Don Hale Blog

*Rhos run director Dougie Graham at the front with some of the volunteers Fast runners dazzled in the sun at Llandrillo yn Rhos..plus some other NW parkrun results. Report by Don Hale. Most photos by Michael Finnie. donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2026   The bright sunny weather and a fast course attracted plenty of top club athletes to the Llandrillo yn Rhos 5k parkrun last Saturday with five out of the first six finishers all recording times of under 18 minutes! James Yarwood  (Wrexham AAC) was the first finisher overall with a new course PB of 16 minutes and 29 seconds, with visitor  Armon Williams  second in 17.17,  Gareth Griffith  third in 17.27, and veteran  Martin Green  (Meirionnydd RC) a narrow fourth in 17.36. It was a similar story for the ladies with  Beatrice Cordingley  (Sale Harriers) taking the first female spot with an excellent run, and a new course PB in 20.00 (18th overall), with visitor  Lizzie Slater  (South Che...

*Pictured above - Ben and Sarah Hudson after their wet and windy race Tough Trimpell 20-mile challenge for Ben and Sarah...Plus Liverpool half marathon results Report by Don Hale donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2026 coastandcountry.blog   North Wales endurance couple Ben and Sarah Hudson travelled to Lancaster last Sunday to compete in the tough Trimpell 20-mile race through the spectacular Lune Valley in cold, wet, and blustery conditions. Ben was in good form despite the challenge, and he was 153rd overall out of 346 finishers with an excellent time of 2 hours 45 minutes and 44 seconds. Sarah however said she was a bit off colour on the day, but she still rallied well to finish in 220th place in 3.05.21. After the race, Sarah confirmed:  “Did the Trimpell 20 miler today… great race! Ben was awesome on 2:46, and I did 3:05. It’s not chipped timed. Bit of a crazy, wet, and windy one, but it brightened up before the end.  I have had a stinking cold so was not even sure about doin...

*Steve Gardner (*above left) on the podium with Tim Parfitt and Steven Gee. Track champion Steve finished second at the Welsh Duathlon championships. donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2026 coastandcountry.blog International track champion Steve Gardner finished as the runner-up on the podium in the prestigious Welsh Sprint Duathlon Championships at Pembroke last Sunday. The NWRRC member, and GB track athlete, who was representing his second claim club GOG Triathlon, competed in a 5k run, a 21k cycle race, followed by a final 2.5k dash, and he finished second overall with an excellent combined time of 1 hour 12 minutes and 31 seconds. After his event, Steve confirmed:  “Just a note to let you know I competed for GOG Triathlon Club today, finishing in 2nd place; 1st place went to  Tim Parfitt  in a time 1 hour 12 mins and 31 seconds, and the 3rd spot went to  Steven Gee  in 1 hour 13 mins and 17 seconds.  “There was only 46 seconds between the three of us, so it was a...

*Pictured above - Vicky Taylor with Mandy Owen and Kelly Alford at Chester. Road Runners galloped home at the Chester 10k races Report by Don Hale. donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2026 coastandcountry.blog Five North Wales Road Runners completed  amongst a very large field of some 7,315 entrants at the Chester 10k race last Sunday, and they all performed well and recorded some noteworthy finishing times. Veteran  Jon Evans  was in top form, and he finished strong in a good chip time of 47 minutes and 44 seconds, and he led the team home with  Molly Evans  next in 49.32.   *Jon Evans (*above left) with  master vet Rob Fryer. And it was good to see  Kelly Alford  back in action again, and she also enjoyed her run in 49.38; with master vet  Rob Fryer  continuing his purple patch in 54.59; and  Vicky Taylor  ran home in 77.12.  *And there were plaudits too for  Mandy Owen  who finished in 66.17.

*Some of the many hard working volunteers at the Llandrillo  yn Rhos parkrun Hot pace at Rhos after a frosty start for plenty of visitors. Report by Don Hale donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2026 coastandcountry.blog   It was bright and sunny following a heavy early morning frost at the Llandrillo yn Rhos parkrun last Saturday, which also commemorated International Women’s Day. And there was another bumper turn-out by club and local athletes, plus plenty of visitors, who this week enjoyed an almost sand-free 5k promenade course. Nicolas Seguin  was the first finisher from 386 entrants, with a new PB in 17.41, and his talented JW15-17 daughter  Tamsin Seguin  (Menai T&F) made it a family double as the first female finisher (16th overall), with an excellent run in 19.45.  Harry Driscoll   (Meirionnydd RC) was the second male finisher in 17.55, with visitor  John Myers  (Helsby RC) third on his debut in 17.58. For the ladies, with  Tamsin ...

*Pictured above - a race marshal  directs Adam Lemalle and a pack of runners along this challenging fell run route. Tough Pipe Dream race for Fell Runners Report by Don Hale. Photos courtesy of Dougie  Graham. donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2026 coastandcountry.blog The tough Dolgarrog Pipe Dream Fell Race attracted some 165 finishers to their annual challenge last Saturday, which was part of the WFRA short championships, and won by Kieran Wynne-Cattanach (Eryri Harriers) following a great effort over this 6.8k course in just 33 minutes and 52 seconds. He was followed by  Gavin Roberts  (Calder Vale RR) in 34.10, and  Rhys Goodrick  (Vegan Runners) in 35.02.  And the first female finisher,  Bronwen Jenkinson  (29th overall) secured a unique double victory for  Eryri Harriers , with another fine performance in 41.06, whilst  Suzie Richards  claimed the runner-up spot in 42.57 (34th overall), with  Jessica Evans (36th overall), an...

So What's Wrong With Dreaming?   Special Coast and Country book review:  Run in conjunction with: donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2026 *This is a direct link to Amazon books:   https://amzn.to/40LHDn7 Featuring author Richard John Campbell MBE, and his latest book - So What's Wrong with Dreaming? Born into a family struggling, like so many, from the after-effects of the Second World War; where the home was poor and shared by seven people, all packed into a small Victorian semi. With a father who had been in the Navy but having left our family home, permanently a month before I was born, I was ill-prepared for my future schooldays; days which were mostly very stressful, and at times traumatic.  A time when I, mostly, felt insecure at best and totally humiliated at worst; though, surprisingly, some good did come out of it. Once I had finished with school, I became determined to avoid the future expectations of my family and take every opportunity to, hopefully, build a life t...

*Pictured above - Welsh championship half-marathon medal winners Kay Hatton and Cheryl Frost from NWRRC. Road Runners won several surprise championship medals in Anglesey races... Report by Don Hale. donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2026   It was wild, wet, and windy for over 1,000 athletes at the Anglesey 10k and half marathon events on St David’s Day, last Sunday morning, with the majority of entrants tackling the longer race distance over a challenging new course. In the 10k event which attracted 249 runners, this race was won by  Llyr Williams  in a very good time of 35 minutes and 10 seconds, and he was just 14-seconds ahead of rival  Shaun Hughes  in 35.24, and  Jack Hughes  in 35.40.     *Above left - Stuart and Joe  Culverhouse, with Gethin Wyn Jones, and Mike Hayton. *North Wales Road Runners  collected a number of prestigious age category honours and podium places.  Young Joe Culverhouse  led the team home in 29th place ...

Sarah’s solo surprise run on a very hilly and muddy flat course! Report by Don Hale. donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2026   NWRRC endurance athlete Sarah Ferguson Hudson went solo on Sunday and competed in the Bromsberrow Speed Runway 10k, this time without her husband Ben, and thought it was going to be an easy and flattish type run…but how wrong was she! After her race she explained:  “Oh, my word. I should really read more carefully what I sign myself up to…   I thought it was a flat road race, and not 10k of hills, mud, fields, traps, and more. I was b ack in Gloucestershire where I grew up, and catching up with school friends.” *Despite all her challenges, Sarah (*pictured right) ran well and she finished 50th overall out of 159 entrants and the 16th female in 58.07. www.coastandcountry.blog