Don Hale Blog

*Llyr improved his running times at the Try on the Tyne Duathlon. Top-ten finish for Llyr at Newcastle Duathlon. Report by Don Hale. North Wales Road Runner, and top rugby referee Llyr ApGeraint-Roberts, continued his love of duathlons last weekend and finished 10th overall in the “Try on the Tyne” sprint race in Newcastle. For Llyr, he admitted that it’s still a learning process for him, by combining two road races, interspersed with a four lap, 5k cycle circuit on closed roads.  He also had to negotiate challenging transitions and a slippery cycle dash on wet road surfaces but said he was pleased to clinch a top-ten finish. The three events covered a distance of about 25k and Llyr improved his running PB, and finished 10th overall in a time of 1 hour 7 minutes and 51 seconds. *Llyr had to deal with slippery roads due to the wet weather last weekend. Llyr later explained : ‘It was something different for me today. It was a brilliantly organised event, apart from constant rain from sta

Five club runners tackled tough Snowdonia half-marathon. Report by Don Hale. Photographs by Jonathan Kettle.   NWRRC had five intrepid athletes competing in the gruelling Snowdonia half-marathon last Sunday, which is said to offer one of the toughest challenges in the country. Run along a very scenic route and set in the beautiful Snowdonia National Park, the race included wild, and rocky-mountains, hidden valleys, and deep forests, and it both started and finished at Llanrwst, which hosted the World Trail running championships in 2013.  Previous feedback from runners suggested the course should be a little more challenging, so event organisers took out a section of the course to and from Trefriw, and re-routed it straight up to Llyn Geirionydd, before travelling up and over Llyn Crafnant. Stuart Culverhouse  (*pictured top of page) was the first club runner back in 30th place overall in a very impressive time of 1 hour 44 minutes 41 seconds, and he later described the event as ‘brutal

Richard Eccles wins senior   challenge race at Endurance Eliminator in Wrexham: - and Cai and Kelly at Shrewsbury 10k event. Report by Don Hale.   NWRRC athlete Richard Eccles became the senior men’s champion at last weekend’s unusual North Wales Endurance Eliminator challenge held at the Queensway Stadium in Wrexham. Richard finished ahead of rival  Daniel Weston  from the host club to claim the top spot on the podium at this Welsh  Athletics  event to win a prestigious senior trophy.  After the race,  Richard  confirmed: ‘ We ended up running two 400-metre laps, and then on then on the third lap, it was basically a first over the line. I just sat on Daniel’s shoulder for around 250, and then sprinted for the line.’ *Welsh champion Richard Eccles (*right) with runner-up Daniel Weston. This eliminator contest attracted competitors from clubs at Colwyn Bay, Llandudno, Deeside, Eryri, Menai, Prestatyn and Wrexham, with athletes taking part in races from U13 and U15 Boys and Girls events,

Parkrun finally returned to North Wales and Bryn smashed course record. Report by Don Hale. Photographs by Steve Jeffery.   Parkrun finally returned to Wales, and to the Conwy RSPB site on Saturday for the first time in about seventeen months due to Covid-19 restrictions, and despite light rain and a puddle-ridden course, the event was welcomed by 310 muddy finishers, including many tourists, and several athletes from top clubs across the UK. Colwyn Bay AC’s teenage athlete  Bryn Woodall  (*pictured top of page) stole the show however, and recorded a tremendous new course record of just 15 minutes 16 seconds over this picturesque 5k route, which was voted ‘runner-up’ last year in the Parkrun “World Cup” contest. The SM18-19 runner knocked more than two minutes off his own previous personal best time at Conwy, set in January last year, and he also smashed the previous course record set more than six years ago by Andi Jones of 15.52 in August 2015. Bryn, who is about to leave Wales short

  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