Don Hale Blog

BMAF 30km Multi-Terrain champs - Gravesend, 28 June 2026 and the BMAF 10K championships this weekend.. donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2025 The North Downs 30k on the 28th June is possibly the best Trail Race in the South East.  It is also once more the BMAF long course Trail Championships. Each year numbers grow within the Championship with many returning joined by new faces. Entry instructions are explained on the   BMAF Opentrack entry page   However, if you are quick you can save money on your entry fee. T he cost of entry to the North Downs 30K Trail Race for UKA registered athletes is £38, but there is an early bird offer of entry for £36 valid   until 31st January , so you only until Saturday to enter. The cost of entry to the BMAF championships is currenttly free for area-club members and £5 for non-members. This offer last until the end of February, when there will be an extra £2 to pay.   Last year the race entry limit was reached long before the stated ...

Time to enter the famous Deganwy 5-mile Dash - entries limited to just 350 places for this unique charity race. Report by Don Hale. donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2025 Entries for the famous Deganwy 5-mile Dash are now open, and runners are advised to enter early as numbers will be limited to just 350 due to the popularity of this essential fundraising event for Children’s Cancer charities. *This is the important link for Deganwy Dash entries:   https://in.tdlentries.co.uk/2026-deganwy-dash The event on Friday 29th May 2026 starts and finishes on Deganwy Promenade close to the revamped shelter and follows a picturesque course along the river estuary and around Conwy Cob to the RSPB Nature Reserve, where it turns and returns back along the same route to the finish. Run director John Hatton confirmed this week: “The Deganwy Dash is now live now for entries. The aim of the race is to still raise money for Cancer in Children. Joshua Tree is our main recipient for money plus as before Young ...

*Pictured above - Gwen Charlton who organised the Conwy Urban event. Conwy Urban Night orienteering event proved a success. Report by Don Hale donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2025   A brand-new Urban Night orienteering event held in and around the historic town of Conwy proved a great success last Thursday night with over sixty runners taking part in several individual or team categories. The event, which was postponed from the previous week due to the freezing conditions, attracted first time orienteers and some more experienced athletes from a varied range of backgrounds including road, fell, trail and triathletes. It also led to a family double with husband and wife Sam Drinkwater and Anna Drinkwater each winning their respective male and female individual categories. Organiser  Gwen Charlton  promoted the event as a chance to explore the Medieval streets of Conwy, and the 60-minute plus challenge included locating and discovering key information from a number of checkpoints...

   *Prolific Northern Ireland author Eileen McCourt (*above) has written and published well over 50 books with bookpublishing4u.co.uk, and now sells her books online via Amazon to a host of regular readers worldwide. About two years ago, Eileen also featured her work on a special Amazon promotion in America. donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2025 Calling All Authors! Everyone has a book in them! Isn't it time yours was read?  Turn your story into a best seller! As Self-Publishing Specialists  We Can Turn Your Book Into A Reality!                                         What is self-publishing?  Call now on 01745 832211. https://www.facebook.com/bookpublishing4u Quite simply,  it's a way of quickly and cheaply getting a book published without the need for a traditional publisher (publishing house). More and more authors...

Special Coast and Country online magazine promotion. donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2025   Memoirs of the Banana Man: An Angler’s Recollections. By author Christopher Robert Willis.   This is the link to the Amazon paperback version:   https://amzn.to/4sjDpQz   For years now, I have harboured a secret wish to write a book documenting some of the many eventful days and experiences that have occurred throughout my angling life.  Due to work commitments and fishing however, I never really had the time to devote to it, but recently I found myself in a situation, through unforeseen circumstances, whereby I had a lot of time at my disposal, and it seemed the perfect time to fulfil my wish.  When it came to actually sitting down to begin writing I found myself a bit stumped as to where to start. I had such a multitude of memories, many of which lacked clarity.  Now and then a photo, or an old piece of tackle from the early days brought a day or a fish, long since f...

*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...

*Ben and Sarah Hudson (*above) had a double date last weekend. Road Running trio galloped around the Aintree circuit in varied races...plus 60m dash success for Michael Finney. Report by Don Hale donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2025   Ben and Sarah Ferguson Hudson enjoyed a busy weekend of running by taking part in the Crosby parkrun on Saturday and the Aintree half marathon on Sunday. The NWRRC pair made their course debuts at Crosby and Ben finished 25th overall, and he was 4th in his VM45 age cat in 23.01, with Sarah winning her FW45 age cat in 49th place, and the 3rd female in 24.58.  In the Aintree half race the following day, Ben was 93rd out of 460 entrants in 1.39.02, and he finished 4th again in his M45 age cat. Sarah also ran very well and she was 302nd overall and the 55th female finisher in 2.02.12, and she too was 4th in her F45 cat. After her events, Sarah confirmed:  “Did the Crosby parkrun on Saturday. Great fun and route with the Anthony Gormley statues surround...