Don Hale Blog

*Troy Kettle ( above) and pictured  crossing  the line at the Meerbrook 15k race won the North Wales “Best Young Athlete of the Year" award. Report by Don Hale.   NWRRC runner Troy Kettle has won the “Best Young Athlete” of the year award following a superb performance for the North Wales County team in the Inter-Counties match at Meerbrook. Student Troy made his debut in the 15km race and excelled in the famous orange and green strip and knocked five minutes off his previous time at the open race in Staffordshire in 2019, this time finishing 27th overall in 69 minutes 49 seconds, and helping his team secure the runners-up spot. *The overall competition winners for the Men were Shropshire with 20 pts, with  North Wales  2nd with 29 points, Staffordshire 3rd with 36 pts, Cheshire 4th with 74 pts, and Derbyshire 5th with 84 pts. This included:  2. Ryan Davis 52:44; 3. Scott Nixon 52:47; 8. Joel Gomes 54:27; 16. Phil Pumford 57:35; 24. Jez Brown 62:04; and 27.  Troy Kettle 69:49. *Fo

*Club chairman Kevin Slattery (above) won the age percentage handicap race. Report by Don Hale. Photos Steve Jeffrey. Statistics by John Hatton. Club chairman Kevin Slattery was the overall winner of the recent NWRRC club handicap age percentage analysis race, with Kay Hatton finishing in second place, and Sean Butler third. Kevin (aged 67) recorded an amazing 77.69%, with Kay (58) 75.64%, and Sean (63) 72.14%. *Kay Hatton finished second in the club handicap age percentage race. Run from Llandudno’s West Shore to the former WW2 gun site and back over a challenging four-mile plus course including a section of the Great Orme, the special Christmas race attracted twenty-two club athletes, and statistician John Hatton compared the actual finishing times and the handicap time applied, against the ages, resulting in an percentage analysis of their performances. *Race official and statistician John Hatton (left) with veteran athlete Don Hale. It made for some very interesting comparison, wit

*Pictured (above) Ben and Sarah Hudson, who are preparing for two ultra-challenges to help fundraise for the British Heart Foundation. Report by Don Hale. Photos by Steve Jeffery and Sarah Hudson.   Betws-y-Coed bed and breakfast owners Ben and Sarah Hudson are planning to run two ultra-marathon challenges during 2022 to help raise essential funds for the British Heart Foundation and in memory of Sarah’s late father. The couple, who are both keen endurance runners and members of North Wales Road Runners, intend to tackle both the 50-mile and the 100-mile events in Chester next year, and have only recently returned from a spell of warm weather training in Cyprus, where they also took part in the Cyprus Marathon. *Ben Hudson pictured during a race at the Marsh Tracks in Rhyl. *Sarah Ferguson Hudson (above) in action during an endurance race. Sarah unfortunately lost her father in October and said that he too was a former athlete and now hope to cover some of the same picturesque routes t

* A festive run  in  the winter sun at Conwy  Parkrun for the final event of 2021. Report by Don Hale. Photos by Steve Jeffery. Conwy parkrun was a festive feast of colour last Saturday morning with most runners and volunteers joining in the fun to celebrate Christmas at this final event of the year. Youngster  Sion-Kelly McIntosh  was the first athlete home overall and the 1st SM20-24 age cat winner, completing this 5k challenge in just 18 minutes, with rival  Matthew Baker  sixteen-seconds adrift in 18.16 and finishing 2nd in his own SM30-34 cat, whilst  Pete Vale  (Bromsgrove) was a further two-seconds behind in 3rd place, but won his MV45-49 cat in 18.18. *Conwy  Parkrun  volunteers prepare for the Christmas 5k dash. The event attracted 217 runners and despite many wearing a variety of costumes, it still proved to be a fast and furious run, in cold, but very bright and breezy conditions, with many runners recording personal best times, and the first fourteen men all dipping under t

*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