Don Hale Blog

*Pictured above - the 'naked' athletes from North Wales Road Runners who took part in their festive handicap run last Sunday from Llandudno prom.  North Wales club runners enjoyed their windy ‘naked’ festive handicap run and annual prizegiving.. Report by Don Hale Photos by John Hatton. donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2025   Fifteen members from North Wales Road Running Club braved gale force winds and an extremely challenging 4.5-mile plus course to complete their festive handicap race on Sunday. The event started and finished by Llandudno Pier and travelled along the promenade before climbing up by the side of the Little Orme to the town’s ‘Welcome’ sign, then following an equally undulating route back home. This was not a first past-the-post race as such, with the handicap results based on the initial estimates from competing athletes on their predicted times for this race, against the actual finishing times. It also had the added restriction of being a ‘Naked Run,’ so n...

*Pictured above - Martin and Carla Green at Conwy parkrun. Cold, wet, and windy at Conwy parkrun - with tributes paid to fallen athlete Rob Porter. Report by Don Hale. https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com www.welshmastersathletics.co.uk   It was back to the cold wind, rain, and numerous puddles on the Conwy 5k parkrun course last Saturday as two-hundred mixed ability athletes returned following a few weeks of stop, starts, and cancellations due to various storms. This week’s event also paid tribute to former regular parkrunner Rob Porter , who sadly lost his life whilst taking part at a similar event at Conwy almost exactly 5-years ago. North Wales Road Runners  entered thirteen members with  Martin Green  leading the team home in 6th place overall, and he was 2nd in his VM50 age cat in 19.32, but it proved a real battle of Wills for the next placings with  Will Evans  and  Will Williams  in close pursuit, and they finished just a few seconds and in c...

*Pictured above - some of the highly successful North Wales Road Running team at the Caernarfon half-marathon race. (l-r): Front row - Helen Hannam, Nia Lister, and Hannah Griffith; and (*back row l-r): Adam Lemalle, Steve Roberts, Kevin Slattery, Rob Fryer, Stuart  Culverhouse, Daniel Hennell and Will Evans. Podium places and ten regional medals for the Road Runners at the Caernarfon half-marathon. Report by Don Hale. https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com www.welshmastersathletics.co.uk   There was a massive turnout of over five hundred runners at the Caernarfon half marathon event on Sunday which also featured the North Wales Regional Championships. The  Road Runners  entered a large contingent of fifteen members and celebrated with five prestigious podium places in the main race, including three age cat victories, plus ten championship medals, with six gold, one silver, and three bronze medals amidst the 504 finishers. *Jonathan Kettle (*above in the white vest), ...

*Will Evans (*above), was the first NWRRC member back at Conwy. Fast times at Conwy parkrun despite hard, dry, and bumpy conditions...plus reports from runners at Nova parkrun. Report by Don Hale. https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com www.welshmastersathletics.co.uk   It was hard, dry, and very bumpy, at Conwy parkrun last Saturday as some 239 mixed ability entrants from varied parts of the UK recorded new personal best times (PBs), over this picturesque but challenging 5k course. North Wales Road Runners  entered ten members, with  Will Evans  finishing 4th, and he won his VM40 age cat in 20.01, but he was only three-seconds ahead of his talented young club colleague  Harry Driscoll,  following a lively final dash. Harry though claimed the second spot in his SM20-24 age seemed satisfied with 5th place overall. *Harry Driscoll (*above left), with Jami Tharme, and Joe Culverhouse. Jamie Tharme  was 3rd in his VM45 cat in 32nd place in 22.33, with promising y...

*North Wales Road runner Mal Preece (*above) at the London Marathon. Mixed emotions but a great experience for athletes at the London Marathon...plus other results and updates... Report by Don Hale. https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com www.welshmastersathletics.co.uk   Seven North Wales Road Runners competed in the televised London Marathon last Sunday amongst a mass participation of some 50,000 runners, who raised tens of thousands of pounds for various worthy charities, with many athletes recalling mixed emotions and personal best times! Mal Preece  was the first NWRRC member home with an excellent time of 3 hours and 20 minutes, and he celebrated following a great new PB time. Afterwards he confirmed:  “Very pleased with a new six-minute PB. I ran my first marathon back in 2011 at Chester, and to date I’ve knocked 20 minutes off that time. Looking to chip away my latest PB again next year with GFA time. My goal was to get my qualifying time for Berlin next year, which I ac...

*Martin and Carla Green (*above), were welcomed back to Conwy parkrun. The Green duo welcomed back at Conwy parkrun in cool, blustery but relatively dry conditions... Report by Don Hale.  https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com www.welshmastersathletics.co.uk It was another good turn-out at Conwy parkrun last Saturday as nearly 300 athletes of mixed ages and abilities enjoyed an unusually dry 5k riverside course, yet they still had to contend with a rather cool and blustery wind. The event welcomed back  North Wales Road Runners  Martin and Carla Green  following a period of absence, and this formidable duo formed part of a club team of twelve entrants, who collected two age category wins, three second places and two third. They both took it steady, like many other runners this week, due to additional race commitments the following day, with  Martin  finishing 6th overall, and he was 2nd in his VM45 cat in 20 minutes and 39 seconds, whilst  Carla  won he...