Don Hale Blog

North Wales Cross Country Champs report from the Treborth Track, Bangor race on 10/1/2026.   A special report and photograph cortesy of Bernie Jones, the secretary of the NW Cross Country League. donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2025 A big thank you to Eryri Harriers for hosting the North Wales Championships for the second-year running. Bangor is always testing and this year was no different.  Thank you to all the volunteers, not just on the course but behind the scenes and especially to Helen Blair for coordinating everything. Unfortunately, due to be stuck in one foot of snow we did not have the chip timing services of Dave Peters and had to revert to old school timing and recording.  “A late Friday night sorting out numbers from my loft ensured we were able to go ahead! I would therefore like to thank all the officials who enabled me to do some coordinating and sort out individual medals. THANK YOU ALL. Without them there would be no Championships. ALL TEAM MEDALS AND AGE GROU...

*Runners listen to the briefing at the start of the Llandrillo yn Rhos parkrun. Visitors set a hot pace on a cold, frosty morning at the Rhos parkrun – plus other results and reports from the region... Report by Don Hale. Photos courtesy of Michael Finnie. donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2025 Pictured above and below - the mass start of the Rhos parkrun. It was another jam-packed and fun-filled occasion on Saturday morning at the new Llandrillo yn Rhos (Y Promenade) parkrun last Saturday following a record-breaking attendance on Christmas Day. Despite the freezing temperatures and a generous covering of heavy frost around the region, with the icy conditions causing the cancellation of rival events at  Conwy  and at  Nova , the Rhos parkrun, possibly aided by a light layer of sand at key points, was given the green light, much to the delight of 576 eager entrants. And many runners later expressed their gratitude to the run director  Dougie Graham  and his RD colleagues,...

Rhos on Sea 5k Your Way Move Against Cancer parkrun on Saturday 27th December. donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2025 Tomorrow (Saturday 27/12) is a very special  Y Promenâd parkrun, Llandrillo-yn-Rhos  — our monthly  Rhos-on-Sea: 5k Your Way, Move Against Cancer  meet-up, and the reason this parkrun began here. Please do join us to help raise awareness of 5K Your Way Move Against Cancer, a welcoming community for anyone affected by cancer who would like to enjoy the fresh air, move at their own pace, and connect with like-minded people.  Meet at 8:45am by the 5KYW flag as shown in the picture.  *Everyone is welcome. * *Read about the Christmas Day parkrun. Don Hale Blog: Massive Christmas Day attendances at Rhos and Nova... https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2025/12/massive-christmas-day-attendances-at.html?spref=tw

NEW UPDATE: Lovely black and white cat returned to owners - thanks to Wilfred and Friends Wilfred & Friends Good news, the owner has been found and the cat collected safely and gone back home. Thanks to Wilfred and Friends for a great and quick service. Previous message: LARGE WHITE CAT WITH BLACK PATCHES LOOKING LOST ON OUR GARDEN IN DEGANWY, NORTH WALES...Photos taken at dusk last night. donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2025 Attention all cat owners - IS THIS YOUR CAT - CALLED QUEENIE - has anyone mislaid a lovely big white cat with some black patches in the Deganwy district near to High Pastures Nursing Home and Bwlch Farm Lane?  We have a stray cat who has been camped on our garden for a week or so, and is always starving hungry. The cat has a distinctive squeaky meow, a black patch across one ear and is nearly all white with a black tale.  Very friendly but it seems lost and is in urgent need of attention and constantly demands food. *If this is your cat can you please send ...

Conwy Urban Night Score – Explore the Medieval streets of Conwy – NOW RE-ARRANGED DUE TO THE WEATHER -Thursday 15th January 2026. Unique orienteering event. By Gwennan Charlton. donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2025   For anyone who’s been thinking of doing one of the Orienteering Urban Night races, we’re coming to Conwy on the 15th of January! Link for more info/entries here:   https://facebook.com/events/s/conwy-urban-night-score/1186436856278025/ *Gwennan Charlton (*above left), is helping to promote the Conwy event, with Lizzie Bennett, who is a keen urban orienteer. Get ready for the first orienteering event of 2026!  We're exploring the medieval streets of Conwy for this one. And it's going retro- pen, paper and clues only! No map run.   I've got a series of clues- both educational and non-educational for you to gather around town. Think treasure hunt, but the pot of gold is a lamp post!   Entries are open online at :   https://pre-entries.co.uk/dl/events Onl...

*Pictured above - a previous 10k start on the Goodwood Race Circuit. BMAF 10km championships - Goodwood Motor Racing Circuit at Chichester 1st February 2026. donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2025 In its eighth year based at the Goodwood Motor Circuit, the 2024 race attracted a huge field of athletes, including some of the best masters athletes in each age group from across the UK.   We have already 63 entries for the BMAF 10k Championships to be promoted on Sunday 1st February 2026 at the Goodwood Motor Circuit, Chichester, Sussex.  Due to parking limitations at the venue, the event does have a strict entry limit.  Those 63 entries wanted to be the very first to enter before we announced there were only 600 race bibs left. The race organiser says they could all go before the end of the year.   So if you want to be part of a 5 Star competitive 10k experience on a traffic free fast course  please act fast.   We are awarding medals on this occasion based on chip timin...

*Pictured above - Run Directors Richard Peevor and Dougie Graham at Rhos. Festive demands and the weather kept numbers down at NW parkruns... Report by Don Hale. Rhos parkrun photos courtesy of Pat Finnie. donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2025   It was a cool, damp morning at most of the local parkruns last Saturday, with numbers down at the majority of them, probably due to festive demands and the problematic weather conditions, with some flooding on numerous 5k courses. Conwy may have suffered the most, with entrants down for the third week on the trot, and only 80 determined athletes – including 24 visitors – who completed the swampy riverside route at the RSPB, whilst Nant y Pandy’s event was cancelled altogether! The new  Llandrillo yn Rhos parkrun  still remains a novelty but entrants were down from last week’s launch of 501 to 345, and the stats were very interesting with 240 first timers, and nearly half of the previous week’s entrants recorded new PB’s this week! *S...

*Pictured above - joint restaurant owner and athlete Dave  Hughes with his family at Conwy parkrun after completing his 100-mile fundraising race for charity. Joint restaurant owner Dave Hughes ran 100-miles for the Pancreatic Cancer charity.. Report by Don Hale.  donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2025   Well done to popular local athlete and restaurant owner Dave Hughes who has completed an amazing 100-mile ultra running challenge to help raise funds for Pancreatic Cancer in memory of his father-in-law Alun Yu. Dave, who jointly owns the  Paysanne restaurant at Deganwy , finally achieved his mileage target at Conwy parkrun, where he was welcomed by family members on the finish line, with the exciting news that his sterling efforts are now close to raising nearly £1,000 via his JustGiving charity for this worthy cause. On his fundraising page he confirmed the reasons for his gallant efforts and explained:  “ This year, I lost someone special - my father-in-law – and it w...

*Pictured above and below - some of the fun runners at the Mental Elf events. Mental Elf 2k and 5k races proved a huge success at Eirias Park, Colwy Bay last Sunday... Report by Don Hale. Pictures by Caitlin Faye Photography. donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2025 John Hatton, who was one of the charity event organisers at last weekend’s Mental Elf races at Eirias Park, was delighted by the fun frolics and the great public response, plus the generous funds raised for such a worthy cause. Sponsored by Jennings , participants were told that they could either walk, jog, skip or run whilst soaking up the festive spirit, and whilst supporting Conwy and the Vale of Clwyd Minds, with a Mini Elf 2k fun run, and 5k event. After the event, John confirmed:  “A massive thank you to all the volunteers last Sunday at the Mental Elf 2k & 5k, held at Eirias Park, Colwyn Bay.  What a day, and it began at 8am setting up the course. It was white everywhere, and a hailstorm was incredible. “The weathe...