Don Hale Blog

*Will Williams (*above) finished 2nd in the Run Wales 5k race Loyal athletes battled horrific weather in Run Wales 5k and 10k races...plus  Martin and Carla Green at Telford 10k. Report by Don Hale.   Nine Road Runners took part in the Run Wales Loyalty 5k and 10k races last Saturday despite freezing conditions that included sleet, rain, and snow, and a tough course covered in mud with many deep puddles. The race organisers confirmed this was a non-profit event and offered a free bonus place to runners who had previously entered at least two Run Wales events this year.  Both races utilised what was meant to be a very fast, flat, and scenic course long the cycle tracks from Conwy Bridge to Deganwy Quay and back, but the adverse weather conditions made the races far more of a challenge than expected. The 5k race  attracted twenty-one runners, and it was won by  James Yarwood  (Abergele Harriers) in 16.39, with  Will Williams  from NWRRC claiming a deserved 2nd place overall, and 1st in h

*Josh Keogh (*above) performed well again at Conwy to claim another win. Josh celebrated his 50th parkrun at Conwy with his 10th win...and 5th on the trot!  Report by Don Hale. Photos by Steve Jeffery.   North Wales Road Runner Josh Keogh celebrated his 50th parkrun overall at Conwy last Saturday with another stunning result as the first runner home despite competing on a waterlogged 5k course in freezing cold, and very wet conditions. For  Josh , this was also his 10th win at Conwy and his 5th consecutive victory, finishing in 17 minutes and 32 seconds, which was some 27-seconds ahead of teenage rival  James Smith  (Menai Track & Field), who was 2nd in 17.59, and  Osian Griffiths,  3rd in 18.35. For the Ladies  Anna Drinkwater  (Eryri Harriers) was the 1st female runner home in 7th place overall in 20.47, and  Ella Grundy  (Colwyn Bay) finished 2nd, and in 19th place overall in 22.49, with another fine battle for both placings, and age cat results, by NWRRC athletes  Cheryl Frost

Hope House and Ty Gobaith appeal raised over £500k for their Children’s Hospices. Special updated report by Don Hale.  donhaleblog.blogspot.com   The Final Moments Matter campaign – previously highlighted on my blog – and launched over a two-day period towards the end of last month by Hope House and Ty Gobaith Children’s Hospices has finally reached their incredible fundraising target of £500k. Staged over a very special and intense 36-hour period on Sunday 26th November and Monday 27th November, they set out to raise half-a-million pounds to help cover the annual costs of providing the very best end of life care for every child and family in this region. Organisers asked the community to come together as one, to embrace local families, whose hearts were breaking and to make sure they were not isolated in their pain and grief. Thanks to the generosity of some key benefactors however, they thankfully began their fundraising efforts with a ‘matched giving pot’ of £250,000, which meant th

North Wales Cross Country championships at Wrexham. Report by Don Hale. Entries are now open for the North Wales Cross Country Championships which will be held at Ysgol Morgan Llwyd, Wrexham, on Saturday 7th January 2023. The timetable of races is as follows :   11am - Under 11 Girls; 11-20am - Under 13 Girls/Under 11 Boys;   11-45am - Under 15 Girls/Under 13 Boys;12-15pm - Under 17 Women/Under 15 Boys;   1-00pm Under 20/Senior/Master Women/Under 17 Men/65+Men   2-00pm - Senior/Master Men. *For the first time, entries are on-line and are available via the following link:   https://www.entrycentral.com/North_Wales_CC_Champs   North Wales Indoor Championships at Deeside. Report by Don Hale. Entries have opened for the North Wales Indoor Regional Championships at Coleg Cambria, Connah’s Quay, Deeside, on Sunday 15th January 2023.  The events include:  U11’s   – RJT Event Challenge (60m, Long Jump, Shot Put,) - £10 which covers all 3 events & athletes must compete in all 3 events.  U13

*Lizzie Irvine (*above) in top form at Conwy parkrun. GOG athletes ran well at Conwy parkrun. Report by Don Hale.   Seven GOG Triathlon runners competed in the Conwy parkrun last Saturday and collected three podium placings including two first place finishes in their respective age categories. Lizzie Irvine  led the GOG team home in 26th place and she also won her VW35 cat in 22.49 and claimed the 2nd female finisher spot.  Steve Owen  was 39th in 23.57, with  Nicola Tomlinson  53rd and won her VW40 age cat in 25.38. Katie Harvey finished in 88th place overall and came 3rd in her VW50 cat in 28.38, with  Dimitri Pitton  96th in 29.18.  Sarah Ellwood  had a good run in 115th place in 31.16, whilst  Dinah Hazeldine  finished well in 141st place in 39.53. *The event attracted 150 runners of all ages and mixed abilities on a cold but clear day with  Josh Keogh  (NWRRC) the first male runner back with a PB of 17.01, with club colleague  Martin Green  second in 17.56 and  Matthew Baker  thir

Llandudno prom Santa Dash success as hundreds of people enjoyed a 5k charity run and children's race... Report by Don Hale. Photos by Steve Jeffery. Hundreds of runners, children, and dogs took part in the children's fun run and the 5k Santa Dash along Llandudno promenade last Saturday morning which also raised plenty of funds for local charities. Starting on North Shore by the pier, entrants journeyed down the pier before dashing down towards the paddling pool and the RNLI base before returning to the finish. As this event was not listed as a competitive race, the organisers confirmed that although there was an electronic timer at the finish, there were no chip times recorded. *Rob Fryer from NWRRC (*above) at the finish of the Llandudno Santa Run and (*below) Josie Davies with her young dasher who sprinted around the course.

*Martin Green (*above) ran well at Conwy parkrun. Hot pace on a cold day at Conwy parkrun...plus success for trio at Ruthin parkrun. Report by Don Hale. Photos by Steve Jeffery.   One hundred and fifty mixed ability runners braved a cold but clear morning at Conwy parkrun last Saturday where a trio of North Wales Road Runners claimed three out of the top four finishing places. Josh Keogh  continued his recent domination of this challenging 5k event and this week, apart from being the 1st runner home, he also set a hot pace and recorded an incredible new personal best time of just 17 minutes and 1 second to win his SM30 age cat. Josh  led a team of eleven NWRRC club members, who recorded nine podium places overall including four wins, three second, and two third place finishes.  Martin Green  was 2nd in 17.56, and he won his MV45 cat, but he was pushed all the way by  Matthew Baker,  who was just one second adrift in 3rd place in 17.57, with Martin’s club colleague  Steve Mason  4th, an

Sherlock Holmes and the Ghost Ship Mystery.   How a true story inspired Sir  Arthur  Conan Doyle - the creator of the fictional character Sherlock Holmes - to write a fictional tale about the Mary Celeste, accepted as fact!   This is a fascinating story by author Don Hale about how a ghost ship inspired Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to investigate one of the world's most fascinating mysteries.  https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com When the brigantine Mary Celeste was first found abandoned and drifting helplessly in the Azores, just off the coast of Portugal in December 1872, speculative news of the crew being abducted or murdered by aliens, huge sea monsters, or pirates, no doubt inspired an inquisitive young Scottish schoolboy, Arthur Conan Doyle, to eventually write his own fictional tale.  Then aged just 13, and setting his mind to a medical career, it would be another 12-years before he finally put pen to paper whilst working as a surgeon on a whaling ship bound for an Arctic adventure. H

GOG runners competed at the Whitford cross country fixture and at Conwy parkrun. Report by Don Hale. Photos by Steve Jeffery.   Several GOG Triathlon members took part in the North Wales cross-country league fixture at Whitford, and in the Conwy parkrun last Saturday. Six male athletes recorded good results in the senior men’s race and three ladies also excelled in the senior women’s event. Daniel Willings (*left)   was the first GOG home in the male race finishing 57th in 31.22, with  Andy Jones  85th in 33.34 . Steven Owen  was 117th in 36.03, and  Neil Vicars-Harris  finished just eight seconds adrift of his colleague in 118th place in 36.11.  Simon Blain  also enjoyed a good run in 128th place, with  Chris Bennett  134th in 39.22. Stephanie Conway  was the first female GOG athlete home in the senior Ladies race, finishing in 81st place in 27.15, and it was a close contest for veteran runners  Elizabeth Evans  and  Ann d’Alburquerque  in the F70’s age cat, with Elizabeth eventually

Welsh fell runner Mark Davies wins ‘Special Achievement’ award for tackling the daunting Swiss Peaks 360 mountain race…   Introduction by Don Hale. Photos by Mark Davies.   North Wales Road Runners were successful in three separate categories at the Sport Conwy awards night on (25/11/22) including endurance athlete Mark Davies who won the ‘Special Achievement’ award for his incredible performance in the Swiss 360 mountain ultra-running race. Earlier this year I asked Mark if he would recall the highlights from his epic challenge. Mark now provides an exclusive, unique, and very personal account of his incredible challenge, and it is understood that he was the first Welshman and UK based finisher in this race. I entered this race ten-months ago as I needed a massive challenge, the distance (236 miles), elevation (83,000ft), so the difficulty of the course ticked all the boxes.  I'm now lying in my bed however, with legs like an elephant, and wondering what had just happened, and how