Don Hale Blog

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

*Road Runner Josh Keogh was the first athlete back at the Conwy Parkrun. Familiar faces returned to boost Conwy parkrun. Report by Don Hale. Photos by Steve  Jeffery and John  Hatton.   Conwy parkrun welcomed back numerous familiar faces for the second week on the trot as the popular 5k event returned to near normal again following several problematic weeks due to pandemic restrictions. The event was also boosted by an increased attendance of 234 runners on a very cold Saturday morning, but this time it was run over a bone-hard course instead of the usual puddle filled route and included many first timers and travelling tourists in addition to the usual group of elite athletes. North Wales Road Runner  Josh Keogh  was one such returnee and celebrated his first-ever victory at Conwy, together with a superb new course PB, and a deserved age category win.  He was nearly a minute ahead of the talented 2nd placed local youngster  Alfie Shiland , who easily who won his JM11-14 cat, in 18.17,

*Members of North Wales Road Running Club prior to their Christmas handicap race from West Shore to the old WW2 gun sites on the Great Orme and back. Steve Mason wins NWRRC Christmas handicap race. Report by Don Hale. Group photo by John Hatton and most others by Steve Jeffery.   Steve Mason deservedly won North Wales Road Running Club’s Christmas handicap race last weekend despite having an eleven-minute time delay.  Newcomer Steve soon overcame his personal race time penalty to become both the first finisher, and the fastest runner on the day, amongst a talented field of twenty-two club rivals, with the first ten runners all dipping under thirty-minutes. * Steve Mason won the NWRRC club handicap race last Sunday ands he was also the fastest runner on the day. Several other club members were absent due to injury, illness, prior commitments, or holiday dates, but it was still a very good turnout on a bright sunny, yet bitterly cold and windy Sunday morning, with athletes following a hi

*Richard Eccles (left) with Jonathan Kettle and Steve Forsyth. Fast finishing at revised Porth Eirias Halloween 10k race. Report by Don Hale. Photographs by Steve Jeffery. Steve Forsyth stormed to victory in the Halloween 10k at Porth Eirias last Saturday morning, which followed a revised route from Colwyn Bay to Penrhyn Bay and back, due to ongoing construction work on the coastal path to Llandullas. The Prestatyn athlete had a comfortable run winning his VM40-49 age category in just 34 minutes. North Wales Road Runner  Jonathan Kettle  gave chase and ran extremely well to finish 2nd overall and 2nd in his age cat in 34.41, with Steve’s club colleague  Andrew Bromley  claiming 3rd place a minute adrift in 35.41. The race, which attracted 139 runners, proved a success for several other NWRRC members with  Richard Eccles  finishing 7th overall and winning his VM50-59 age cat in 36.49. And  Carla Green  continued her superb run of form as the 1st female finisher, and 1st VW40-49 cat winn

Success in the wind and rain for North Wales athletes at Conwy Parkrun - plus Gethin becomes a tourist again.   Report by Don Hale. Most photographs by Steve Jeffery.   Ten members of North Wales Road Runners took part in the Conwy parkrun last Saturday and despite cool, wet and windy conditions, with plenty of puddles underfoot, five members still claimed age category wins, including two runners in the top-ten finishers. Josh Keogh  was the first club man home finishing 2nd overall but he was the 1st SM30-34 age cat winner in 17 minutes 56 seconds, and  Carla Green  was the 1st female finisher again, and the 1st VW45-49 cat winner in 21.04. *Josh Keogh finished 2nd at the Conwy parkrun but won his age category. *Carla Green claimed another age cat win and she was also the 1st female runner at Conwy despite the wet and windy weather. With many other top runners missing due to other commitments including the London Marathon and Chester Metric and marathon races, it was left to the veter

*Master veteran Peter Armstrong with teenager Mia Morris at Denbigh. Podium places for two North Wales Road Runners. Report by Don Hale. Photos by Rachel Morris.   Two North Wales Road Runners competed in the Denbigh Evening 5k race last Wednesday and both won deserved age-related podium place positions. Although there were considerable differences in the ages between young teenager  Mia Morris , and master veteran  Peter Armstrong , both athletes turned in highly creditable performances on a cool, windy, and very hilly course around Denbigh, to claim top finishing positions. Peter won his MV70-74 age category finishing 13th overall in 25 minutes 16 seconds, and 16-year-old Mia was 25th overall and 9th female runner, whilst also claiming 3rd place in an extended U21 age cat in 28.19. Peter Armstrong (*above) won his VM70-74 age cat and (below) teenager Mia Morris was 3rd in her respective age category at the Denbigh Evening 5k race. This final evening race of the season attracted 47 ru

Rohan’s relay boost for Children’s Cancer Charities Report by Don Hale. Photographs by Steve Jeffery. Athletes and supporters of North Wales Road Runners had fun in the sun last Sunday as they competed in a special 5-mile relay challenge on Llandudno promenade in aid of CLIC Sargent, and Leukaemia in Children charities. Some twenty-six runners took part in this unique fundraising event in memory of an extraordinary young student, Rohan Ingley, and included five teams of four, plus a guide, each completing 1.25 miles (2k), and one team of five “virtual” runners each running a mile. The weather too proved a hit for all the runners, and a host of supporters and sponsors, with the relay bathed throughout in bright, and very warm sunshine.  The race, organised by club officials John Hatton and Carla Green, with essential timekeeper Liz Driscoll, proved to be a real fun occasion, with many runners recording PB’s over this unusual sprint distance.  The winning team was Team 1, who completed t

*NWRRC club chairman Kevin Slattery (pictured above) won gold again Gold and silver podium places for North Wales runners in Welsh 10k virtual championships Report by Don Hale. Most photographs by Steve Jeffery. Five North Wales Road Runners competed in the Welsh Athletics Spring virtual 10k championships last weekend, with three members claiming podium places, and gold and silver medal positions. The high standard of the 10k event was confirmed by the incredible finishing times and number of quality athletes taking part. 1 st  place overall went to U17M athlete Louis Lermite (Run Free Fell Runners) in an amazing time of 33 mins 26 secs, with 2 nd  Daniel James, the 1 st  M40 age cat winner (Run4All Neath RC) in 35.11, and 3 rd  place went to Ifan Lloyd (Swansea Harriers), who was also the 1 st  M60 vet in 35.46. And Amie Bagnall from Prestatyn was the 1 st  Lady finisher and 1 st  SW in 37.00. Some 248 entrants set a hot pace in this Covid-19 restricted individual race, with Masters’