Don Hale Blog

North Wales Road Runners returned to live group activities last Tuesday evening as they once again enjoyed active training sessions at West Shore. The group then ran clockwise around the Great Orme. If anyone wants to join in with training sessions organised by Mark Jessett or Kevin Slattery the group meet at 7pm each Tuesday (at present) at the West Shore car park. When normal sessions return for groups of 30 or more are finally approved, following Covid-19 restrictions,  the club will return to Ysgol John Bright at the same day and time.  Kevin remarked: ' Celebrating the start of the return to normality, 12-members, including "new" member (back in the club after quite a few years!) Peter Armstrong , we ran around the Great Orme in cracking evening weather. Many thanks to Kelly  and Vicky for tail-running, and to Mark Jessett for putting the route and covid safety details on the Facebook page.' *See the club website or Facebook page for further details. * Pictured

Ultra-distance athlete Llinos Davies has hit the trail running again in her bid to raise much needed funds for the RNLI Mayday appeal by jointly tackling 874 miles of the Welsh Coastal Path Llinos from Deganwy began her latest charity challenge at the weekend and intends to reach her incredible target together with fellow GOG members, by  utilising  a combination of swimming, running and cycling. She confirmed: ‘I hope you'll support me in raising much needed funds for the RNLI. I am hoping to raise at least £150 myself, and fellow club members of GOG Triathlon Club are aiming to conquer the distance of the Welsh Coastal Path between now and 16 th  May. ‘This Charity has a place in all our hearts and minds especially in view of recent tragic events, and  I'm aiming for a personal distance of 150 miles in 16 days.’                                *Llinos Davies back on the fundraising trail The RNLI has answered mayday calls for nearly 200 years, from families swimming on busy be

North Wales endurance athlete Josie Davies will begin her 100-mile charity challenge this weekend to help raise funds and awareness of skin cancer. Today (Friday) she confirmed why she has embarked on her latest gruelling task:  She explained: 'As Captain Tom said when he sent a simple message of hope “Tomorrow will be a good day” and it will be. As tomorrow starts my 100 miles in May challenge for Melanoma Focus and  SKCIN  charities to raise awareness of this cruel disease which has decided to rudely upset my family on a personal scale and I’m passionate to try and do as much as I can to prevent this from happening to anybody else.  'Good luck to all the other people who are also taking on this challenge and know to well how this cruelly effects so many people, go and smash it and make everybody aware of the importance of regularly checking your skin for any changes to moles, blemishes etc and keep covering up and not just in the beautiful weather.  'If anybody wishes to

  UK Parkrun update – 30 April As we move through the reopening process for parkrun and junior parkrun, we are publishing a UK-specific update every Friday to keep ambassadors, event teams, parkrun communities, and landowners informed on our progress.  With significant publicity this week around the planned return of our 5k events in England on Saturday 5 June, interest in the current situation across the other home nations has increased. We are working closely with local and national stakeholders across Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, and hope soon to be in a position to announce more positive news relating to those regions soon. As mentioned in previous updates, the countdown continues to our first Welsh junior parkrun returning on Sunday 9 May. And recent changes in respective roadmaps suggest Scotland and Northern Ireland aren’t too far behind. Infection levels continue to fall  across all of the United Kingdom (prevalence in England is now down to 1 in 1,010 people) and at

               The future of Parkrun is at stake       Plea and update from Parkrun founder Paul Sinton-Hewitt Hi  Don , Ever since the first lockdown began I have been worried about whether or not parkrun would survive. I may have started the very first event back in 2004, but parkrun is something that belongs to all of us. Every volunteer; everyone who crosses that finish line; every seasoned participant and every first timer; all those who have yet to take part: we are all custodians of parkrun, of our own local community asset. I am writing to you today as we take an important step forward with our plans to reopen our 5k events across England. Whether or not your home event is in England, it is no exaggeration to say that the next few days and weeks will be critical for the entire parkrun movement.  With over 3 million folk registered to almost 1,000 junior and 5k events, in normal times parkrun in England represents close to 50% of our total global participation, making it a signi

Are you able to take part in the Mayday Mile for the RNLI? This special fundraising event is open from now till 16th May and you can run it, walk it, or skip it, but however you do it, help to keep summer safe...and members of the North Wales Road Running Club are planning to do their bit for this worthy cause by completing a series of one-mile dashes on Llandudno prom this Sunday during a special relay challenge.  Several star athletes, fresh from their success last weekend at the Aintree Races, will be displaying their talents, with the event starting close to the RNLI boathouse from 10am.      *Some of the North Wales Road runners team. A Mayday is an urgent call for help. Usually, RNLI lifesavers answer mayday calls and go to rescue others. But this May, with the busiest summer season on the way, it’s they who need YOUR help. The Mayday Mile is a way to answer their call. Cover the distance however you like. Alone or with a friend. Just once or every day for a week. In wellies or o

Hot pace for Martin Green in Cheshire Elite Marathon... as club runners return to live racing Report by Don Hale   Top North Wales athlete Martin Green had to battle with hot temperatures and stiff competition as he returned to ‘live’ racing on Sunday during the Cheshire Elite Marathon. A tough, determined and experienced long-distance competitor, Martin was one of 275 invited high-calibre entrants who competed in one of the first few live endurance runs now permitted in England due to the partial lifting of strict pandemic restrictions for outdoor sports events. Run over a fast and flat lapped course over rural Cheshire roads around Pulford, this race also incorporated the former Wrexham Elite Marathon,  with entry only available to male athletes capable of running 2.40 or quicker for a marathon, and female athletes running a sub-3.00-hour time. Martin matched this criteria and performed well despite the challenging conditions, and was 49 th  overall, recording an excellent time of 2