Don Hale Blog

Podium place for Steve Bozier at Snowdonia Epic Trail 10k race - and a great team effort. Report by Don Hale.   Five club runners took part in the highly challenging Snowdonia Epic Trail 10k race last Sunday in the rain where Steve Bozier enjoyed an exceptional run to claim a podium position as the 3rd placed finisher. *Steve Bozier put in a great performance to finish 3rd in the Snowdonia Trail race and he is pictured (*top of page) and (*above centre) in the white top appearing as a giant on the start line. Steve ran an amazing 48 minutes 53 seconds, and he was also 2nd in his respective age category. The race also recorded some other notable team performances from  Dave Spofforth ,  Liz Driscoll ,  Hannah Griffiths , and  Samantha Williams , with a couple of the members only recruited at the last minute. *Some good running from the ladies at the Snowdonia Trail race (pictured l-r), Hannah Griffith, Sam Williams and Liz Driscoll. *Another excellent  result  for Dave Spofforth (*pictu

Great day for GOG Triathlon members at Bala in Welsh Championship race - and Rhian Roxburgh claims unique double.   Report by Don Hale.   GOG Triathlon had a strong team of over 30 members competing at Bala during Stage 5 of the Welsh Triathlon Super Series and they won gold and silver medals for several top podium placings in different age categories, with Rhian Roxburgh completing a unique double. *A unique double by Rhian Roxburgh at the Bala Triathlon. The event included a 1500m lake swim, a 40k bike ride and a near 10k run, and attracted 463 finishers.  Rhian Roxburgh  was the first female club runner home in 21st position and claimed gold for winning her Vet Female 40-49 age cat, finishing in 2 hours 11 minutes 19 seconds, and she won silver as the 2nd female finisher overall to celebrate a unique double. *Another great performance by teenager Caitlin Owen who won her age cat. Gareth Bowyer  was another worthy gold medal winner claiming 1st place in his Vintage Vet 50-59 age cat,

Liz Driscoll celebrates fantastic day at Bala Triathlon. Report by Don Hale.   North Wales Road Runner Liz Driscoll, who last weekend competed for her second claim club GOG Triathlon, tells of her unique experience in taking part in her first ever triathlon race at Bala. The event was said to be the ideal race for both beginners and experienced athletes alike, and the race seemed to live up to its pre-race publicity as “one of the most exciting triathlons the UK has to offer,” and soon became one of the most unforgettable races on the Welsh Triathlon Super Series. Race organisers, Tough Runner UK, teamed up with highly experienced local club, Clwb Beicio Bala, to bring back this amazing event, which was previously considered one of the most popular races on the circuit. And  this year, the event was included as Stage 5 of the Welsh Triathlon Super Series , which was also televised on S4C. Billed as the Bala Standard Triathlon, it involved a closed road triathlon, which started with a 1

Parkrun finally returned to North Wales and Bryn smashed course record. Report by Don Hale. Photographs by Steve Jeffery.   Parkrun finally returned to Wales, and to the Conwy RSPB site on Saturday for the first time in about seventeen months due to Covid-19 restrictions, and despite light rain and a puddle-ridden course, the event was welcomed by 310 muddy finishers, including many tourists, and several athletes from top clubs across the UK. Colwyn Bay AC’s teenage athlete  Bryn Woodall  (*pictured top of page) stole the show however, and recorded a tremendous new course record of just 15 minutes 16 seconds over this picturesque 5k route, which was voted ‘runner-up’ last year in the Parkrun “World Cup” contest. The SM18-19 runner knocked more than two minutes off his own previous personal best time at Conwy, set in January last year, and he also smashed the previous course record set more than six years ago by Andi Jones of 15.52 in August 2015. Bryn, who is about to leave Wales short