Don Hale Blog

*Some of the award winners from the NW Junior Mountain Running Championships. A special race report courtesy of event organiser Mike Blake on the recent North Wales Junior Mountain Running Champs... donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2025 High winds, road closures and an overhead power cable breakage close to the start/finish area resulting in, no electric in the summit complex and moving the u/17 and19 starts, did not prevent 3 records being broken in the North Wales Junior Mountain Running Championships on the Great Orme at Llandudno, a nd all by the young ladies!  The first record to go was to Enya Maguire , 18 sec in the U 11 girls, next was Daisy McVicar, 2nd o/a out of 21 and 30 sec in the U 13'S. last but not least was Lola Corrales, whose father Michael Low Corrales Mills, best known for his 5 victories in the Tryfan Dash, took 2 sec off the U 9 girls time.  Big thanks to all those who helped especially Ann and Sharo n for coping with my scribbles, to Ron Jones for once again...

 *Pictured above - many members of the NWRRC team at the Caernarfon half marathon last Sunday. Wet and windy at Caernarfon for the half marathon championships... Report by Don Hale. donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2025   There was a good entry of more than six hundred elite, club and social runners at the Caernarfon half marathon last Sunday, which was staged in unusually wet and windy weather but saw the top male and female athletes retain their titles. This event was also part of the  North Wales Regional Half-Marathon Championships , and it also attracted many top athletes from all around the UK, and it was well organised by RunWales. Tomos Roberts  (Meirionnydd RC) was the overall winner in 1 hour 11 minutes and 26 seconds, with  Chris Pownall (Cybi Striders) second in 1.15.42, and  Steffan Sayer  (Menai T&F), third in 1.15.45. *The first female finisher was  Emma Alofs  (Cybi Striders) in 1.27.49, and  Eleanor Ashcroft  (Denbigh H...

  *Pictured above - friendly volunteers at the Penrhyn Castle parkrun (l-r): Cheryl Frost, John Hatton and Carla Green Tail end visitors boosted the numbers at North Wales parkruns...plus other results... Report by Don Hale donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2025   At the tail end of the holiday season, and with the weather still reasonable, most North Wales parkruns still recorded bumper attendances boosted by a host of visiting athletes. At the  Newborough Forest parkrun , seven out of the first ten finishers were all visitors from varied parts of the country, and they also recorded some excellent times.  The same applied to nearby  Nant y Pandy , with six out of the first ten finishers making their course debuts, and many other events also reported increased number from travelling runners. It was good to note that a promising young athlete in  Josh Mottram  (Colwyn Bay AC), celebrated his 100th parkrun last Saturday at  Conwy  by finishing 3rd overa...

*The late Helena Tipping, pictured above at the World Veterans 10k championships held in Vancouver, Canada, in 1986. Stop the Cancellation of Running Events in Wrexham - and please sign the petition... Important introduction by Don Hale: 5/9/2025.  donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2025 *My thanks to my running colleague Martin Green who has alerted me to an extraordinary decision made by Wrexham County Council Borough Council, to try to cancel running events on Wrexham Industrial Estate,  and  in the Isycoed area, which will affect many events including the famous Helena Tipping 10k race , which helps to raise tens of thousands of pounds for worthwhile charities. Martin said:  “Would appreciate if any of my running friends could sign this petition, as some council official is trying to ruin a race that’s been going longer than me.”   And  Mike Edwards, a r etired chartered surveyor and local government officer, runner, cyclist and swimmer,  has just organised...

 *Pictured above - Gwennan Charlton and her family at the Penrhyn Castle event. Penrhyn Castle Dark Run Join the Penrhyn Castle Dark Run – Light Up the Night for Hope House Children’s Hospices! donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2025 Get ready for a magical evening at the stunning Penrhyn Castle as we light up the night for a truly special cause. The Dark Run is a family-friendly event in support of Hope House Children’s Hospices, offering a fun and unique 3K route (or 1.5K for little legs) through the beautiful castle grounds – all after dark!   October 18th 2025, 6pm Our warm up will begin at 6.10pm and at 6.30pm sharp we will start the run! Every participant will receive a bespoke glow-in-the-dark medal and a goody bag to remember the night. Dress up in your brightest, most glowing outfits (optional, but encouraged!) and help us bring light and hope to local families who need it most. We kindly ask each runner to raise as much as they can – every pe...

*Pictured. above - flashback to a previous Conwy Dark Run for charity. Conwy Dark Run 2025. Join the Conwy Dark Run – Light Up the Night for Hope House Children’s Hospices! donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2025 Get ready for a magical evening at the Conwy Quay as we light up the night for a truly special cause. The Dark Run is a family-friendly event in support of Hope House Children’s Hospices, offering a fun and unique 4K route (or 2K for little legs) with the estuary backdrop – all after dark! October 25th 2025, 6pm.   https://www.hopehouse.org.uk/conwy-dark-run-2025 Our warm up will begin at 6.10pm and at 6.30pm sharp we will start the run! Every participant will receive a bespoke glow-in-the-dark medal and a goody bag to remember the night. Dress up in your brightest, most glowing outfits (optional, but encouraged!) and help us bring light and hope to local families who need it most. We kindly ask each runner to raise as much as they can – every pe...

Martin and Carla (*pictured above) both won their age cats at the Golden Ball 20-mile race at Lancaster. Martin and Carla Green on top form at the Golden Ball 20-miler. Report by Don Hale. donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2025 Martin and Carla Green both won their respective veteran age categories at the Golden Ball 20-mile race on Sunday, which part of the Lancaster Races series of events. Now competing for  Meirionnydd RC , Martin was in fine form again, and he finished 5th overall and won his MV50 cat in a very good time of 1 hour 57 minutes and 54 seconds, with Carla, from  North Wales Road Runners , also winning her FV50 age cat in 46th place, and she was the fourth female finisher in 2.30.21. For Martin, this was his second race over the weekend after first competing for his club in the Mid Cheshire 5k race on Friday night, where he recorded another excellent time of just 16 minutes and 18 seconds.  After his 20-mile race on Sunday, Martin confirmed : “My biggest ever month...

* Veteran athletes Kay Hatton and Mike Hayton (*above) both won their respective age cats with good times at the Penrhyn Castle parkrun last Saturday. North Wales Parkun results round-up: plus Kevin Higgins in a spin at the Oulton Park race circuit. donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2025 Good number of visitors, first-timers and PBs at NW parkruns. There were good numbers and numerous personal best times at most North Wales parkruns once again last weekend as hundreds of mixed ability athletes, including loads of visitors and first-timers, enjoyed the last of the summer events in the continued good weather.   *Penrhyn:   Ewan Brown  tore around the  Penrhyn Castle parkrun  last Saturday morning in an amazing new PB time of just 15 minutes and 49 seconds to additionally win his VM35 age cat. He was followed by  Nicolas Seguin  in 18.17, and  James Coleman  (Eryri Harriers) in 18.33. The first female finishers at Penrhyn included:  Mabli Bates ...

*Pictured above - Welsh Master Steve Gardner at a recent  track race. Welsh Master Steve Gardner denied a new steeplechase record due to a water leak! Report by Don Hale. https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com www.welshmastersathletics.co.uk   Welsh Master and international track athlete Steve Gardner hit the track running again last weekend and celebrated in style after winning his 2000m steeplechase race at a British Masters Championship meeting, but he was denied a new record due to a water leak! Staged at the Pingles Stadium in Nuneaton, he took part in a mixed race and was delighted with his outstanding overall win in an excellent time of just 7 minutes 31.62 seconds, but his result won’t count however as a record, as the runners had to miss out on the water jump due to an unfortunate leak, leaving the tray pit only half full. Steve, who also represents  North Wales Road Runners , was obviously disappointed by this unusual problem, but with his current good form on the tra...