Don Hale Blog

Osian was the runaway winner at the Eirias Park NW cross-country league race. Report by Don Hale.  donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2025   It was another good turn-out with some excellent performances last Saturday by a host of experienced club runners at Eirias Park, Colwyn Bay, for the second highly competitive match of the season in the ‘David Alun Williams,’ North Wales Cross-Country League, sponsored by Grand Prix Express. Elite senior male athlete  Osian Perrin  (Menai T&F) was the runaway winner of the  Senior Men’s  race in just 26 minutes and 28 seconds, and he finished over a minute ahead of his nearest rival  Ed Slaughter  (Bangor University), who was second in 27.31, with  Dan Kashi  (Meirionnydd RC) third in 27.40.  *In the Male Over 65 race, this was won by  John Jones  (Shrewsbury AC) in 20.14, with  Andy Clarke  (Oswestry Olympians) second, and he was only four-seconds behind in 20.18, with  Dyla...

MENTAL ELF – Festive Fun Run. Sunday 30th November at 11am for Conwy Mind at Eirias Events Centre. Put on your Elf hat and join our Festive Fun Run. donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2025   There are two choices to choose from: - A 5k Mental Elf, or a 2k Mini Elf.   Join us on Sunday 30th November 11am at Eirias Events Centre, Colwyn   Bay  for a day of fun and fundraising.  Walk, jog, skip or run while soaking up the festive spirit and supporting Conwy and Vale of Clwyd Minds. Together, we can go the extra mile for mental health! Mini Elf 2k Fun Run: A new event this year! Mini elves can join in the fun too with a 2km fun run packed full of all the jingling fun. A Free National Trust pass for every participant*   This year, Mind is partnering with the National Trust. If you take part or volunteer in a local  Mental Elf event, you’ll receive a free family access pass to National Trust sites! It’s our way of thanking   you for supporting mental health ...

*Pictured above - Conwy Castle illuminated to highlight Ty Gobaith and Hope House and their Dark Run last Saturday night. Over £9k raised for Hope House and Ty Gobaith at the Conwy Dark  Run on a very  wet night... Introduction by Don Hale. Photographs by Caitlin Faye Photography. donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2025 Despite the very challenging weather conditions last Saturday night with heavy rain and strong winds, over £9k was raised at the Conwy Dark Run for Hope House and Ty Gobaith Children’s Hospices. This popular event followed on from a very similar success – in better conditions – the previous Saturday at Penrhyn Castle Dark Run which raised about £10k for the same worthy organisation. John Hatton  (*pictured right), who was the MC at both fundraising events and was one of the event organisers confirmed: “ Conwy Dark Run. It was a very wet night, but it made £9k for Ty Gobaith. It was a very busy day, with the Penrhyn parkrun , rush home for lunch, then over to C...

*Pictured above - Sharon Hutchings (*second from the left) with her Welsh team colleagues. Competing in Masters athletics by an extraordinary Welsh field athlete Sharon Hutchings... Special  report by WMAL webmaster Juliet Sidney with Sharon Hutchings. donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2025 www.welshmastersathletics.co.uk I have been competing abroad since 2022 at the European Indoor champs, Braga. Restarting after having my left knee replaced in 2021 due to osteoarthritis.  During this time of recovery, I had a lot of thinking time, and I’d always regretted giving up athletics aged 25 as good shot putter, discus thrower whose pb’s were 12.24m and 33.50m with a highest British ranking of 6 for shot put aged 16. I started collecting all my old newspaper cuttings, British ranking books, memories and reminiscing about how much I enjoyed throwing in those days. During this time a good friend Ann Thatcher who was my friend and colleague at Newbury AC years ago mentioned masters athletics th...

Local Running Clubs come together to  supports Welsh Athletics' Own the Night campaign to make running safer for women this winter...SPECIAL FEATURE. donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2025 Unique report by Aaron Haggas - the run leader from Black Cloak Runners. A campaign aimed at making running safer for women by raising awareness and empowering communities to support female runners was launched this past Sunday with the Black Cloak Taproom hosting the North Wales Launch  Launched by Welsh Athletics, Own the Night is a national campaign, that confronts the truth head-on.   Running should feel free, safe, and equal but for many women, the reality is very different.  Every autumn, as the clocks go back and nights draw in, women across Wales face growing concerns about safety when running in the dark.    The campaign aims to: •  Raise awareness  of women's safety concerns when running at night or early mornings.   •  Empower women   to contin...

*Simon Cole (*above) was the runaway first finisher at Conwy parkrun Parkrunners beat the weather in North Wales. Report by Don Hale.  donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2025   It was one of those horrible early morning days when you wonder why you ever climbed out of bed, as gale force winds and rain challenged my senses for a parkrun, and/or for other events last Saturday morning. With a variety of competing races across North Wales, many club runners probably opted for challenges, yet at so many parkruns across the region, this extraordinary void was quickly filled by numerous social runners visiting during the start of the half-term break. Conwy parkrun  welcomed people from all parts of the UK and beyond, but the first man home was local athletic star  Simon Cole  (GOG Triathlon), who beat the elements to record a positive time of 17 minutes and 13 seconds over the twisting 5k course. He was closely followed by  Cai Curtis-Roberts  in 17.38, with visiting d...

*Mike Hayton (NWRRC) battles with the elements to finish the Porth Eirias 10k. Wild, wet and windy for the Porth Eirias 10k. *Daniel Hennell (*above left) with Stuart Culverhouse are pictured just after completing their race against the weather conditions. Report by Don Hale.  donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2025   It was wild, wet and windy for 183 runners at the Port Eirias 10k last Saturday, yet many athletes still recorded some excellent times. Gareth Griffith  was the first finisher overall in just 37 minutes and 10 seconds, but he was pushed all the way by runner-up  Rhodri Williams  (Cybi Striders) in 37.21. with  Christopher Jones  (Abergele Harriers) third in 38.21. * Emily Grandfield  (TTT RC) was the first female finisher (10th overall) in 42.42, and  Mia Williams  was second (21st) in 46.10, with  Ellie Evans  (Cybi Striders) third (24th) in 46.23. *Stuart Culverhouse (*above left) with master vet Rob Fryer and veteran Len...

*When the going gets tough, the tough get going; pictured above (l-r): Mandy Owen, Elizabeth Driscoll, Hannah Griffith and Gwen Charlton, and (*below) Kevin Slattery in the white top is shown with Steve Bozier on a challenging hill climb ( *photo courtesy of Sport pictures Cymru). Tough day on the rolling hills for hardy athletes in the Eryri Marathon...local results  round-up... Report by Don Hale.  donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2025   It was a very tough day for the 2,208 hardy athletes and all the volunteers on the rolling hills around Snowdonia last Saturday as they battled gale force winds, hail, and driving rain at times for the gruelling Eryri Marathon. And, as if the unpredictable weather was not bad enough, the varied range of mixed ability, but mainly experienced competitors from far and wide, also faced a series of picturesque but undulating challenges over roads, rough tracks, and steep mixed terrain descents. *Pictured above - The mass of runners at the start of t...