Don Hale Blog

*Pictured above - the start of the NW 5k championship race at Llanrug. (*photos courtesy of Will Ash (Bill Scriven). Fast times and NW championships medals at the Llanrug 5k midweek race...results and medal winners. *Report by Don Hale.  *All photos courtesy of Will Ash (Bill Scriven). https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com   There was a very good entry for the Llanrug 5k race in midweek with some fast times recorded over a challenging course with the first 17 athletes all dipping under 18 minutes. This well organised event was also run in conjunction with the  North Wales Regional 5k championships  and overall it attracted over two-hundred elite, club, and varied ability runners from across the area and beyond. Gwion Roberts  (Meirionnydd RC) was the overall race winner in 16 minutes and 7 seconds, with Gwion’s club colleague  John Davies  2nd in 16.44, and  Dave Bus Hughes  (Eryri Harriers) 3rd in 16.59. The first three female finishers all repre...

*Pictured above - Kay Hatton and Mike Hayton both won their age cats. Visiting athlete smashed the female course record at Penrhyn parkrun, plus other results and reports... Report by Don Hale.  https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com   Penrhyn Castle parkrun attracted 317 entrants last Saturday including visiting athlete Sara Ismail-Sutton (Durham City Harriers), who was not only the 1st finisher overall, but she also smashed the female course record on her debut in 17.45. Despite the cool and blustery conditions Sara beat all her male rivals with ease, and was eventually followed by  Aidan Thomas  in 18.30, and VM60 veteran  Graham Bale  (Plymstock RR), who gave Aidan a hard chase in 3rd spot in 18.33. Quite remarkably, the first three female finishers were all debutants, and with Sara taking the top-spot overall, the 2nd female place was taken by  Anna Patrickson  (City of Salisbury), in 21.56, with  Patricia Ronksley ( Stragglers), 3rd in 23.09....

*Pictured above - some of the many hard working volunteers at the Nova parkrun. Course debutants and first timers boosted local parkruns over Easter...plus results round-up. Report by Don Hale.   https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com *Members of the NWRRC team at Nova (*above l-r): Gwen Charlton, Hannah Griffith, Carla Green, Cheryl Frost,  Daniel Hennell, and Nia Lister, with Adam Lemalle on the back row.   The Easter weekend series of local 5k parkruns attracted massive attendances again this year, with many recording record numbers of entrants including a large input of course debutants and first timers! Nova at Prestatyn and Penrhyn Castle parkruns, were probably the most popular events last weekend in North Wales, with bumper attendances also reported at Newborough Forest, who welcomed 297 runners, and Nant y Pandy 145, whilst most other local events also welcomed a large number of families, visitors and first-time participants. Conwy parkrun director  Gwyn Williams ...

*The North Wales Road Runners pictured above at Trawsfynydd on Sunday. Search & Rescue team well supported at Trawsfynydd race  Report by Don Hale. Photos by John Hatton. https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com Over three-hundred athletes tackled the challenging Trawsfynydd Multi-Terrain Race last Sunday, which helped to raise essential funds for the South Snowdonia Search and Rescue Team. Described by race officials as a b eautiful multi terrain 8.6-mile race around  Trawsfynydd Lake  in the Eryri/Snowdonia National Park, this event was staged over a relatively fast course, yet it included one rather challenging hill, and a mixed tarmac and trail course.  All proceeds were donated to this worthy Search and Rescue Team, which is a charity, wholly dependent on donations from the public, and is run entirely by volunteers, who are on call-out 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, to help those in need in the local area.  The first finisher overall was  Steffan Sayer ...

*Thumbs up from NWRRC member Will Williams in the green vest. North Wales athletes raced the ‘Magic Triangle’ for Euro glory at the prestigious Pulford 10k race... Report by Don Hale. Photos courtesy of John Hatton. https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com *Pictured above - the Pulford 10k race winner Logan Rees at the finish line.   A large number of North Wales athletes competed within a massive entry of over 600 elite runners last Sunday at the Pulford 10k, which was a qualifying race for the European Championships. Formerly known as the Cheshire Elite 10k, this prestigious event was staged on the legendary Pulford loop, known in running folklore as ‘The Magic Triangle,’ and is considered to be one of the fastest routes in the UK, and measured to World Athletics standards. The race was a high-quality event and consequently it attracted a star-studded entry and included some of the top runners in the country, who competed against each other in order to bid for international selection. De...

*Pictured above - five members of the NWRRC team at the XC champs at Bangor (l-r), Michael Finnie, Cheryl Frost, Kay Hatton, Gwen Charlton, and Karen Butler; and (*below), four NWRRC team members who competed in the Men's Senior Race (*l-r), Will  Williams, Iwan Evans, Stuart Culverhouse, and Steve Gardner.   Five podium places and two gold medals for the Road Runners in XC champs at Treborth, Bangor. Report by Don Hale. https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com www.welshmastersathletics.co.uk Nine members from the North Wales Road Running Club competed in different races during the NW Cross Country Championships at Treborth Track, Bangor, last Saturday, and claimed five podium places, including two age category wins. In the senior/master women’s race,  Karen Butler  won a deserved gold medal after finishing 1st in her W65 age cat following a great run in 39th place in 37 minutes and 30 seconds. The NWRRC team packed well with veteran  Cheryl Frost  on form again in...