Don Hale Blog

* Pictured (*above and l-r) the three female podium race winners from the Nick Beer 10k, Amie Bagnall, Eleesha Charnley, and Rachel Shipley. Nick Beer 10k charity success as runners tackled the Orme in bright sunshine. Report by Don Hale. Most photos  courtesy  of John Hatton. Over five-hundred mixed ability runners enjoyed bright sunshine and some spectacular scenery around the Great Orme in Llandudno last Sunday for the ever-popular Nick Beer 10k race. The large crowds of tourists and supporters on the promenade were treated to a feast of entertainment as the mass ranks quickly dashed past the pier and began the challenging ascent and later descent of the Orme prior to returning to the start via Church Walks. The event also welcomed a special 1k fun run for children and parents on the prom with proceeds donated towards  St David’s Hospice . And the 10k race that followed the junior race also raised tens of thousands of pounds for local charities including  Shine, Ty Gobaith, St John’

Family double age cat wins for Martin and Carla at Wrexham's Village Bakery half-marathon. Report by Don Hale.   TEN Road Runners tackled the Village Bakery half marathon at Wrexham last Sunday and husband and wife duo Martin and Carla Green celebrated a unique double with both athletes winning their respective age categories. The race unfortunately clashed with the  Nick Beer 10k  race this year, but it didn’t deter an excellent entry of nine club members on this popular and fast course.  Martin Green  finished 28th out of 1,348 runners in a superb time of 1 hour 11 minutes and 33 seconds, and he was 1st in his MV45 age cat. Martin’s wife  Carla Green  also ran very well and finished as the 9th female athlete in 193rd place overall in 1.23.55, and she too won her VW50 cat. And it was later confirmed that she also beat her own North Wales record at this distance, with Martin moving up to 2nd place. *Josh Keogh (*above left) with Jonathan Kettle. Josh Keogh  enjoyed another good sho

*Alastair Canaway (*pictured above) was the 1st man home. Newcomer Alastair records new PB and takes the plaudits at Conwy parkrun...plus other parkrun results. Report by Don Hale. Most photos by Steve Jeffery.   Club newcomer Alastair Canaway was the first man home at the Conwy parkrun last Saturday as the club celebrated four age category wins and six podium placings in another fast and furious encounter. The NWRRC athlete   continued his recent impressive form to secure a narrow victory and additionally won his MV35 age cat with a new course PB of 18 minutes and 1 second.  This event again attracted plenty of additional club and social runners from across the UK, and yet, despite a fierce encounter for honours,  Alastair  just managed to stay ahead of the chasing pack, with  Aled Hughes  2nd in 18.24, and  Alison Campbell  (Sheffield University) 3rd, and the 1st Lady with a great PB of 18.32.  With Alison claiming the top female place,  Hayley Cooke  (Cheltenham & County) took t

*Paul Algieri claimed a 3rd age cat place at Conwy last weekend. Success for GOG athletes at perfect Conwy parkrun. Report by Don Hale. Most photos by Steve Jeffery.   Conwy parkrun welcomed two-hundred and twenty-six mixed ability entrants to their usual Saturday morning parkrun, which this week was staged in near perfect conditions. The fair weather seemed to attract a host of both club and social runners from far afield, and yet it was a highly promising young local athlete who eventually took the plaudits with a scintillating display to finish nearly thirty-seconds ahead of his nearest senior rival. Alfie Shiland  from  Colwyn Bay AC  enjoyed a superb run to finish 1st overall in just 18 minutes and 45 seconds to additionally win his JM11-14 age category.  David Murray  was 2nd in 19.12 with  Will Williams  from North Wales Road Runners 3rd in 19.28. The Ladies event  was won by NWRRC athlete  Carla Green  in 8th place in 20.08, with  Alice Johnston  (Les Croupiers), 2nd female and

Mountain  runner  Mark Davies continues his battle for life at specialist injury hospital...and fundraising appeal reaches £20k. Report by Don Hale.   Award winning ultra-distance mountain runner Mark Davies continues his battle against life-threatening injuries following a hit and run accident at Llanrhos on Saturday Jan 28. North Wales Road Runner Mark (48), who is currently receiving extensive medical treatment at Stoke hospital, is also expected to have an operation on his legs this week. *Award-winning mountain racer Mark Davies (*pictured top and above). A fundraising appeal launched last week by Mark’s friend Darrel Lewis on a special GoFundMe page has so far raised £20k. Mark is self-employed, and Darrel explained that he was trying to raise funds for Mark’s wife Leanne and his family. Confirmation of Mark’s accident was also mentioned at the Conwy parkrun last Saturday by NWRRC official John Hatton, who later confirmed that you could have heard a pin drop when he made the anno

   *Will Williams (*above left) with Jamie  Tharme at Conwy. Young Alfie beat his senior rivals at Conwy parkrun...plus other race results. Report by Don Hale. Most photos by Steve Jeffery.   Conwy parkrun welcomed two-hundred and twenty-six mixed ability entrants to their usual Saturday morning parkrun, which this week was staged in near perfect conditions. The fair weather seemed to attract a host of both club and social runners from far afield, and yet it was a highly promising young local athlete who eventually took the plaudits with a scintillating display to finish nearly thirty-seconds ahead of his nearest senior rival. Alfie Shiland  from  Colwyn Bay AC  enjoyed a superb run to finish 1st overall in just 18 minutes and 45 seconds to additionally win his JM11-14 age category.  David Murray  was 2nd in 19.12 with  Will Williams  from North Wales Road Runners 3rd in 19.28. The Ladies event was won by NWRRC athlete  Carla Green  in 8th place in 20.08, with  Alice Johnston  (Les Cro

Runners set for the Nick Beer 10k Memorial Race. Report by Don Hale.   The Nick Beer 10k memorial race around the Great Orme will take place on Sunday (Feb 12) with over four-hundred runners competing for honours and aiming to raise thousands of pounds for local charities. This popular event, now in its 31st year, has previously been controlled by North Wales Road runners, but this year the management has now passed to  Always Aim High , who confirm they are proud to add this event to their portfolio under the community events section.  The 10k race begins at 12 noon and will be preceded by a children’s 1k fun run with funds raised for St David’s Hospice. The main run is a not-for-profit and will continue to support local charities as well as NWRRC, and the 2023 event will support  Shine, St David’s Hospice, Ty Gobaith, and St John’s Ambulance. Starting and finishing on Llandudno promenade, opposite the Imperial Hotel, and incorporating a tough climb around the spectacular Great Orme a

Special fundraising page for hit and run victim Mark Davies – an internationally acclaimed ultra-distance mountain runner.   Report by Don Hale.   Mark Davies a long serving member of North Wales Road Running Club was the unfortunate victim of a hit and run accident close to his home at Llanrhos last Saturday night (28th January) and is currently fighting for his life at Stoke Mandeville Hospital after suffering life threatening injuries. The talented endurance athlete is an internationally acclaimed award winner who just a few weeks ago won a prestigious Special Achievement prize at the Sports Conwy Awards ceremony for his exceptional performances both overseas and in the UK for his ultra-mountain running exploits. Mark, however, is self-employed, and obviously at present, he is unable to work, so his friends, supporters, and clubmates at NWRRC, have just set-up a special GoFundMe page to help raise some money for his family. Mark (48) and his wife Leanne are both well-known around Ll

*Stuart Culverhouse (*above) was the first NWRRC runner at Conwy. Road Runners back to their best as Conwy parkrun returns. Report by Don Hale. Photos by Steve Jeffery.   North Wales Road Runners celebrated with six podium places including four first place age category wins at Conwy parkrun last Saturday. Following the return to action after last week’s postponement due to heavy frost on the course, the Road Runners entered nine senior members and one junior amongst the 218 finishers, with the usual mix of quality club and social runners. It proved to be a very fast encounter, and at the time of writing the first-place finisher remained unknown as they probably forgot their essential barcode, so the credit went to  Andrew Bromley  (Prestatyn RC) in 2nd place with a great course PB of 17 minutes and 28 seconds, with club colleague  Alex Ryder  3rd with another well-deserved PB in 17.45. The first female runner was  Alison Campbell  (Sheffield University) in 18.32, with  Anna Drinkwater

*Dan Willings (*pictured above) was the first GOG member home. Ten GOG Triathlon members competed at the North Wales Cross-Country league meeting at Eirias Park, Colwyn Bay, last Saturday despite a very muddy and challenging course, where once again, veteran athlete Ann d’Alburquerque was the star of the team winning her veteran age category. It’s the first time since October 2010 that this senior league fixture has been staged at this venue, and the tough course certainly brought back many mixed memories for experienced athletes, and the event probably attracted a few more local club runners than expected due to the Conwy parkrun being cancelled just a few hours before due to a heavy frost. *Ann d'Alburquerque (*above) won her FV70 age cat at Eirias Park. Ann soon showed many of her rivals a clean pair of heels despite very challenging conditions and ran home an easy winner of her FV70 age cat in just 46 minutes and 12 seconds in 92nd place overall, and  Helen MacArthur  also cla