Don Hale Blog

*Pictured above - super veteran John Hatton at Penrhyn Castle. John Hatton celebrated his 350th volunteer role at Penrhyn parkrun...plus other results... Report by Don Hale. https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com   Super veteran John Hatton, a well-known local race director and a prolific charity organiser/fundraiser, celebrated his 350th role as a volunteer at the  Penrhyn Castle  parkrun event last Saturday morning. VM80 athlete John, who also represents  North Wales Road Runners  (NWRRC), said he was delighted to have been given the opportunity to reach this parkrun milestone at Penrhyn, and he confirmed: “It was my 350th volunteering opportunity, and I was so thrilled to achieve this number at this particular venue, as they are always so welcoming.” He later helped out with barcode scanning and was also able to witness an exciting fast paced finish by the top three male athletes, which included the first two sharing the exact same times.  Visitor  Daniel...

*Road Runner Vicky Taylor (*above) completes her trail run at Capel Curig. Eryri Slate Trail 10k race for Vicky and Nia. Report by Don Hale.  https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com   Two North Wales Road Runners took to the hills last weekend at Capel Curig to compete in the Ogwen Yr Helgi Du 10k mountain race. Described, as being the perfect opportunity to enjoy some stunning, if not spectacular views, in Eryri’s Ogwen Valley, entrants were offered a varied choice of three very different but challenging distances for the more experienced athletes to consider, including 10k, 125k, and 40k races. The intrepid duo of  Vicky Taylor and Nia Lister  , opted for the 10k event - said to be an out and back, fast and flat route - which followed the historic Eryri Slate Trail,  through the Valley, with the Glyderau, and Carneddau dominating the landscape.  They both performed well with Nia 35th overall out of 74 finishers, in a good time of 1 hour 6 minutes and 34 seconds,...

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 !  **URGENT: Just 50 places left so hurry to book your place. 🏃‍♂️  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...

*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...

*Pictured above - Jonathan Kettle one top form at Chester. Superb PB for Jonathan Kettle at the Chester half-marathon. Report by Don Hale.  https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com   North Wales Road Runner Jonathan Kettle returned to action at the weekend with a superb performance and claimed a new course PB despite the heat at the Chester half-marathon, finishing 23rd out of 6.539 other runners. After his race he confirmed:  “The Chester half-marathon may have not been my fastest, but I was pleased with a course PB of around one minute, and I didn’t expect it at all.  “I said to someone before the race that you have to go hard enough to risk blowing up to know what you really have on the day, and today I did that, and I didn’t blow up, absolutely loved the pain of the race.”   *Stuart Culverhouse (*above left), with Helen Hannam and Adam Lemalle. Jonathan was one of eight NWRR members who faced the hot dash at Chester and master veteran  Kevin Slattery  was ...

*Pictured above - Paul Stroud and his son Leo are shown in the Tower race. The Tokyo Tower Climb: A distinct and unique challenge! Introduction by Don Hale.  This report includes a unique and exclusive   account of how ex-pat and enthusiastic  veteran runner and language teacher  Paul Stroud, tackled the famous Tokyo Tower Climb in Japan last  December - and is now all set to do it all again with his son and daughter in June! Ex-pat Paul Stroud is a prolific author and an excellent language teacher who originally hails from Brighton in the UK. He is also an enthusiastic runner, and a keen football fan, and now lives and works in the thriving Japanese city of Tokyo.  Paul moved to San Francisco when he was just 22, then relocated to Tokyo when he hit 40. He worked in a typical language school from 2000-2008 before going his own way and eventually opened the current family-owned language school with his wife Marie.  In August this year, they will ce...