Don Hale Blog

* Ben and Sarah Hudson at the Runcorn Jubilee Bridge half-marathon. NWRRC trio took part in the Runcorn Jubilee Bridge races. Report by Don Hale https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com   NWRRC members Ben and Sarah Ferguson Hudson took part in the Runcorn Jubilee Bridge half marathon race last Sunday, with clubmate Kevin Higgins competing in the associated 10k event. The races started and finished on the Silver Jubilee Bridge, which strands the River Mersey and the Manchester Ship Canal. The Hudson duo used this event as a warm-up for some forthcoming ultra-distance races and they both seemed pleased with their results despite some blustery winds and rain at times.  Ben finished in 216th place out of 741 entrants, in 1 hour 45 minutes and 5 seconds, whilst Sarah also ran well, and she was 367th overall in 1.55.00. After her race Sarah admitted:  “We had all the weathers today. It was hot and humid at the start, and then it got really windy, and during the last mile we had sidewa...

*Top North Wales husband and wife athletes Martin and Carla Green. Dynamic Duo Martin and Carla Green starred at the Manchester Marathon last Sunday. Report by Don Hale.   North Wales athletes Martin and Carla Green both celebrated excellent performances in the Manchester Marathon last Sunday with Martin finishing 13th in the elite men’s race, and won his age category, whilst Carla claimed a great new PB over this distance and was 3rd place in her age category. The dynamic husband and wife duo had been training hard for this event and obviously it all paid off with two outstanding runs in this challenging race on an undulating course. Martin (*pictured above)  was one of thirty-five elite athletes who were followed by a mass entry, and he certainly proved his pedigree once again, competing well throughout the event to finally finish in 13th place overall, but he won his MV45 age cat with a superb chip time of just 2 hours 30 minutes and 43 seconds. The elite race was even...

 *Kelly-Marie Alford and Cai Roberts in Heaton Park Deserved podium place for Kelly at Heaton Park half-marathon Report by Don Hale. North Wales athletes Kelly-Marie Alford and her partner Cai Roberts crossed the English border to Heaton Park in Manchester on Sunday to take part in a “live” half-marathon event where Kelly claimed a deserved age-related podium place. In a popular race that would still be prohibited in Wales due to current Covid-19 restrictions on running events, Kelly battled the weather and a series of challenging hill climbs to earn a silver medal position as 2nd in her F35 age category. The half-marathon was part of a welcome three-race programme, including both a 5k and 10k, and recording nearly 800 finishers in total  Despite a lack of endurance training and race fitness, both Kelly and Cai, who were representing NWRRC, ran well and enjoyed their first major race competition for over a year, with Kelly running home in 2 hours 8 minutes 39 seconds....