Don Hale Blog

*Richard Scamans (*above), was the first NWRRC member back at Conwy. Almost tropical at Conwy parkrun after weeks of freezing conditions...plus other results... Report by Don Hale,   There was a good mix of travelling club and social runners at Conwy parkrun last Saturday for a half-term encounter, with temperatures appearing almost tropical at just 4 degrees, following a long period of freezing conditions and strong winds. Iain Burgess  celebrated another outstanding performance as the first finisher overall on this usual puddle-filled 5k course in just 18 minutes and 35 seconds, with debutant  Ewan Gibb  ( Saltaire Striders ), pressing Iain all the way home in 19.19, whilst  Jack Callaghan  ( Betsi Runaways ), was 3rd in 19.43. The first female finisher  was SW20 athlete  Llio Owen  (15th overall) in 21.38, with SW30  Elisha Price  (33rd), and the 2nd female in 23.40, and VW40  Claire Kelly  was 3rd (38th), in 24.02. The...

*Pictured above - Martin and Carla Green at Conwy parkrun. Cold, wet, and windy at Conwy parkrun - with tributes paid to fallen athlete Rob Porter. Report by Don Hale. https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com www.welshmastersathletics.co.uk   It was back to the cold wind, rain, and numerous puddles on the Conwy 5k parkrun course last Saturday as two-hundred mixed ability athletes returned following a few weeks of stop, starts, and cancellations due to various storms. This week’s event also paid tribute to former regular parkrunner Rob Porter , who sadly lost his life whilst taking part at a similar event at Conwy almost exactly 5-years ago. North Wales Road Runners  entered thirteen members with  Martin Green  leading the team home in 6th place overall, and he was 2nd in his VM50 age cat in 19.32, but it proved a real battle of Wills for the next placings with  Will Evans  and  Will Williams  in close pursuit, and they finished just a few seconds and in c...

*Jonathan Kettle (*above), led the NWRRC team home at Conwy parkrun. Hot pace and personal best times despite a cool morning at Conwy parkrun... Report by Don Hale. https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com www.welshmastersathletics.co.uk   It was a cool, dry, and crisp day at Conwy parkrun last Saturday morning, yet several elite runners set a hot pace right from the start and their efforts encouraged many of the three hundred plus other club and social runners to record some excellent personal best times. Jonathan Kettle  from  North Wales Road Runners  just missed out on a top three placing, but he was pleased with 4th spot and won his VM50 cat in a very competitive section with a fine run in 18.43.  He led home a strong team of fourteen members with  Will Williams  also in good form and claiming 7th place in 19.32, and 2nd in the same cat as Jonathan. Stuart Culverhouse  had another consistent performance in 12th place in 20.16, with  Steve Mason...

*Pictured above - Stuart Culverhouse was on song to lead the team home. Stuart Culverhouse led the Road Runners home at Conwy parkrun...plus other results. Report by Don Hale. https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com www.welshmastersathletics.co.uk   It was another bumper turn-out at Conwy parkrun last Saturday on a bright, sunny, but crisp morning, with the usual array of visiting club and social runners. Stuart Culverhouse  led home a team of fifteen  North Wales Road Runners  finishing 8th overall and he won his VM50 age cat in 20 minutes and 20 seconds. He was followed by  Steve Roberts  who also won his new VM60-64 age cat, as he celebrated his 60th birthday on the day in 26th place in 22.29. Jamie Tharme  looked back to his old-self again with a solid run in 39th place in 23.33, and master vet  Sandy Johnston  seemed to make a speedy recovery from last week’s  Chester Marathon , finishing well in 58th, and he also won his VM70 age cat in 2...

*Pictured above - the picturesque 5k course at Conwy parkrun which was voted runner-up in the global online survey a few years ago. Special anniversary celebrations at Conwy parkrun was featured on ITV Wales. Report by Don Hale. https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com www.welshmastersathletics.co.uk   It was a good turnout again last Saturday at Conwy parkrun as nearly three-hundred entrants celebrated the 20th anniversary of this amazing global community activity, with ITV Wales also filming this week’s activities! Organisers at this particular venue began their own journey a few years later, but this popular event has continued to flourish, with the weekly run from the RSPB Nature Reserve attracting over 200,000 finishers in total since the start, as this week they too celebrated their own 420th parkrun. And about three years ago, Conwy's unique event was also voted by the general public as 'runner-up' in the world's best parkruns during an online survey! These combined anni...

*Pictured above - Mark Davies made a dramatic and emotional return to running at Conwy following his partial recovery from serious injury. An emotional return to running at Conwy for international  mountain racer Mark Davies following a life-changing hit and run accident...plus results and parkrun summary... Exclusive report by Don Hale. Photos by John  Hatton and Bill Scriven. https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com www.welshmastersathletics.co.uk   It was an emotional moment at Conwy parkrun last Saturday morning as about three-hundred athletes, volunteers, and marshalls welcomed a surprise and a quite remarkable return to action by Mark Davies, an award-winning international fell and mountain race runner, who miraculously survived a life-changing hit and run accident in January last year. Mark, who won a special achievement award just two months before this horrific incident, following his previous success at the Swiss Peaks 360 Mountain Race, has spent a considerable amount ...