Don Hale Blog

*Pictured above - the start of the Llandrillo yn Rhos parkrun last Saturday. Valentine’s Day entrants beat the frost at Rhos and shared their love of running. Report by Don Hale. Photos by Michael Finnie and Bill Scriven. donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2025   Heavy overnight frost morning forced the cancellation of five parkruns throughout North Wales last Saturday morning, but the surviving  Valentine’s Day events proved a love of running, and especially at Llandrillo yn Rhos, where yet another bumper attendance created a tremendous atmosphere. Despite a rather sandy and challenging 5k promenade course, this event is proving to be a magnet each week for visiting runners – and particularly for elite club athletes - with debutants again accounting for seven out of the first ten finishers. Talented visiting athlete  Paul Jones  (Shrewsbury AC) was the first finisher at Rhos on his course debut in just 16 minutes and 50 seconds, but local footballer  Aaron Dodwell  ...

*Ben and Sarah Hudson  are pictured above amongst some half-marathon runners at the Charles Darwin race in Shrewsbury  last Friday. Double date for NW ultra-distance athletes Ben and Sarah in Shrewsbury...plus their parkrun results. Report by Don Hale. donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2025   North Wales based ultra-distance husband and wife  athletes  Ben and Sarah Hudson competed in the Charles Darwin Day celebratory half-marathon in Shrewsbury last Friday, and both recorded some excellent finishing times and places. Ben was second overall in 1 hour 40 minutes and 51 seconds, whilst Sarah finished seventh in 1.54.49, and she was the second female. The overall winner, and first lady was  Jo Pugh  in 1.36.33, and the half-marathon event was just one of several different races on the day that also offered a 5k, 10k, and a full marathon.     *Pictured above left - Ben Hudson, and his wife Sarah  Hudson (*right) after completing the Charles Darwin h...

*Ben and Sarah Hudson (*pictured above) completed the new National Trust 10k trail event at Aberdaron. New National Trust 10k trail events around the UK. Report by Don Hale donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2025   Do you fancy a run around an ancient World Heritage site, or through varied and rugged landscapes? The free monthly 10k Trust10 trail runs are a great way to get some exercise, make friends, and to enjoy nature? That is exactly what two experienced North Wales Road Runners and ultra-distance athletes tried out last weekend at Aberdaron, and although it was not a race, the fascination of a new event and the competitive nature of  Ben and Sarah Hudson  led to both members achieving first places in their respective male and female categories. After the event, Sarah confirmed: “ We did a lovely event at the weekend put on by the National Trust; the Trust 10k or Taclo 10. They are not timed (and it’s a case of bring your own watch) but they are at various National trust locat...

*Ben and Sarah Hudson are pictured above (*and below) on the start/finish line after their Midnight 10k dash at Shrewsbury on New Year's Eve. Midnight 10k in Shrewsbury and an early 5k parkrun at Llangollen for Ben and Sarah. Report by Don Hale.  donhaleblog.bogspot.com/2025   North Wales Road Running couple Ben and Sarah Hudson hit 2026 running, quite literally, as they competed in the unique Midnight 10k in Shrewsbury on New Year’s Eve. Ben celebrated a great result finishing in 7th place overall with a good time of 51 minutes and one second, and Sarah shared their success as the second female finisher with another excellent time of 45.21. However, not content with resting on their laurels, and despite a late-night race and a long drive home, the pair made their course debuts, early the following morning – New Year’s Day – at the Llangollen parkrun on the Old Railway Track.  Ben finished in 15th place overall, and he won his VM45 age cat in a very fast time of 22.24, wh...

*Pictured above - Sarah Ferguson Hudson and her husband Ben at the ultra. Wedding anniversary on the run for Ben and Sarah at a ‘Beautifully Brutal’ 60k ultra Coast to Coast race. Report by Don Hale. donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2025   North Wales endurance athletes Ben and Sarah Hudson went on the run last Saturday during an unusual way to celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary by competing in the ‘Beautifully Brutal’ Pen Llyn Coast to Coast Winter Ultra race. This extremely tough event followed a highly challenging and undulating course over a distance of some 60km (37.5 miles), and this experienced pair of endurance runners ran together, and despite Sarah suffering from a heavy cold, they both finished well in 10 hours 53 minutes and 41 seconds.  The event attracted a wealth of top international ultra runners, and the NWRRC members eventually shared joint 147th place overall. Ben was also the 91st male and the 86th British finisher, with Sarah the 54th female and the 87th Bri...

*Pictured above Ben and Sarah Ferguson Hudson at their ultra coastal run. Ben and Sarah’s ultra 14-mile Coastal Challenge. Report by Don Hale.  https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com North Wales ultra-distance couple Ben and Sarah Hudson competed in the challenging 14-mile Northumberland Coast Trail Run last Sunday, which closely followed the coastal path from Beadnell Harbour to the Alnmouth Estuary through an area of outstanding natural beauty. The route started on sand, then onto road, sand, trail, road, and finished on sand again at Alnmouth.  This dynamic duo ran the race whilst on holiday and after the event Sarah explained: “We are away with Ben’s family in Northumberland and did a 14-mile trail race along the coast.  “It was tough going but stunning, with lots of delightful sandy miles. Ben snuck under two hours, and I did around 2.24. It was certainly a challenge that’s for sure. A good turn out and it was really well organised!” *The final results confirmed that Ben f...

*Ultra runners Ben and Sarah Hudson (*above) in the MK half-marathon race. North Wales trio tackle Milton Keynes marathon races. Report by Don Hale.  https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com Three North Wales based runners competed in the Milton Keynes marathon and half-marathon events last Sunday, and they all recorded some good times. Stuart Culverhouse  (*pictured right), opted for a the full marathon and he set a new PB marathon time of 3 hours 38 minutes and 4 seconds, and after his race he confirmed: “A new PB by around 1 min 50 secs. It could have been better. I hung on to the 3:30 pacer for a while, but my legs gave up with 4 miles to go. Still really happy, even if I can't get up off the floor as I type this.” Ultra runners Ben and Sarah Hudson ran in the half-marathon race with Ben shaking off an ankle injury to finish in 1 hour 51 minutes and 58 seconds, whilst Sarah’s time was also very good in 1.53.47.  What made their times even remarkable was the fact that b...

Ultra athletes Ben and Sarah Hudson quit the rat-race to enjoy some extraordinary new adventures in North Wales   Special Coast and Country feature: This is the first of a new series of special features looking at the life, careers, hopes and ambitions, of many talented and dedicated athletes and sports people in North Wales.   Introduction by Don Hale.   https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com This feature highlights the extraordinary life and careers of popular husband and wife couple, Ben and Sarah Hudson, who are both keen runners and obviously love a challenge, both in life and in athletics, and regularly take part in varied events ranging from parkruns to marathons, to long-distance and ultra races, often raising thousands of pounds for charities. They gave up the rat-race in London a few years ago to move to North Wales, where they quickly created a thriving local business in Betws-y-Coed, before opting to enjoy some exciting new adventures in this stunning region, a...

*Pictured above (l-r): Ben and  Sarah Hudson with Mike Hayton. Road Running trio at the Ruthin 10k.   A trio of NWRRC members competed in the Ruthin 10k road race on Sunday and the pick of the team was Sarah Hudson who was 34th overall, the 3rd female finisher, and she was also 2nd in her F40 age category in 47.37.  And to add some extra icing to Sarah’s performance, she finished just ahead of her husband  Ben , who was 37th overall, and 5th in his M40 cat in 48.08, whilst master veteran  Mike Hayton  enjoyed another good run, and he was 102nd, and 4th in his M70 cat in 63.24. Sarah Hudson later confirmed:  “Great fun this morning running the “lumpy” Ruthin 10k, and over the moon to have come 3rd lady in 47.37, and to beat Ben!”   *Kevin Higgins also ran in the 5k race and he finished in 50th place in 28.48 in his first race since last September due to injuries.

  *Pictured above - Harry Driscoll (red vest),with Tony Price-Jones. Wild, wet, and windy with a bumper set of visitors at Conwy parkun...plus other results. Report by Don Hale. https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com www.welshmastersathletics.co.uk   It was back to the usual wild, wet, and windy weather conditions at Conwy parkrun last Saturday morning, as another bumper entry tackled the challenging 5k course from the RSPB Nature Reserve. Many visitors travelled from far afield and utilised the parkrun as a pre-race warm-up for the Conwy half-marathon set for the following day, so consequently this popular event attracted a large number of travelling club and social runners. *Steve Roberts (*above left), with Stuart Culverhouse, and Don Hale. North Wales Road Runners  entered ten members, with some just taking it easy in preparation for either cross-country races, other events, or the half-marathon date.  Harry Driscoll  ran well again in 20th place overall, and he w...