Don Hale Blog

*NWRRC club chairman Kevin Slattery (pictured above) won gold again Gold and silver podium places for North Wales runners in Welsh 10k virtual championships Report by Don Hale. Most photographs by Steve Jeffery. Five North Wales Road Runners competed in the Welsh Athletics Spring virtual 10k championships last weekend, with three members claiming podium places, and gold and silver medal positions. The high standard of the 10k event was confirmed by the incredible finishing times and number of quality athletes taking part. 1 st  place overall went to U17M athlete Louis Lermite (Run Free Fell Runners) in an amazing time of 33 mins 26 secs, with 2 nd  Daniel James, the 1 st  M40 age cat winner (Run4All Neath RC) in 35.11, and 3 rd  place went to Ifan Lloyd (Swansea Harriers), who was also the 1 st  M60 vet in 35.46. And Amie Bagnall from Prestatyn was the 1 st  Lady finisher and 1 st  SW in 37.00. Some 248 entrants set a hot pace in this Covid-19 restrict...

*Jonathan Kettle with another impressive run for 3rd place overall North Wales runners claim honours in Welsh Athletics 3-mile virtual championships Report by Don Hale. Most photographs by Steve Jeffery. Two North Wales runners finished in the top-three finishing positions in last weekend’s Welsh Athletics (WA) 3-mile virtual championships, with just 16-seconds separating the podium places. In the final 1 to 3 miles WA Winter series, some 244 quality runners completed their efforts in some very difficult weather conditions, often enduring blustery gale-force winds, on a course of their own choosing, and subject to strict Covid-19 restrictions. James Smith from Colwyn Bay AC followed up with his success at the 2-mile championships last week, with a fine victory in the 3-mile race, claiming the 1 st  U17m age category win, in addition to the overall title.  James ran home in just 15 mins 49 secs, and he was just 6 seconds ahead of 2 nd  placed runner Richard Jones from Llis...

*Steve Bozier (right) descending the Orme with Richard Scamans STEVE COMPLETES ULTRA-MARATHON AROUND THE ORME FOR MUCH LOVED FISHERMEN Report by Don Hale North Wales Road Runner Steve Bozier battled strong gale-force winds and freezing hail showers to complete a gruelling six-laps of the Great Orme at Llandudno last Saturday to help raise funds in the search for three much loved local fishermen. Steve Bozier (third from left) with Richard Scamans, Lesley Goodson, and Karl Morris Steve, a popular local bus driver and keen endurance athlete from Llandudno, mastered about 33-miles (53.39 kms) and over 1,000 meters of climb, during his ultra-marathon run, supported by club colleagues, in his bid to help pay for an intensive search by deep sea experts to locate the missing fishing boat  Nicola Faith  and her crew of three. The boat disappeared suddenly at the end of January, and Steve, who is a long-time family friend of one of the missing men, Ross Ballantine, felt he needed ...

*Sara Tuck (left) is pictured with her running partner Natalie Howson on the Orme Thousands of pounds raised by many runners for charities in ‘Dawn to Dusk’ relay challenge in North Wales Report by Don Hale   Relay teams from North Wales and across the globe ran hundreds of miles with many also raising thousands of pounds for charities in a unique ‘ Dawn to Dusk’  challenge held last weekend. Facing a target of running in teams of three over a 12-hour period from 6am to 6pm, endurance athletes of mixed genre and ability, combined their efforts to try to run as far as possible within this strict time period, with prizes given to winning teams. Promoted as an exciting green challenge, entrants were also given the option to donate towards their own chosen charity, or to Mind, Sporting Equals, or NHS charities.  And additionally, they were also encouraged to make a separate donation towards the organiser’s sustainable partners,  Mossy Earth,  who will plant a tree i...

*North Wales Road Runner Helen Hannam will be one of many athletes competing in the global Dawn till Dusk charity challenge on Saturday Green, global challenge from ‘Dawn to Dusk’ Relay teams of North Wales based runners, walkers, and cyclists are preparing to take part in an unusual ‘Dawn to Dusk’ green, global charity challenge this Saturday to see how many kilometres they can complete within a 12-hour period. A number of targets have been set for each of the different activity sections, offering branded coloured wristbands, and beautiful natural wooden eco medals to finishers, along with spot prizes and special awards to category winners. The object is to find the teams who can complete the longest distances worldwide with donations given to Mind, Sporting Equals, or NHS Charities.  All finishers will also have the option to collect a special medal with an Ultra X logo in the centre, and/or to make an additional donation to the organiser’s sustainability partners,  Mossy Ea...

ENTRIES OPEN FOR SCENIC NICK BEER 10K MEMORIAL RACE Entries have just opened for the Nick Beer 10k memorial road race in Llandudno, which has now been scheduled for Sunday 18 th  July 2021, with a 12-noon start. This popular annual event always attracts many hundreds of runners of mixed ages and abilities from across the UK, and beyond, to enjoy the scenic splendours of a hilly but picturesque course around the Great Orme.   S tarting and finishing on Llandudno promenade, opposite the Imperial Hotel, this will be the 29 th   annual run to help commemorate the life of a well-known former local athlete, Nick Beer, who sadly passed away in 1992, aged just 27, after eventually losing his battle with hydrocephalus. Race officials John and Kay Hatton from event organisers North Wales Road Runners (NWRRC), have supervised this major 10k run for over twenty-years, and believe Covid-19 restrictions will be lifted in time for a genuine ‘live’ race to finally go ahead, following a s...

 *Jonathan Kettle on top form again in the Welsh two-mile championships Father and son win top placings in 2-mile Welsh virtual championships Report by Don Hale. Most photographs by Steve Jeffery. North Wales Road Runners followed up their recent team success and excellent podium placings in the British Masters one-mile race, with a further two gold and two silver podium positions in the Welsh Athletics two-mile championships held last weekend. In another high-quality virtual event, some eleven club runners accepted the challenge of competing in a unique time-trial type dash on a course of their own choosing, and subject to strict pandemic restrictions.  The star-billing of the race was confirmed by a fact the first nineteen runners dipped under 11-minutes, and there was just 13-seconds separating the top-three finishers.  The overall event was won by Richard Jones (Lliswerry Runners), 1 st  M45 cat winner in 10 mins 16 secs, with (Colwyn Bay AC) youngster James Smit...