Don Hale Blog

*GOG athlete Andy Brazier (*above) at the Conwy parkrun. GOGs ran well at Conwy parkrun and at the RunWales Loyalty 10k despite the weather... Report by Don Hale. Eight GOG Triathlon members ran in the Conwy parkrun last Saturday morning and claimed seven podium places including three age category wins. Josh Keogh ( NWRRC), claimed his 10th win at Conwy and his 5th consecutive victory, finishing in 17 minutes and 32 seconds, which was some 27-seconds ahead of teenage rival  James Smith  (Menai Track & Field), who was 2nd in 17.59, and  Osian Griffiths,  3rd in 18.35. For the Ladies  Anna Drinkwater  (Eryri Harriers) was the 1st female runner home in 7th place overall in 20.47, and  Ella Grundy  (Colwyn Bay) finished 2nd, and in 19th place overall in 22.49, with  Cheryl Frost  (NWRRC) 3rd in 23.09. Despite a freezing cold day and a waterlogged and puddle-filled course, all the GOG runners still recorded some excellent times especially...

*Amie Bagnall (*above) who is about to cross a  snowy finish line at Telford, and (*below), some members of the North Wales team at the Telford 10k. North Wales athletes beat the snow and ice to record many new PBs at Telford 10k . Introduction by Don Hale.   My thanks to the North Wales Road Race team manager, Paul Brooks, who was out with his team in freezing temperatures for a couple of hours last Sunday at Telford. This is his personal report. Well done to Paul, to all the athletes, and especially to all the volunteers and supporters involved with this race in snowy and very icy conditions. Special report and photos by team manager Paul Brooks (*pictured above). *Rachel Shipley (*above) and pictured at the start area. These were our times from the Telford 10km:   Ryan Davis  (Wrexham) recorded 30:50 with a huge new PB. This ranks him at no 8 in the all-time NWRAC list and 9th in the senior men's list.  Luke Northall  (Wrexham) 33:19, 10 seconds faster t...

*Will Williams (*above) finished 2nd in the Run Wales 5k race Loyal athletes battled horrific weather in Run Wales 5k and 10k races...plus  Martin and Carla Green at Telford 10k. Report by Don Hale.   Nine Road Runners took part in the Run Wales Loyalty 5k and 10k races last Saturday despite freezing conditions that included sleet, rain, and snow, and a tough course covered in mud with many deep puddles. The race organisers confirmed this was a non-profit event and offered a free bonus place to runners who had previously entered at least two Run Wales events this year.  Both races utilised what was meant to be a very fast, flat, and scenic course long the cycle tracks from Conwy Bridge to Deganwy Quay and back, but the adverse weather conditions made the races far more of a challenge than expected. The 5k race  attracted twenty-one runners, and it was won by  James Yarwood  (Abergele Harriers) in 16.39, with  Will Williams  from NWRRC claiming a d...

*Josh Keogh (*above) performed well again at Conwy to claim another win. Josh celebrated his 50th parkrun at Conwy with his 10th win...and 5th on the trot!  Report by Don Hale. Photos by Steve Jeffery.   North Wales Road Runner Josh Keogh celebrated his 50th parkrun overall at Conwy last Saturday with another stunning result as the first runner home despite competing on a waterlogged 5k course in freezing cold, and very wet conditions. For  Josh , this was also his 10th win at Conwy and his 5th consecutive victory, finishing in 17 minutes and 32 seconds, which was some 27-seconds ahead of teenage rival  James Smith  (Menai Track & Field), who was 2nd in 17.59, and  Osian Griffiths,  3rd in 18.35. For the Ladies  Anna Drinkwater  (Eryri Harriers) was the 1st female runner home in 7th place overall in 20.47, and  Ella Grundy  (Colwyn Bay) finished 2nd, and in 19th place overall in 22.49, with another fine battle for both plac...

Hope House and Ty Gobaith appeal raised over £500k for their Children’s Hospices. Special updated report by Don Hale.  donhaleblog.blogspot.com   The Final Moments Matter campaign – previously highlighted on my blog – and launched over a two-day period towards the end of last month by Hope House and Ty Gobaith Children’s Hospices has finally reached their incredible fundraising target of £500k. Staged over a very special and intense 36-hour period on Sunday 26th November and Monday 27th November, they set out to raise half-a-million pounds to help cover the annual costs of providing the very best end of life care for every child and family in this region. Organisers asked the community to come together as one, to embrace local families, whose hearts were breaking and to make sure they were not isolated in their pain and grief. Thanks to the generosity of some key benefactors however, they thankfully began their fundraising efforts with a ‘matched giving pot’ of £250,000, which...

North Wales Cross Country championships at Wrexham. Report by Don Hale. Entries are now open for the North Wales Cross Country Championships which will be held at Ysgol Morgan Llwyd, Wrexham, on Saturday 7th January 2023. The timetable of races is as follows :   11am - Under 11 Girls; 11-20am - Under 13 Girls/Under 11 Boys;   11-45am - Under 15 Girls/Under 13 Boys;12-15pm - Under 17 Women/Under 15 Boys;   1-00pm Under 20/Senior/Master Women/Under 17 Men/65+Men   2-00pm - Senior/Master Men. *For the first time, entries are on-line and are available via the following link:   https://www.entrycentral.com/North_Wales_CC_Champs   North Wales Indoor Championships at Deeside. Report by Don Hale. Entries have opened for the North Wales Indoor Regional Championships at Coleg Cambria, Connah’s Quay, Deeside, on Sunday 15th January 2023.  The events include:  U11’s   – RJT Event Challenge (60m, Long Jump, Shot Put,) - £10 which covers all 3 events &...

*Lizzie Irvine (*above) in top form at Conwy parkrun. GOG athletes ran well at Conwy parkrun. Report by Don Hale.   Seven GOG Triathlon runners competed in the Conwy parkrun last Saturday and collected three podium placings including two first place finishes in their respective age categories. Lizzie Irvine  led the GOG team home in 26th place and she also won her VW35 cat in 22.49 and claimed the 2nd female finisher spot.  Steve Owen  was 39th in 23.57, with  Nicola Tomlinson  53rd and won her VW40 age cat in 25.38. Katie Harvey finished in 88th place overall and came 3rd in her VW50 cat in 28.38, with  Dimitri Pitton  96th in 29.18.  Sarah Ellwood  had a good run in 115th place in 31.16, whilst  Dinah Hazeldine  finished well in 141st place in 39.53. *The event attracted 150 runners of all ages and mixed abilities on a cold but clear day with  Josh Keogh  (NWRRC) the first male runner back with a PB of 17.01, with c...

Llandudno prom Santa Dash success as hundreds of people enjoyed a 5k charity run and children's race... Report by Don Hale. Photos by Steve Jeffery. Hundreds of runners, children, and dogs took part in the children's fun run and the 5k Santa Dash along Llandudno promenade last Saturday morning which also raised plenty of funds for local charities. Starting on North Shore by the pier, entrants journeyed down the pier before dashing down towards the paddling pool and the RNLI base before returning to the finish. As this event was not listed as a competitive race, the organisers confirmed that although there was an electronic timer at the finish, there were no chip times recorded. *Rob Fryer from NWRRC (*above) at the finish of the Llandudno Santa Run and (*below) Josie Davies with her young dasher who sprinted around the course.