starts and finishes on Llandudno...

*Pictured above - some members of North Wales Road Runners at the Dash. Sizzling success for children’s cancer charities and runners at the Deganwy Dash/Rohan’s Run... Report by Don Hale.  Photos courtesy of Zoe Roberts, Stuart Culverhouse and Michael Finnie. https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com *Also check out Ken Poulter’s amazing drone video from the start of the Dash: https://www.facebook.com/ken.poulter.3/videos/1004385718349663/ *Further Dash photos Caitlin Faye are available on this link: https://www.facebook.com/100070394586779/posts/729637179392762/?mibextid=wwXIfr&rdid=k99W8YFezewHuQtI   *The race leaders (*above left) on the way out and (*right) the eventual race winner Simon Cole from GOG Triathlon.   It was hot and humid with a light breeze at last Friday night’s 5-mile Deganwy Dash – also known as Rohan’s Run – with many runners setting a sizzling pace and helping to raise thousands of pounds for children’s cancer charities. The event proved to be very succe...