Don Hale Blog

*Jon Evans proudly shows his marathon medal from the Berlin Marathon. Great run by Jon Evans at the Berlin Marathon. Report by Don Hale.   https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com www.welshmastersathletics.co.uk   North Wales Road Runner Jon Evans enjoyed a great run in the popular Berlin Marathon in Germany last Sunday and said he was pleased with both his time and his pacing splits during this prestigious event. This was Jon’s fifth Berlin race, and this time he welcomed good weather conditions and used this marathon as the ideal preparation for the forthcoming Chester marathon.  *Jon Evans is pictured above at the  famous  Brandenburg Gate in Berlin. The veteran endurance athlete completed this interesting but undulating course in just 4 hours and 5 minutes, and he praised the support of his fitness coaches for this performance following a period of heavy training. After the race, as he stood next to the famous Brandenburg Gate, Jon confirmed: “The weather was excellent, no course PB, but v

Newborough Forest won the virtual World Cup Parkrun Final against North Wales rivals Archive report by Don Hale. Flashback story to earlier in 2020. The picturesque beauty spot of Newborough Forest on Anglesey finally won the epic local derby Parkrun battle over their North Wales rivals Conwy earlier in 2020 to win the top global tourism prize, with both teams recording a record number of votes. In a dramatic 24-hour final staged online, Newborough led for most of the way, and backed by tremendous Island support, fully deserved their victory. With this inaugural, virtual running competition, which attracted 24 teams worldwide from a variety of tourist locations based in Australia, Germany, Holland, Norway, and from all around the UK, it seemed quite bizarre, and perhaps a shade unfortunate that two teams situated just 30-miles apart in scenic North Wales, should meet in the final.                                                         Images from Newborough Parkrun It is however, perh

The haunted look of tragic Unity Mitford Unity Mitford with Adolph Hitler at his home in Berlin This is the tragic tale of an eccentric aristocrat, and English party-girl, her love of Nazi Germany, Hitler in particular, and her eventual retreat after a failed suicide attempt, to Mitford Island, where she retained some incredible wartime memorabilia, complete with its associated dark memories. Exclusive archive story by Don Hale Unity's family home in Scotland on Inche Kenneth - better known to the locals as Mitford Island Within the walls of a cold bleak tower house marooned on the shores of a remote Scottish island, the crackling sounds of provocative Nazi speeches and deafeningly powerful boot stomping German military marches could still be heard playing on an old phonograph. As if completely frozen in time, a large pile of 1930’s LP’s, rare pre-war souvenirs and personal artefacts remain stacked in the lounge and throughout the home once owned by the eccentric and controversial