Don Hale Blog

*Road Runner Lesley Goodson (*above) tackled her first ultra race. Lesley Goodson’s amazing ultra-distance debut. All reports by Don Hale. Photos courtesy of Anthony Paul Davies. https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com www.welshmastersatletics.co.uk Veteran Road Runner Lesley Goodson made her successful debut in a very challenging ultra-distance event last Saturday during the Pen Lyn Coast to Coast Winter Ultra race at Pwllheli. Lesley covered an incredible distance of over 60kms in an overall time of 10 hours, 2 minutes, and 14 seconds, to finish a highly respectable 106th, and she was 5th in her VW50 age cat. *Lesley Goodson - pictured above and below - during her epic ultra-distance race and (*below right), Lesley with Anthony Paul Davies. After her race, Lesley modestly explained just how tough this race really was : “This was my first attempt at an ultra-distance. It was very muddy and slippery, and my legs are shot now, but wow! What a day. Pen Llyn Coast to Coast Ultra. Almost 38-miles

Youngest ever runner Troy Kettle finished 10 th  in Cybi Coastal Marathon. Report by Don Hale.   Teenage endurance athlete Troy Kettle finished a magnificent 10th overall in the highly challenging Cybi Coastal Marathon last weekend. The North Wales Road Runner completed this gruelling trail course in just 4 hours 1 minute and 56 seconds and is understood to be the youngest ever finisher. He also beat his more experienced club colleagues  Karl Morris  and  Steve Bozier , despite both runners having excellent runs. *Steve Bozier pictured en-route by the South Stack lighthouse. *Karl Morris ran well in the Coastal marathon last weekend. *Running buddies Karl Morris and Steve Morris pictured after completing their race. Troy was one of 144 finishers who took part in this extreme event, which followed a very difficult but partially way marked route along paths, tracks, beaches, and the coastline of the Welsh National and Anglesey Coastal Path.   The  entire route passed through magnificent

Robert Loraine (pictured above) as John Tanner in George Bernard Shaw's  Man and Superman , produced at the Criterion Theatre, London, on 28 September, 1911 EARLY AVIATORS:  FILM STAR ROBERT LORAINE, MABEL LOVE,  AND SOME WELSH MEMORIES Exclusive report by Don Hale.   During the early days of World War One, and as a raw recruit to the British Army, the world-famous actor Robert Lorraine volunteered to join the newly-formed Royal Flying Corps, where his experience in early aviation often proved invaluable.   He also helped form the early ENSA troop of actors, entertaining the troops in battlefields in France and Belgium. He encouraged fellow members of the RFC and RNAS forces to join in the fun, and eventually helped utilise and launch the careers of many famous performers who also went onto to further fame and fortune. Included within this group at one time or another, were said to be: Ivor Novello, Jack Warner, Billy Cotton, Mervyn Johns, Basil Rathbone, Vernon Castle, Lewis Carso

THE LOSS OF HMS CONWAY During the early morning of 14 th  April 1953, HMS Conway, a large 19 th  century wooden battleship used for the training and education of cadets, all hoping to become officers in the Merchant and Royal Navy, was driven ashore and wrecked by some exceptionally strong tides, and eventually broke her back in the Menai Strait.  Archive report by Don Hale.   This in fact, was the second attempt to move such a large and difficult ship from her relatively safe berth at Bangor, and head back to Birkenhead for a refit. A similar attempt the day before had been aborted due to extreme difficulties, and the assessment that it was always going to be a ‘great risk.’  HMS Conway was considered to be the largest ever ship to attempt to pass through this notoriously demanding stretch of swirling waters known as the ‘Swellies, that separates Anglesey from the mainland, and included a challenging passage under two major bridges. The vessel had an enormous draft of 22 feet, combine