Don Hale Blog

*John and Michelle Farrell competed well in the Bath Marathon. Great new PB times for John and Michelle at the Bath Marathon. Report by Don Hale. Photos by Caitlin Faye. donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2025 GOG Triathlon members John and Michelle Farrell competed well in the Bath Marathon last Sunday with both athletes recording some very good finishing times and new personal best (PB) times! Michelle won her age category in the Police Services UK (PSUK) championships and John was pleased with fourth place in his own age cat. After the event John confirmed: "A Lovely few days in Bath. A beautiful city and a marathon. PB’s for both Chelle and myself in 3:45 and 3:52 r espectively, and yet another win in age for Michelle at PSUK champs and 4th in age for me." *Pictured above - Michelle (*right) received her winners trophy from a police official.

Llandudno Triathlon and Duathlon postponed due to weather conditions...it will now be moved to 28/6/26. donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2025 This was not an easy decision, and we’ve explored every possible alternative. However, given the coastal location, the exposure on course, and the adverse weather conditions currently forecast, it isn’t possible to proceed safely. All participants have been emailed with full details. The event will now take place on Sunday 28th June 2026. We’re so sorry for the disappointment and thank you for your understanding. Your safety always comes first — Always Aim High Events Team. https://alwaysaimhighevents.com/events/llandudno-triathlon-duathlon-2025

*Pictured above left - Rhian Roxburgh with her Great Britain  team just after being  pulled from their tough endurance race. Drama for North Wales athlete Rhian Roxburgh and Team GB in Sweden... Report by Don Hale. https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com North Wales athlete Rhian Roxburgh and her colleagues who were representing Team GB in Sweden last week during the demanding 'One Water Race,’ were forced to pull out of the competition along with eight other international teams, due to time delays and freezing conditions, which  forced multiple medical evacuations – including two by helicopter! Rhian, who is a popular and well-known local triathlete, coach and endurance athlete with GOG Triathlon , was selected by  Team Great Britain  to take on this extraordinary challenge for the first time ever, with fellow experienced athletes  Gaz Roberts, Chris Goodfellow  and support from  Mike Alexander. They were pitched against nine other rival teams from Aust...

*Pictured above - the talented GOG duo of John and Michelle Farrell. ‘Czech’ mates and a bronze medal at the World Cross Duathlon championships... Report by Don Hale.  https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com *The successful GB team pictured above at the championships.   Talented North Wales athletes John and Michelle Farrell were ‘Czech’ mates after competing well for Team GB at the World Triathlon/X-Terra age group competition during the Cross Duathlon championships, staged recently in Prachatice within the Czech Republic. The talented and experienced pair, who are well-known GOG Triathletes were representing Great Britain after first qualifying to be part of the elite Age Group Team and last week travelled to the Prachatice Centrum, which is about a two-hour drive west of Prague. The event included a tough trail run, closely followed by a very challenging mountain bike race, and when John first carried out a practice recce of the course, the day before the main event, he nervously ...

*Pictured above - Llyr ApGeraint-Roberts on his way to a  podium place. (*photo courtesy of Bill Scrivens). North Wales athletes win podium places at the dramatic World Championships. https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com www.welshmastersathletics.co.uk *Michelle Farrell (*above) on the podium with her trophy after finishing 3rd in the World Trail Running Championships last weekend.   Two exceptional North Wales athletes claimed prestigious podium places at the Xterra Snowdonia Trail Running World Championships last Saturday after braving the extremely high temperatures that later led to the stoppage of all five events on the mountain. The races started and finished at Llanberis and offered a number of exceptional challenges with athletes tackling varied distances, ranging from 10k to a marathon, and even a 24-hour ultra event, and attracted many of the best athletes from across the globe. The event organisers confirmed:  ‘ The incredible routes explore the trails, gorgeous pa...

*Pictured above - Steve Mason - who was the first NWRRC member home. Hot pace despite a bitterly cold morning at Conwy parkrun. Report by Don Hale. https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com It was a very cold start for the first Conwy parkrun of 2025 as 247 mixed ability athletes tackled the puddle-filled, but picturesque 5k course, from the RSPB Nature Reserve last Saturday morning. Despite the freezing temperatures,  Iain Burgess  set a very hot pace as the 1st finisher in just 18 minutes and 36 seconds to win his VM35 age cat, and he was some 36-seconds ahead of his nearest rival, VM40  Richard Wilyman (GOG Triathlon), in 19.08, with SM25  Aaron Jones  3rd in 19.49. Llio Owen  was the 1st female finisher with a new PB of 21.23, and she won her SW20 age cat (13th overall), with VW40 athlete  Vicky Cole  (GOG Triathlon), 2nd (19th overall) with a fine run in 22.05, and VW35  Emma Stanley  claimed the 3rd place, (21st overall) in 22.15. North Wal...

*Pictured above - team manager Bernie Jones (*front left) with some members of the Welsh team at the Belfast races. NW Road Running duo performed well for Wales at the British & Irish International Cross Country championships in Belfast. *North Wales Road Runners Will Williams (*above left) and Karen Butler. Report by Don Hale. https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com www.welshmastersathletics.co.uk North Wales Road Runners Will Williams and Karen Butler competed well in the British and Irish Masters International Cross-Country Championships at the Billy Neill Country Park, Dundonald, near Belfast last Saturday. Will performed well in his MV50 age cat on a rather hilly and challenging course despite only just recovering from injury and seemed satisfied after finishing 29th overall in thirty-three minutes and one-second. And plaudits were also given to NWRRC member  Karen Butler  who finished 16th in her VW65-75 age cat (24th overall) and she was the1st Welsh veteran athlete i...

Sandman Triathlon 2024: A Fierce Battle Against the Elements:   Race Report. Special report by Always Aim High Events.    https://alwaysaimhighevents.com/   https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com   Last weekend marked the highly anticipated return of the Sandman Triathlon for its 14th year at the breathtaking Traeth Llanddwyn. This year’s event also played host to Stage 5 of the Welsh Triathlon Super Series, where fierce competition unfolded as athletes vied for the sprint title. The weather didn’t cooperate this weekend, with strong gusts and heavy sea swells forcing us to cancel the swim leg on both days. Sunday then greeted us with torrential rain. However, the athletes remained in great spirits, and the challenging conditions made for a tough but fitting conclusion to the 2024 Adventure Series.   SATURDAY The day began with dry weather, but strong gusts prompted an early decision to cancel the swim leg for the Sprint competitors. Instead, they tackled a 2.2k ...