Don Hale Blog

*Pictured above - the 'naked' athletes from North Wales Road Runners who took part in their festive handicap run last Sunday from Llandudno prom.  North Wales club runners enjoyed their windy ‘naked’ festive handicap run and annual prizegiving.. Report by Don Hale Photos by John Hatton. donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2025   Fifteen members from North Wales Road Running Club braved gale force winds and an extremely challenging 4.5-mile plus course to complete their festive handicap race on Sunday. The event started and finished by Llandudno Pier and travelled along the promenade before climbing up by the side of the Little Orme to the town’s ‘Welcome’ sign, then following an equally undulating route back home. This was not a first past-the-post race as such, with the handicap results based on the initial estimates from competing athletes on their predicted times for this race, against the actual finishing times. It also had the added restriction of being a ‘Naked Run,’ so n...

*Some members from Porth Eirias Runners (*above and below) at the start of the Rhos parkrun last Saturday. Top athletes and plenty of newcomers at new Rhos parkrun...plus NW parkrun results round-up. Report by Don Hale. Photos by Michael Finnie. donhaleblog.blogspot.com.2025   There was another good attendance of over 300 finishers at the new Llandrillo yn Rhos parkrun with another excellent showing from top club runners and newcomers despite a rather sandy 5k course. The first finisher however remained unknown at the time of writing at Rhos, but visitor  Gavin Roberts  (Eryri Harriers) took the second place on his debut in 17 minutes and 30 seconds, with  Harry Driscoll  (Meirionnydd RC) just three-seconds and one place adrift in 17.33. Emily Hanlon  continued her top form (5th overall) to claim the first female place once again, with a tremendous run and a new PB of 17.48, with  Alex Aldous  second with another good PB in 19.38, and  Anna D...

Conwy Urban Night Score – Explore the Medieval streets of Conwy – 8th January 2026. Unique orienteering event. By Gwennan Charlton. donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2025   For anyone who’s been thinking of doing one of the Orienteering Urban Night races, we’re coming to Conwy on the 8th of January! Link for more info/entries here:   https://facebook.com/events/s/conwy-urban-night-score/1186436856278025/ *Gwennan Charlton (*above left), is helping to promote the Conwy event, with Lizzie Bennett, who is a keen urban orienteer. Get ready for the first orienteering event of 2026!  We're exploring the medieval streets of Conwy for this one. And it's going retro- pen, paper and clues only! No map run.   I've got a series of clues- both educational and non-educational for you to gather around town. Think treasure hunt, but the pot of gold is a lamp post!   Entries are open online at :   https://pre-entries.co.uk/dl/events Online entries shut at 8pm on 7th January so ...

*Pictured above - Run Directors Richard Peevor and Dougie Graham at Rhos. Festive demands and the weather kept numbers down at NW parkruns... Report by Don Hale. Rhos parkrun photos courtesy of Pat Finnie. donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2025   It was a cool, damp morning at most of the local parkruns last Saturday, with numbers down at the majority of them, probably due to festive demands and the problematic weather conditions, with some flooding on numerous 5k courses. Conwy may have suffered the most, with entrants down for the third week on the trot, and only 80 determined athletes – including 24 visitors – who completed the swampy riverside route at the RSPB, whilst Nant y Pandy’s event was cancelled altogether! The new  Llandrillo yn Rhos parkrun  still remains a novelty but entrants were down from last week’s launch of 501 to 345, and the stats were very interesting with 240 first timers, and nearly half of the previous week’s entrants recorded new PB’s this week! *S...

*Pictured above and below - Cheryl Frost and Kay Hatton North Wales Road Running duo completed the gruelling Sea to Summit Challenge... Report by Don Hale.  donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2025 Two top veteran female athletes from North Wales Road Runners completed the gruelling Sea to Summit Offa’s Dyke Challenge on Sunday. This was a very demanding race for Welsh international, club colleagues and friends  Cheryl Frost  and  Kay Hatton , as the event covered 14-miles and some 3,700ft of ascent, and took the pair 3 hours and 40 minutes! After the event, Kay said:  “Cheryl and I have just finished the Challenge. It was a race, but most of us either ran/walked as there were numerous steep gradients and was very muddy! ”        

*Pictured above - the delighted NW trio of Cheryl Frost, Kay Hatton and Karen Butler at the Inter-Counties XC at Newtown. Clutch of prestigious silver medals for Road Running trio at the Inter-Counties cross country champs at Newtown. Report by Don Hale. C omment  from Bernie Jones, and action photo by Andy Davies. https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com Three top female veteran athletes from North Wales Road Runners exchanged their trainers for spikes on Sunday and competed in the Inter-Regional Cross Country championships at Newtown, and celebrated by winning a clutch of prestigious medals. The trio all performed well and enjoyed their runs on a very muddy but relatively flat course, and between them they collected several championships medals with  Cheryl Frost and Kay Hatton  winning team silver medals in the W55 event; and  Karen Butler  winning a team silver in the W65 event, plus an individual silver medal in her race. Their results were:  Cheryl Frost 29.5...

*Pictured above and below - hundreds of runners listen intently to the instructions given by run director Richard Peevor at the launch of the new Llandrillo-yn-Rhos parkrun New Llandrillo-yn-Rhos parkrun celebrated an amazing launch event...with over 500 athletes from across the UK. Exclusive report by Don Hale. https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com www.welshmastersathletics.co.uk What a fantastic turn-out for the very first Llandrillo-yn-Rhos (Y Promenade) parkrun last Saturday, as over 500 mixed ability athletes travelled from near and far to help create and enjoy a spectacular occasion. Run directors  Richard Peevor, Sharon Hughes, Dougie Graham,  and Chris Spillane , together with their hard working support team of new volunteers and marshals, worked their socks off to produce an excellent event on a near perfect day - weatherwise - after recent storms had deposited a load of sand along the promenade course at Rhos on Sea.     *Above left - Run director Richard Peevor...