Don Hale Blog

*Pictured above - Will Williams celebrated a new 10k PB. North Wales Quartet performed well at the Colshaw 10k. Report by Don Hale https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com   Four members from North Wales Road Runners competed in the Colshaw Hall 10k race last Sunday in near perfect conditions and celebrated some excellent results. Will Williams  hit top form again and recorded a superb new PB, but he was just seven-seconds adrift of his estimated target, finishing in 95th place out of 1,137 entrants in 36 minutes and 7 seconds, and 5th in his VM50 age category. After his event, Wiil said:  “A massive PB, though I thought I had dipped under 36 minutes. Not quite, but next time, I think I will get it!” Carla Green  also enjoyed a good run as the 48th female finisher and 320th overall, with a good time of 43.07, whilst  Kay Hatton  claimed the 5th spot in her VW60 cat in 47.51, and master veteran  Mike Hayton  was 852nd and 5th in his VM70 cat in 1.07.32. ...

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 ! 🏃‍♂️  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 Promenade, close to the Lifeboat Station. Entries are limited to...

* Ben and Sarah Hudson at the Runcorn Jubilee Bridge half-marathon. NWRRC trio took part in the Runcorn Jubilee Bridge races. Report by Don Hale https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com   NWRRC members Ben and Sarah Ferguson Hudson took part in the Runcorn Jubilee Bridge half marathon race last Sunday, with clubmate Kevin Higgins competing in the associated 10k event. The races started and finished on the Silver Jubilee Bridge, which strands the River Mersey and the Manchester Ship Canal. The Hudson duo used this event as a warm-up for some forthcoming ultra-distance races and they both seemed pleased with their results despite some blustery winds and rain at times.  Ben finished in 216th place out of 741 entrants, in 1 hour 45 minutes and 5 seconds, whilst Sarah also ran well, and she was 367th overall in 1.55.00. After her race Sarah admitted:  “We had all the weathers today. It was hot and humid at the start, and then it got really windy, and during the last mile we had sidewa...

*Four members of NWRRC won their respective age cats at  Port y Bala parkrun last Saturday. They are shown (*above l-r): Kay Hatton, Carla Green, Martin Green, and Elizabeth Driscoll with her dog Winston. Another record smashed at Penrhyn Castle parkrun and four age cat wins at Bala... Report by Don Hale. Photos by John Hatton and  Michael Finnie. *The start of the Penrhyn Castle parkrun (*above) in the rain. It seems that records at Penrhyn Castle parkrun are more like London buses, with nothing for ages then suddenly two come along at once. Only last week Sara Ismail-Sutton smashed the female course record and last Saturday, despite the rain, there was another bumper turn-out of visiting athletes, who beat the previous attendance record with 370 finishers. And it was very nearly a hat-trick of records, with Colwyn Bay athlete and US student  Bryn Woodall  (*pictured right), enjoying a tremendous run at Penrhyn on their four-lap woodland route on his return to the U...

  *Penrhyn course marshall Dougie Graham (*above) at the Penrhyn Castle parkrun. Hot and breezy for runners in a variety of weekend events. Report by Don Hale. Penrhyn photos by Michael Finnie. https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com   It was another hot and breezy weekend for athletes last weekend with a wide variety of events to consider including several local parkruns, an international Shrewsbury 5k, and both Manchester and Chester half marathons, to name but a few. The various local parkruns continue to thrive with many hundreds of local runners tackling courses across North Wales, with many boosted by ‘Conwy on Tour,’ members each week. *Penrhyn Castle parkrun  enjoyed a good turn out of some 359 entrants, with visitor  Mark Hobbs  (Micky Morris Racing Team),  celebrating as the first man home in a very close finish on his course debut in 17 minutes and 55 seconds, and bizarrely, he shared the exact same time over the line as  Malachy Bromham , with tee...

*Pictured above - Emma Vadhesha and Sarah Ferguson Hudson. Sarah and Emma tackled the hot North Downs 50k ultra race in style... Report by Don Hale.  https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com   Ultra-distance and endurance athlete Sarah Ferguson Hudson and her friend Emma Vadhesha competed in the North Downs 50k race last Saturday and despite the hot weather, they completed their gruelling challenge in style. NWRRC member Sarah (*pictured right), later explained: “It was very hot and hilly. It eventually took us 7 hours and 50 minutes, but the scenery was stunning around the North Downs. Who knew it was so hilly down South? I ran with my lovely friend Emma, who got me into running in the first place.” Sarah confirmed that she normally runs in her ultra races with her husband Ben, but he is still recovering from injury and explained: “Ben’s ankle is definitely on the mend, and we have booked into the Jubilee half-marathon in a couple of weeks, so he is hoping to improve on his time from...

*Pictured above and below - some exclusive photos by John Hatton at Conwy. CONWY PARKRUN COULD SOON BE BACK ON TRACK  Report by Don Hale.  https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com Conwy parkrun could soon be back on track.    North Wales athletics official and popular event organiser John Hatton, who is also the MC at the Conwy parkrun, enjoyed a unique site visit to view the ongoing construction work to the riverside path from the RSPB Nature Reserve to the Bridge, and understands that it may soon re-open to the public! The parkrun was suspended earlier this year to help accommodate essential work on a new cycle track towards Betws-y-Coed which covers a section of their course. He has now been advised by a construction manager that it should all be tarmacked, fenced, and finished in time for the Deganwy Dash at the end of May, and currently it all seems to be slightly ahead of schedule. John confirmed: "I had full site visit this morning of the pathway. It looks really good...

*Stuart Culverhouse (*above left), with his son Joe and daughter Sophia at the Nova parkrun at Prestatyn last Saturday morning where they all won their cats. Unique family hat-trick of parkrun age cat wins at Nova...plus other results... Report by Don Hale. Penrhyn photos by Michael Finnie. https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com     It was a unique family hat-trick of age category victories for NWRRC veteran Stuart Culverhouse, together with his son Joe, and daughter Sophia at the Nova parkrun at sun-drenched Prestatyn last Saturday. Junior  Joe  finished 10th overall and he won his JM11-14 age cat with an impressive time of 20.38, whilst his dad  Stuart  just one place and seven-seconds behind Joe, and he won his VM50 age cat in 20.46, with  Sophia  also enjoying another good performance in 109th place in 30.05, and she won her JW15-17 age cat. After the parkrun Stuart admitted:  “My f irst run post marathon and my legs still felt heavy. Great to ...