Don Hale Blog

  THE 2022 NICK BEER MEMORIAL RACE WILL COMMEMORATE THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY. The race will be held on Sunday 13th February 2022, with a start time of 12-noon. Report by Don Hale. Photographs by Steve Jeffrey. *Entries will be going LIVE very soon so watch this space for further updates. It is also likely to attract a very large entry due this particular anniversary and already the organisers confirm they have received inquiries from abroad. *Martin Green in the colours of North Wales finished 7th in the 2021 Nick Beer race 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. Starting and finishing on Llandudno promenade, opposite the Imperial Hotel, this next race will be the 30th 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

*Kelly-Marie Alford and Mandy Owen on Blackpool prom. NORTH WALES RUNNERS DAZZLED AT BLACKPOOL LIGHTS 10K - and course PB for Kelly-Marie. Report by Don Hale.   Four North Wales athletes dazzled in the glare of the Blackpool Illuminations last Saturday night during the live “Run the Lights” 10k race, which attracted over seven-hundred entrants. The team effort involved husband and wife duo  Charlie and Mandy Owen , with  Kelly-Marie Alford  and her partner  Cai Roberts , together with their young son  Noah  in his buggy. Kelly, who has performed well in several recent endurance events, was again the pick of the club members in 146th place overall, and 28th female runner with a deserved course PB of 49 mins 49 seconds. And she only just missed out on a podium position, finishing 4th in her F35 age cat.  After the race  Kelly-Marie  said: ‘ Blackpool Run the Lights 10k done and dusted (and Noah).’  *The North Wales team who competed in the 'Run the Lights' 10k (*pictured l-r) Ca

*Good to see Charlotte-Rose Wilton-Jones back in action on the trail. Charlotte-Rose ran well at Llyn Brenig trail race Report by Don Hale.   Charlotte-Rose Wilton-Jones was the only NWRRC member at the challenging Llyn Brenig 9.5-mile trail race on Sunday, yet she performed very well finishing as the 9th female athlete. The race route included a picturesque trail which circumnavigated Llyn Brenig via the adjoining forest and travelled along the shoreline of the lake, with most of it run off-road on rough tracks.  It was officially described as a long-terrain trail race around Llyn Brenig Reservoir, which started and finished at the Visitor Centre. The talented North Wales athlete, who particularly enjoys endurance runs and trail running, continued her return to form, and finished 27th overall, and she was the 9th female finisher in a good time of 1 hour 16 minutes and 3 seconds. She also   finished 5th in her F30-39 age category. *The race winners included: 1st  Rhodri Owen  (Un) 55.3

Josh Keogh battled elements and rival to win Jersey Coastal trail half-marathon. Report by Don Hale.   North Wales athlete Josh Keogh won the “Round the Rock” coastal trail half-marathon in Jersey last weekend following a battle against the elements and some tough competition. This popular annual race, which was delayed from last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, followed a problematic course from the Watersplash at St Ouen, near Les Mielles Nature Reserve, and along the twisting and undulating coastline to St Helier. Josh from NWRRC, who was visiting family members on the Island, eventually completed his challenging run in 1 hour 34 minutes and 58 seconds, with Rahul Kini 2nd in 1.35.45, and Polly Arthur 3rd in 1.47.01. The event recorded twenty-four hardy finishers, with the last runner coming home in 4.19.39. Following his half-marathon success,  Josh (*Pictured above centre) admitted: ‘It was a fantastic race. The elements were in full force throughout the event and especially aro

Youngest ever runner Troy Kettle finished 10 th  in Cybi Coastal Marathon. Report by Don Hale.   Teenage endurance athlete Troy Kettle finished a magnificent 10th overall in the highly challenging Cybi Coastal Marathon last weekend. The North Wales Road Runner completed this gruelling trail course in just 4 hours 1 minute and 56 seconds and is understood to be the youngest ever finisher. He also beat his more experienced club colleagues  Karl Morris  and  Steve Bozier , despite both runners having excellent runs. *Steve Bozier pictured en-route by the South Stack lighthouse. *Karl Morris ran well in the Coastal marathon last weekend. *Running buddies Karl Morris and Steve Morris pictured after completing their race. Troy was one of 144 finishers who took part in this extreme event, which followed a very difficult but partially way marked route along paths, tracks, beaches, and the coastline of the Welsh National and Anglesey Coastal Path.   The  entire route passed through magnificent

*Cai Roberts and Kelly-Marie Alford on the podium with their son Noah. Cai and Kelly-Marie on track at Oulton Park Report by Don Hale.   Cai Roberts  and his partner  Kelly-Marie Alford  raced around the track during a series of running events at the Oulton Park Grand prix last Sunday, with Cai completing the 10k challenge, and Kelly-Marie claiming 3rd place in her F35 age category in the 16-miler. The popular running couple, who are still recovering from last week’s North Wales half-marathon, sped along the brand-new traffic free course and around the famous motor racing circuit in different events, with Cai finishing 80th overall in his 10k race in 55 minutes 34 seconds; whilst Kelly battled a much longer and more undulating route, including the circuit, to finish 40th overall and 3rd F35 cat in 2 hours 42 minutes and 23 seconds. Later  Kelly-Marie  admitted: ‘ I had the worst stitch at mile 8.5, and it took ages to get rid of it. OMG it was so hard! The hills zapped the energy right

  Peter becomes a record holder following a great 5k performance. News update by Don Hale. Photograph by Steve Jeffery. North Wales Road Runner and veteran master athlete Peter Armstrong put himself into the record books last week following his superb performance in the Welsh Athletics 5k race at the Marsh Tracks in Rhyl. Peter was 1st in his M70 age category with a season's best and a fast time of 23.02 over the four and a bit laps of the Marsh Tracks, which is a specially closed cycle and go-cart circuit. Paul Brooks from N.W.R.A.C. has just updated his North Wales record books and confirmed this week: 'Peter Armstrong now ranks 9th M70 in the all-time. 10th place is 23:11: Read my race report from last week:  Don Hale Blog: FAST AND FURIOUS RUNNING AT WELSH ATHLETICS 5K https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2021/08/fast-and-furious-running-at-welsh.html?spref=tw

LATEST UPDATE FROM PARKRUN UK - Welsh parkruns now set to return on August 21st. Statement on August 6th from Parkrun HQ. With an ever-increasing number of landowner permissions coming through, we are delighted to be able to announce that 5k events in Wales will restart from Saturday August 21st.   Whilst we won’t be in a position to return all events across the country on the same day, based on the evidence and insight so far from reopening more than 1,400 events around the world, we are comfortable that events will not be overwhelmed by significantly-increased attendances.   We currently have around 45% of 5k events with landowner permission to restart in Wales, and proactive conversations remain ongoing with the rest. We are in the process of informing event teams of their current position and we are confident that the number of events with landowner permission to return will increase further over the next two weeks.   All junior parkrun events in Wales are already able to return as

*They think it's all over - it is now! Three exhausted but happy runners (l-r) Cai Roberts, Kelly-Marie Alford  and  Vicky Taylor after completing the NW half-marathon race last Sunday morning. Club athletes competed in tough North Wales half-marathon Report by Don Hale. Believed to be one of the toughest events in the country, some 138 endurance athletes took part in the re-scheduled North Wales half-marathon race last Sunday in mixed weather conditions. This incredible challenge started and finished on the beach close to the Mulberry Marina and crossed back and forth into the Snowdonia National Park.  Set between the mountains and sea near Conwy, this year’s race unfortunately attracted a reduced entry due to previous pandemic restrictions, yet all were treated to some spectacular scenery over a difficult course. North Wales Road Runners  had five members competing and although most found the route very hard, they all claimed to have enjoyed their venture.  * Steve Roberts perfor

*Another good run from Kay Hatton around Alwen  Reservoir . Hardy runners tackled Fairy Freckled Cow trail race Report by Don Hale. Photographs by Steve Jeffery.   Ninety-five hardy runners tackled the challenging but very picturesque Fairy Freckled Cow trail race around Alwen Reservoir last Sunday, which was staged by kind permission from Welsh Water and Natural Resources Wales. This year the event, run over a near 7-mile undulating course and well organised by Denbigh Harriers, also included the North Welsh Championships, and attracted club members from varied parts of Wales and the UK. Kay Hatton  and  Mike Hayton  were the only representatives from NWRRC, due to other fixture clashes, but both seemed pleased with their performances despite a tough run and the warm and humid conditions.  Kay finished as the 14th female runner, 53rd overall and she was 2nd in her W55 age category in 57 minutes 45 seconds. At the time of writing, Kay was awaiting confirmation of a possible medal in t

*Master veteran runner Peter Armstrong won his M70 age act at Rhyl 5k Fast and furious running at the Welsh Athletics 5k race at the Marsh Tracks in Rhyl. Report by Don Hale. Photographs by Steve Jeffery.   It was another fast and furious 5k Welsh Athletics race at Rhyl’s Marsh Tracks last Sunday afternoon, which was again run in very warm and humid conditions. The race, which was the third in a special series of four events, attracted a wealth of high-quality male and female athletes, and both the men’s and women’s events recorded incredibly fast times, with the first seven men dipping under 19 minutes, and the first seven women finishing under 22 minutes. North Wales master veteran runners  Peter Armstrong  and  Don Hale  were the only NWRRC representatives due to several fixture clashes, but both recorded season’s best times, and both won their respective age categories.  Peter enjoyed a very good run and finished 15th overall in 23 minutes 2 seconds for his 1st place M70 cat win. D

PARKRUN UK LATEST NEWS: Welsh 5k and junior parkruns expected to return on August 21st UPDATE: Parkruns could finally be returning to Wales on Saturday August 21st.  *SEE NEW/REVISED STATEMENT FROM Parkrun UK ON AUG 6TH: Parkrun UK’s head of event delivery, Helen Hood, published a statement today about the expected return to parkrun in Wales and Scotland early next month.  Over five-hundred events returned last weekend in England and organisers in Wales and Scotland are now preparing for the 1k junior parkrun to recommence on the same date as the full 5k distance runs.   Scotland and Wales updates   Ms Hood admitted today: ‘Following recent announcements from the Scottish and Welsh governments, we are working towards returning 5k events in both Scotland and Wales from Saturday August 14th. ‘We are in contact with landowners to confirm permission for events restarting on this date and will continue to work closely with ambassadors and event teams in order to do our very best to make it