Don Hale Blog

*Harry Driscoll (*above) led the Road Runners home at Conwy parkrun. Report by Don Hale. Photographs by Steve Jeffery.   Harry Driscoll was the first club man home once again for NWRRC at the Conwy parkrun last Saturday, which had depleted numbers due to festive demands, and the aftermath from a succession of storms and challenging conditions. Despite all the problems and a cool, breezy morning, on a wet and part debris riddled course, the organisers worked hard to ensure that the safety of runners and volunteers was paramount and celebrated with 146 finishers enjoying their weekly 5k dash. Teenager  James Smith  (Menai Track and Field) was the 1st finisher and won his SM18-19 age cat with an impressive new PB of 17 minutes 5 seconds, with  James Coleman  2nd in 17.54. In addition, popular local runner  Nic Brook (Eryri Harriers) was another man in fine form, and he also celebrated a new course PB in 18.04 in 4th place. Harry Driscoll  led a team of eleven NWRRC members, and he was one

North Wales Road Runners success dates back to the early 1980s. Archive report for the North Wales Pioneer by Don Hale .   NWRRC was formed in the 1980s by John Chambers and other athletes including Mike Hayton, Kevin Higgins, and Steve Roberts, who are still members! Based at the Penelope Hotel, they once welcomed London Marathon winner Hugh Jones, before moving to the old John Bright school, now the Asda site, and currently meet at the new school. *(Pictured above) A nostalgic photographic of some NWRRC club members at the Penelope Hotel, including Wallace Black, Steve Roberts, Peter Cleave, Norman Connor, Ed Garner and Mike Hayton, with London Marathon winner Hugh Jones shown holding a magazine. And (Below) a group photo before a race in the 1980s. *(Pictured below) Another NWRRC social gathering including Kevin Higgins, Dave Nolan, and Mike Hayton.  NWRRC are a very successful club with over 100 members, including some who have achieved national recognition and won elite honours, a

*Members of North Wales Road Running Club prior to their Christmas handicap race from West Shore to the old WW2 gun sites on the Great Orme and back. Steve Mason wins NWRRC Christmas handicap race. Report by Don Hale. Group photo by John Hatton and most others by Steve Jeffery.   Steve Mason deservedly won North Wales Road Running Club’s Christmas handicap race last weekend despite having an eleven-minute time delay.  Newcomer Steve soon overcame his personal race time penalty to become both the first finisher, and the fastest runner on the day, amongst a talented field of twenty-two club rivals, with the first ten runners all dipping under thirty-minutes. * Steve Mason won the NWRRC club handicap race last Sunday ands he was also the fastest runner on the day. Several other club members were absent due to injury, illness, prior commitments, or holiday dates, but it was still a very good turnout on a bright sunny, yet bitterly cold and windy Sunday morning, with athletes following a hi

*Ben and Sarah Hudson pictured in the sun before the Cyprus downpour. Report by Don Hale. NWRRC Husband and wife team Sarah and Ben Hudson expected a run in the sun during the Cyprus marathon but instead faced a constant downpour and were thankful to avoid being struck by lightning! Despite the unexpected and very soggy conditions Ben still recorded his second fastest marathon time finishing 77th overall out of 238 visiting runners in 3 hours 39 minutes and 47 seconds, whilst Sarah continued her excellent form and said she was over the moon to just dip under the four-hour barrier. *(Pictured left) Ben ran his second fastest marathon despite the very wet conditions, and (*below) sheer joy for Sarah after recording a sub-4 marathon time. Sarah finished in 121st place overall, and she was the 14th female athlete in a superb time of 3.58.47. Afterwards, she confirmed: ‘Cyprus marathon done and dusted. North Wales you have been “out rained,” and I was relieved not to have another close enco

   *Harry Driscoll was the first club runner home at the Conwy  Parkrun. Report by Don Hale. Photos by Steve Jeffery.   Conwy parkrun returned to action again following the intervention of Storm Arwen the previous Saturday, but numbers were down due to a clash with other fixtures and a cold blustery wind. The event was won by tourist Ben Hague (Rotherham Harriers) in a PB of 17 minutes 9 seconds, and his club colleague Tammy Hague, also won her VW35-39 age cat in 23.03 and was the 2nd female athlete. Nic Brook (Eryri Harriers) had a great run finishing in 3rd place overall, and the 4th place was taken by international long-distance traveller Bernabe Sanchez Naffziger (Singapore Shufflers) in 19.08. North Wales Road Runners  entered nine athletes amongst the 164 finishers and  Harry Driscoll  was the first club man home finishing 5th overall in 19 minutes 22 seconds to win his SM20-24 age category, and  Sean Butler  was another cat winner of his MV60-64 section.                      *St

*NWRRC athletes Lesley Goodson (*left) and Sarah  Ferguson Hudson. Report by Don Hale. Photographs by Sarah Ferguson Hudson & Steve Jeffery.   Race organisers from the Betws y Coed Trail Challenge events had to call in a determined group of volunteers and supporters last Saturday morning to help clear the course following the aftermath of Storm Arwen, and ongoing weather problems, which had left dozens of fallen trees blocking or restricting several planned routes. *Pictured (above and below) some fallen trees blocked the 5k course. The exceptional gales, heavy rain, and dangerous conditions on Friday night and during the early hours of Saturday morning provided trail officials with a nightmare scenario, but within hours a team of athletes and supporters cleared the way for five out of the six races to go ahead. Initially organisers stated: ‘ Thanks to everyone that has been in touch this morning, the weather here is fine, and we have no snow. We’ve been up on the routes and there

*Jonathan Kettle (*above) set a hot pace around the freezing 16-mile race circuit at Oulton Park, Cheshire, last Sunday morning. Report by Don Hale.   Jonathan Kettle set an incredibly hot pace around the freezing cold Oulton Park racing circuit on Sunday morning to easily win his 16-mile endurance race which formed part of the final events schedule for the 2021 Running Grand Prix promotions. The event held at Little Budworth, Tarporley, included a variety of six different distance races ranging from a 5k to a full marathon, but the talented North Wales Road Runner soon hit top gear in his preferred distance race and adopted cruise control around each of the gruelling six-laps of this famous and undulating course before dipping under the chequered flag. Jonathan deservedly claimed 1st place overall, despite the bitterly cold and windy conditions, and he also claimed another podium placing after winning his MV45 age cat in 1 hour 36 minutes and 36 seconds.  And quite remarkably, Jonatha

*Carla and Martin Green both won their age categories at Conwy Records smashed despite cool and blustery conditions at Conwy half-marathon. Report by Don Hale. Photo’s courtesy of Mick Hall and NWRRC members. Records were smashed and many North Wales athletes celebrated prestigious age category wins at the re-scheduled Conwy half-marathon last Sunday despite cool and very blustery conditions. And it was a particularly close-run contest amongst the elite athletes with many of the top six positions constantly changing places as they battled their way from Conwy Castle and back via the Great Orme, with 17-runners dipping under 80 minutes over a very challenging course. Gary Priestley  (Salford Harriers) eventually claimed an overall victory with a tremendous display to win the race in 1 hour 10 minutes 28 seconds, and he was more than a minute clear of second-placed  Michael Young  (West Cheshire AC) in 1.12.12, with  Tom Roberts  (Meirionnydd RC) just 20-seconds adrift in third spot in 1