Don Hale Blog

*Some members of the hardworking team of volunteers (*above) at a bitterly cold and windswept Llandrillo yn Rhos parkrun last Saturday with RD Dougie Graham in the blue vest. Freezing cold gale force winds proved a challenge for parkrunners...and for the hardy volunteers and marshals. Report by Don Hale. Conwy photos by Michael Finnie. donhaleblog.blogspot.com   It was a very stormy and rather windswept morning across much of North Wales last Saturday as many hundreds of parkrunners battled gale-force and blustery headwinds during their challenging 5k workouts. At  the Llandrillo yn Rhos parkrun , it proved a particularly tough battle along the seafront to Colwyn Bay and back from Rhos for over 2k on the outward leg, against freezing temperatures, and a swirling, gusty wind, plus a sandy course, but it was pleasing to note that so many plaudits were deservedly given en-route and afterwards, to the hard-working team of RD’s, marshals and volunteers. Despite all the handicaps, a...

*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 - some members of North Wales Road Runners at the Dash. Sizzling success for children’s cancer charities and runners at the Deganwy Dash/Rohan’s Run... Report by Don Hale.  Photos courtesy of Zoe Roberts, Stuart Culverhouse and Michael Finnie. https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com *Also check out Ken Poulter’s amazing drone video from the start of the Dash: https://www.facebook.com/ken.poulter.3/videos/1004385718349663/ *Further Dash photos Caitlin Faye are available on this link: https://www.facebook.com/100070394586779/posts/729637179392762/?mibextid=wwXIfr&rdid=k99W8YFezewHuQtI   *The race leaders (*above left) on the way out and (*right) the eventual race winner Simon Cole from GOG Triathlon.   It was hot and humid with a light breeze at last Friday night’s 5-mile Deganwy Dash – also known as Rohan’s Run – with many runners setting a sizzling pace and helping to raise thousands of pounds for children’s cancer charities. The event proved to be very succe...

*Stuart Culverhouse (*above), was the the first NWRRC member home. Plenty of club and mixed ability entrants at Conwy parkrun. Report by Don Hale. https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com www.welshmastersathletics.co.uk   Conwy parkrun attracted almost three-hundred club and mixed ability athletes from all over the UK to the RSPB Nature Reserve last Saturday, with all the entrants again welcoming some unusually warm and dry conditions. Stuart Culverhouse  led home a team eleven North Wales Road Runners in 8th place overall and he won his VM50 age cat in 20 minutes and 28 seconds.  And  Richard Scamans  was preparing for his forthcoming Triathlon event and ran well finishing 25th in 22.30, and he was 2nd in the same cat as Stuart. Harry Driscoll  finished 30th despite a hard 5k race the previous night and celebrated 3rd place in his SM20 cat in 22.46, with  Sion Thomas  39th and 3rd in his VM40 cat in 23.11.    *Pictured above (l-r): Stuart Culve...