Don Hale Blog

*Pictured above - Laura Kenny with John Hatton at the sports awards. John Hatton and Michelle Farrell celebrate top  sporting  awards from Dame Laura Kenny   Report by Don Hale.   donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2025   Popular charity fundraiser, event organiser, sports promoter, and athletics coach John Hatton deservedly won another prestigious trophy last Friday night at the Conwy Sports Awards, along with an exceptional local international triathlete in Michelle Farrell.   They are both well-known talented local individuals in the athletics world and they received their awards along with other identified sporting heroes from the former Olympic cycling star Laura Kenny.   John Hatton later confirmed:  "I was honoured and so thrilled to be the winner of the 'Volunteer of the Year' at the Conwy Sports Awards last Friday. I have now won four awards at the event, including Services to Sport, Best Event of the Year for the Nick Beer 10k, and the  Degan...

*Pictured above - Master Veteran David Gibson celebrates after winning a silver medal at the New York Marathon to complete a unique hat-trick of World Major Marathon Championship awards. Introduction by Don Hale.  donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2025 Welsh Master David Gibson has completed winning a unique hat-trick of silver medals in three World Major Marathon events this year! This is an incredible achievement for this extraordinary Master Veteran, who competes for Wales Masters and his club Tri Hard Harriers, and has recently returned home following his latest success in the New York Marathon. www.welshmastersathletics.co.uk This is David's exclusive story: As a Welsh M70 Master, I competed in the 2025 Age Group World Marathon Championships at the recent 2025 New York Marathon and came away with the M70 category Silver Medal.  Tackling this race just six weeks after getting another M70 Silver Medal at the 2025 Berlin Marathon, and four weeks after a M70 win in the 2025 Cardi...

  South African puzzle book author Val Crowson publishes a fascinating new SEARCH FOR THE WORDS book...  And a special note from the author's daughter in law Mariska Crowson... Coast and Country online magazine promotion. 🧩  Can you say these WORDS really fast?     🐺  Wolf Flow   😴  Sleep Peels   🚚  Deliver Reviled   🏌️‍♂️  Flog Golf   🏆  Drawer Reward   🍰  Stressed Dessert   ⚔️  Raw War   ☕  Faced Decaf   🎨  Decal Laced   They might twist your tongue but in Val Crowson’s new wordsearch puzzle book, you can take your time to find them!  😉   Search for the Words is a fun and challenging wordsearch book created by South African author Val Crowson, designed to test your mind, improve your focus, and bring a smile while you play.     🧠  Perfect for puzzle lovers, teachers, book club readers, or anyone who enjoys a good brain workout!  ...

Osian was the runaway winner at the Eirias Park NW cross-country league race. Report by Don Hale.  donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2025   It was another good turn-out with some excellent performances last Saturday by a host of experienced club runners at Eirias Park, Colwyn Bay, for the second highly competitive match of the season in the ‘David Alun Williams,’ North Wales Cross-Country League, sponsored by Grand Prix Express. Elite senior male athlete  Osian Perrin  (Menai T&F) was the runaway winner of the  Senior Men’s  race in just 26 minutes and 28 seconds, and he finished over a minute ahead of his nearest rival  Ed Slaughter  (Bangor University), who was second in 27.31, with  Dan Kashi  (Meirionnydd RC) third in 27.40.  *In the Male Over 65 race, this was won by  John Jones  (Shrewsbury AC) in 20.14, with  Andy Clarke  (Oswestry Olympians) second, and he was only four-seconds behind in 20.18, with  Dyla...

Local Running Clubs come together to  supports Welsh Athletics' Own the Night campaign to make running safer for women this winter...SPECIAL FEATURE. donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2025 Unique report by Aaron Haggas - the run leader from Black Cloak Runners. A campaign aimed at making running safer for women by raising awareness and empowering communities to support female runners was launched this past Sunday with the Black Cloak Taproom hosting the North Wales Launch  Launched by Welsh Athletics, Own the Night is a national campaign, that confronts the truth head-on.   Running should feel free, safe, and equal but for many women, the reality is very different.  Every autumn, as the clocks go back and nights draw in, women across Wales face growing concerns about safety when running in the dark.    The campaign aims to: •  Raise awareness  of women's safety concerns when running at night or early mornings.   •  Empower women   to contin...