Don Hale Blog

*Will Evans (*above) made a successful debut at the Rhos parkrun Another attendance record smashed at Rhos despite Arctic conditions...plus other parkrun results. Report by Don Hale. Photos by Michael Finnie and others. donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2025   The Llandrillo y Rhos parkrun set another amazing attendance record of 629 last Saturday despite a strong and bitter-cold Arctic headwind and a rather sandy 5k course. This popular new event attracted hundreds of visitors at the end of the festive holidays,  and it was also boosted by numerous runners travelling along the coast due to several early parkrun postponements, due to freezing conditions elsewhere with plenty of ice and snow, and Rhos also  recorded  an exceptional minus 8 degree wind chill via Strava! Visitor  Jacob Hiom  (Cuth’s RC) made a successful course debut at Rhos, finishing in only 17 minutes and 21 seconds, yet incredibly, he shared the exact same finishing time as  Simon Cole  (...

*Father and son, Stuart and Joe Culverhouse (*above) ran well at Conwy. Cold and windy but well attended New Year’s Day parkruns. Report by Don Hale. donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2025   It was another very cold and very windy morning at most of the New Year’s Day parkruns, yet the conditions still failed to deter hundreds of hardy and determined athletes from travelling a long way just to start their 2026 events in style. Known parkrun events took place at  Conwy, Llangollen, and Newborough Forest , to name but a few, and all reported good attendances, and were well supported by generous teams of enthusiastic volunteers. At Conwy,  the organisers welcomed 242 entrants including numerous first timers, and the first finisher was Wrexham AAC star  James Yarwood  in 17 minutes and 45 seconds.  Iain Burgess  ran a good second place in 18.10, and visitor  Thomas Watkiss  took the third spot in 18.44. Anna Drinkwater  (Eryri Harriers) (*pictured ri...

*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...

   *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...

*Runners listen to the briefing at the start of the Llandrillo yn Rhos parkrun. Visitors set a hot pace on a cold, frosty morning at the Rhos parkrun – plus other results and reports from the region... Report by Don Hale. Photos courtesy of Michael Finnie. donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2025 Pictured above and below - the mass start of the Rhos parkrun. It was another jam-packed and fun-filled occasion on Saturday morning at the new Llandrillo yn Rhos (Y Promenade) parkrun last Saturday following a record-breaking attendance on Christmas Day. Despite the freezing temperatures and a generous covering of heavy frost around the region, with the icy conditions causing the cancellation of rival events at  Conwy  and at  Nova , the Rhos parkrun, possibly aided by a light layer of sand at key points, was given the green light, much to the delight of 576 eager entrants. And many runners later expressed their gratitude to the run director  Dougie Graham  and his RD colleagues,...