Don Hale Blog

Sad loss of a popular Welsh Master Veteran and award-winning Marathon Man Iorwerth Roberts. Special report by Don Hale.   It’s sad to report the loss this week of a popular award-winning Welsh Master Veteran athlete and event volunteer Iorwerth Roberts from Glan Conwy, who has been a familiar face for decades at a host of local sporting and community events. Iorwerth was a regular member of the Conwy parkrun family, both as a runner and as a volunteer, dedicated to his marshalling duties, who always cheered on, and encouraged, hundreds of runners every week from his usual spot at the Castle turn on the parkrun course. He was one of the longest serving parkrun volunteers and joined shortly after the very first event and remained a member of  Eryri Harriers  and always wore his club vest with pride at both parkruns, and at all major races. He passed away on Wednesday 29th March following a long period of ill health. Iorwerth was previously honoured with a prestigious ‘Special Recognition

*Runners on the road during the Snowdonia Marathon (l-r) Kelly Alford, Cai Roberts, Mandy Owen and Vicky Taylor. Road Runners battled the course and weather at Snowdonia Marathon....plus other race results & news. Report by Don Hale.   Ten members of North Wales Road Running Club completed the gruelling Snowdonia Marathon last Saturday despite battling a very tough course and some extremely challenging weather conditions that included driving rain and gusty winds, with two other runners forced to drop through injuries and sheer exhaustion. Ben Hudson was the first club man  home  and he   finished in 263rd place in 3.53.35, and  John Dalzell , also had an excellent run in 3 hours 56 minutes and 21 seconds. He was closely followed by Karl Morris in 303rd place in 3.57.56, and this was Karl's 7th running of this event. And colleague Sarah Ferguson Hudson, another top endurance and ultra- distance  athlete was  the 46th female finisher, and 326th overall, in 4.00.31.  Stuart Culv

*Llinos Davies from GOG Triathlon crosses the finish line at the Snowdonia race. GOG Triathlon runners packed well at Snowdonia Marathon with mixed emotions for two experienced veteran athletes. By Don Hale and Simon Roxburgh.   The Snowdonia Marathon has twice been voted the UK’s best marathon, and this time it saw another strong entry from GOG Triathlon members with some impressive finishing times despite the challenging weather conditions, and for two inspirational veteran runners, it also included some rather mixed emotions! * Ann  d'Albuquerque  (*above left) with Neil Vicars-Harris at the Snowdonia race. Super vet  Ann d’Alburquerque  probably shed tears of joy after completed this gruelling race and then finding out that she was the 1st F70 age cat winner in 5.19.44. After the race Ann admitted it was a tough but enjoyable race, saying: “After initial rain we had a lovely long dry spell, but the winds and rain returned for the last four miles of mostly muddy trail.” And for