Don Hale Blog

*(Above): Bernie Jones (centre) with award recipients Duncan Longley, Mike  Davis, Dave Hughes and Roger Harrison-Jones. George Nixon was not present. Five long serving members of Prestatyn Running Club recognised at festive lunch .    A total of over 200 years of involvement in athletics by five members of  Prestatyn Running Club were recognised at a pre-Christmas lunch.  The club is unique throughout the region in having so many long serving  members who are still active, and tribute to their remarkable record was  paid by Bernie Jones , secretary of the North Wales Cross-Country Association  at an event at the Eagle and Child, Gwaenysgor.  Welsh Athletics meritorious awards for at least 15 years' service were  presented to former club chairman Mike Davis and to the current post-holder  Duncan Longley.   Duncan joined the club in the mid-1990s and has filled a variety of roles,  including chief marshal at regional ...

*Some of the North Wales Road Runners (*above) at the Easter Prom Dash. Quality field battled for honours at Llandudno’s 5k Easter Prom Dash. Report by Don Hale. Photos by Kevin Slattery.   The annual Easter 5k Dash on Llandudno promenade last Saturday attracted a massive quality field of top club and social runners with many raising thousands of pounds for local charities. Blessed by bright, warm sunshine, over three-hundred runners created a fast and furious encounter watched by huge crowds of supporters and tourists on the prom, who generated a tremendous and unique atmosphere from start to finish. Dion Griffith  (Menai T&F) was the eventual winner of this popular race, but it was a battle to the finish with several keen rivals, who made him fight all the way for honours. Dion eventually took the plaudits and won his senior men age cat with an incredible chip time of just 15 minutes and 46 seconds. He was closely followed by talented youngster  Noah Vaughan ...

*Master veteran runner Peter Armstrong won his M70 age act at Rhyl 5k Fast and furious running at the Welsh Athletics 5k race at the Marsh Tracks in Rhyl. Report by Don Hale. Photographs by Steve Jeffery.   It was another fast and furious 5k Welsh Athletics race at Rhyl’s Marsh Tracks last Sunday afternoon, which was again run in very warm and humid conditions. The race, which was the third in a special series of four events, attracted a wealth of high-quality male and female athletes, and both the men’s and women’s events recorded incredibly fast times, with the first seven men dipping under 19 minutes, and the first seven women finishing under 22 minutes. North Wales master veteran runners  Peter Armstrong  and  Don Hale  were the only NWRRC representatives due to several fixture clashes, but both recorded season’s best times, and both won their respective age categories.  Peter enjoyed a very good run and finished 15th overall in 23 minutes 2 second...