Don Hale Blog

*Pictured above - group members of the 5k Your Way, Move Against Cancer group when it first  started at Conwy parkrun before moving to Rhos on Sea. Rhos on Sea 5k Your Way, Move Against Cancer group is set to celebrate its first birthday this Saturday... Introduction by Don Hale. Report and photos by Richard Peevor. donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2025 At the end of this month, the Rhos on Sea 5K Your Way, Move Against Cancer group will celebrate its first anniversary. They have had a highly successful year after being initially based at Conwy before opting to move to nearby Rhos earlier this year due to public demand.   They are due   meet up again this Saturday (*27th September), which will be their first birthday bash, and a delighted  Richard Peevor,  who is the Lead  Ambassador for the Rhos group  confirmed:    “Our group has gone from strength to strength, with over thirty people attending our events on the last Saturday of every month. We wi...

*Martin Green (*above far right) leads the pack at the Penrhyn Castle parkrun. Parkrunners beat the wind and rain to record some great PB times...NW results round-up... Report by Don Hale. Photos by Michael Finnie. donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2025   Heavy rain and wind played a key role at most of the NW parkruns last Saturday with many courses reporting flooding and sections of heavy going, yet they still attracted numerous club and mixed ability entrants from far afield. With the  Newborough Forest parkrun  cancelled, this probably swelled the numbers at both the nearby  Penrhyn Castle and Nant Y Pandy  events, with numerous debutants recording some excellent PB times despite the challenging conditions *Penrhyn:  (*pictured right - John Hatton and fellow volunteers at Penrhyn).  There was a very good turn-out of some 243 entrants at the  Penrhyn Castle parkrun  with  Adam Jones  the first man home in 16.29, and  Rhodri Owen ...

*Flashback to a previous start at Penrhyn Castle parkrun Plenty of newcomers and good times despite wet and windy parkruns...round up of NW results. Report by Don Hale. donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2025   Despite a sudden change in the weather including some blustery winds and intermittent showers, it still failed to deter plenty of newcomers to various North Wales parkruns, where once again many excellent times and PBs were recorded. The ladies though took most of the plaudits around the region last Saturday morning with plenty of fast finishers, and at both  Nant y Pandy , and at  Llangollen , visiting female athletes dominated the top three positions.  Visitor  Sarah Evans  was the first female finisher at Penrhyn Castle, and there was an interesting battle for second and third places at Nova, Prestatyn, where partners and Eryri Harriers clubmates,  Nic Brook  and  Gemma Moore  raced nip and tuck, with Nick eventually finishing second ove...

*John Hatton (*above far right), who completed his 350th volunteering role last week is pictured with some of the many friendly volunteers at Penrhyn Castle parkrun. Young athletes star at North Wales parkruns: plus results round-up from around the region... There were some fast times and several top three finishes for young male and female athletes at various parkruns across North Wales last Saturday morning. With the fine weather and dry conditions continuing for the past few weeks, it was the turn of several promising youngsters to show their more experienced rivals a clean pair of heels. William Delamere  was perhaps the pick of the bunch, where the JM15-17 athlete was the first runner home at the  Newborough Forest parkrun  in just 17 minutes and 31 seconds, and his  sister Lucy Delamere  also ran well as the third female in the same event, with the JW11-14 athlete recording another good time of 21.55. Fred Reese  was another fine junior athlete on the...

*Bright sunshine and another great attendance (*above) at the Nova parkrun start. Good weather provided a tourism boost at many NW parkruns. Report by Don Hale. Photos by Malcolm. https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com   The good weather and the start of the main holiday season provided bumper attendances at most of the local parkruns in North Wales last week, with many reporting multi-elite, club, and social runners attending from all parts of the UK. The firm ground and a generous selection of venues to choose from also enhanced numerous personal best times (PBs), with many visiting athletes determined to make an impact on their course debuts, with Penrhyn, Nova, Nant y Pandy, and Newborough Forest, enjoying a surge in popularity. *Prestatyn:   It was another bumper holiday crowd at the Nova parkrun at Prestatyn with visiting athletes claiming the first two places including  Phil Banton , who made a successful debut in 18.57, with  Chris Morgan  (Brighton Phoenix) t...

 *Pictured above - Mark Jessett had a close finish with the runaway leader. Busy in the drizzle for over two hundred parkrunners at the Conwy Nature Reserve...and a close finish for Mark. Report by Don Hale. https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com www.welshmastersathletics.co.uk   Just over two-hundred entrants took part in a rather drizzly Conwy parkrun last Saturday morning at the RSPB Nature Reserve, which again attracted a good number of tourists and visiting club and social runners from around the UK. North Wales Road Runners  only had seven members in action this week due to holidays and other commitments, but they still recorded three age victories and two second place results.  Mark Jessett  was in good form and narrowly finished in 2nd place overall, but he certainly gave the runaway leader  Nathan Williams , a strong challenge from the turn-around point, and in the end, he was just 10-seconds adrift. Mark however, won his VM35 age cat in 18.22, with coll...