Don Hale Blog

Covid restrictions prevented Conwy parkrun from celebrating their 7th anniversary. Report by Don Hale. Most photos by Steve Jeffery. Welsh Government and Covid-19 restrictions unfortunately prevented the organisers of the Conwy parkrun from celebrating seven years since staging their very first event.  Although the junior parkrun has continued and seems to be going from strength to strength, the adult participation has been halted by a limit of just 50 participants for all outdoor sports events in Wales.  It’s a ruling that has caused extreme controversy within the running fraternity and seems in stark contrast to identical events in all other parts of the UK, with English ministers even querying the validity of this ban, and the impact on both mental and physical health. The restrictions have also somewhat dampened the spirit of parkrun of late, and it is hoped that further meetings this week with the Welsh Government, Parkrun UK, and Welsh Athletics will help to rectify the problem.

*NWRRC athletes Lesley Goodson (*left) and Sarah  Ferguson Hudson. Report by Don Hale. Photographs by Sarah Ferguson Hudson & Steve Jeffery.   Race organisers from the Betws y Coed Trail Challenge events had to call in a determined group of volunteers and supporters last Saturday morning to help clear the course following the aftermath of Storm Arwen, and ongoing weather problems, which had left dozens of fallen trees blocking or restricting several planned routes. *Pictured (above and below) some fallen trees blocked the 5k course. The exceptional gales, heavy rain, and dangerous conditions on Friday night and during the early hours of Saturday morning provided trail officials with a nightmare scenario, but within hours a team of athletes and supporters cleared the way for five out of the six races to go ahead. Initially organisers stated: ‘ Thanks to everyone that has been in touch this morning, the weather here is fine, and we have no snow. We’ve been up on the routes and there

                             Lesley Goodson in top form again in the Welsh relay challenge   Welsh Athletics virtual 5-mile road relay challenge NWRRC members win podium places in Welsh relay challenge   Report by Don Hale. Most photos by Steve Jeffery. Four members of North Wales Road Running Club won age-related podium placings within a high-quality field of national athletes during last weekend’s Welsh Athletics virtual 5-mile relay challenge. With almost nine-hundred-entrants competing overall, including twenty-six teams of eight runners, the NWRRC team finished 15 th  overall, with the top four male and female finishers from each club counting towards team scores.  Due to strict Covid-19 restrictions, social distancing regulations, and recent freezing temperatures, the event was staged as a time-trial over four days, with all athletes having to complete their runs individually, and on their own preferred courses. This prestigious event attracted some superb performances and some v