Don Hale Blog

*Morgan Kendall (*above) pictured at his recent Conwy half-marathon victory continued his excellent form at the Conwy parkrun. Hot pace set by Morgan Kendall at cool and breezy Conwy parkrun...and four age cat wins for NWRRC. Report by Don Hale. Photos by Steve Jeffery. https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com www.welshmastersathletics.co.uk   It was cool, with very breezy conditions at the Conwy parkrun last Saturday, but it was good to see talented local athlete and student Morgan Kendall set a hot pace from the start of this 5k event despite some tough opposition. Returning home from  Durham University  for the festive holidays  Morgan , representing (Durham City Harriers), maintained his top form and gained a narrow victory over rivals  James Smith  (Menai T&F), and  Harty Woodford .  He recorded another excellent time of just 17 minutes and 14 seconds to win his SM20 age cat, and finished just 9-seconds ahead of James, who claimed 2nd place in the same age cat as Morgan in 17.25, with

Festive message from Rod Davies at Welsh Masters Athletics. https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com www.welshmastersathletics.co.uk Somehow we find ourselves in the middle of December: it doesn't seem five minutes since some of us were at the BMAF championships in the heat of Derby. Membership fees are now due: - This means it's time for us to wish you all a very Merry Christmas, and to remind you that your membership will expire on New Year's Eve.  Perhaps renewing will be a nice little job for a quiet day over the festive period. It's now much more straightforward to do so on the BMAF website. Go through it to sign on to Opentrack, and go to your membership profile.  You should find a yellow button alongside WMAL marked Renew. If you don't, check the expiry date, which will probably be 2024. This means you have renewed already but forgotten you did - perhaps too much sherry? If you leave it till January, you will need to check Expired Roles. Some of you will be heading t

Opportunity Knocks for budding Welsh Masters T&F athletes for 2024 season....appeal from Brett Davis. https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com www.welshmastersathletics.co.uk Would you like the opportunity to represent Welsh Masters Athletics at Track and Field? 

The next inter-area event is indoors and is on 25th  February 2024 at Lee Valley Athletics Centre, just outside London.  We are really keen to field the strongest Welsh Masters’ team that we can and we know that we have a lot of talent around here. We did brilliantly in the summer and it is time to build on that success. To do that, we need to have the largest pool from which to select.  
Selection will be made over the next few weeks and will be based on recent results on power of 10 (2022, 2023). We would like to get the provisional women’s team out in mid-January so that people can make travel arrangements, the men’s will take longer to establish. 

 For those events where there are no current performances on power of 10 then

  *Jonathan Kettle (*above) was the first runner home at Conwy Wild, wet, and windy at Conwy parkrun, and tribute to former athlete... Report by Don Hale. Photos by Steve Jeffery. https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com www.welshmastersathletics.co.uk   Ten North Wales Road Runners entered this week’s wild, wet, and windy Conwy parkrun, which included 146 club and social runners who negotiated the usual rather soggy, and waterlogged riverside course, and they all paid tribute to a former athlete. Jonathan Kettle  was the first runner home overall in a fast time of 17 minutes and 50 seconds to win his VM45 age cat, and he led back a talented team that collected five first-placed age category victories, in addition to one second and one third placing. Will Williams  finished 5th overall and he also won his VW50 cat in 19.08, with  Stuart Culverhouse  12th, and 3rd in his VM50 cat in 20.45.  Jamie Tharme  was on form again and he finished 19th in 22.08, and 2nd in his VM45 cat. *Will Williams (*

Run Wales,  Rhyl 10-mile race  - 25th February 2024  . 2023 - Host to the North Wales 10 Mile Championships. 2023 - Host to the Inter Counties 10 Mile Series. One the fastest flat routes in the UK (weather dependent) Three races, one day! Set in the seaside town of Rhyl along the North Wales coast, this flat, fast course is sure to be a hit with runners chasing their Half Marathon, 10 mile or 5 mile PB, this course has been designed with one thing in mind, helping you achieve your personal best, so if you’re a club runner or a fun runner you can be sure of a good time. Watch the video:     https://youtu.be/ZhWZUN-rOoA SPECIAL DISCOUNT FOR RACES AS A BLOG SUPPORTER, IF YOU ADD THIS DISCOUNT CODE AT THE CHECKOUT TO YOUR TOTAL:   DONHALEBLOG24  https://www.runwales.com This flat and fast event has hosted some of the best runners in the UK:  In 2022 the Rhyl 10 mile hosted the North Wales 10-mile road running championship and was the venue for an Inter Counties Championship race. In 2020

*Pictured above - Ben and Sarah  Hudson after their Spanish marathon. Ben and Sarah’s marathon run in the Spanish sun...plus other  major race results. Report by Don Hale. Ben and Sarah Hudson  travelled to Spain this week to compete in the sun-drenched Malaga Marathon, and 4k breakfast run.  And, in complete contrast to the terrible and  stormy  weather at home, the pair had to contend with very warm conditions, and in Sarah’s case, she also had to deal with some cracked and bruised ribs after a recent fall in her garden.  Ben recorded a good time of 3 hours 38 minutes and 40 seconds, with Sarah literally hot on his heels, despite her injury problems, she still finished well in 3.42.45. After the race, Sarah said: “I was  aiming for a PB, but I slipped over in our garden the day after the Conwy half, and cracked and badly bruised several ribs, and have only just become comfortable enough to run over the last few days.  “ I’m over the moon to even finish it, let alone in that time. My

*Pictured above - North Wales Road Runners (l-r), Steve Gardner, Michael (Pat) Finnie, and Don Hale at the Indoor Open 60m event last Saturday. Top performances by NW Road Running quartet at the Christmas Indoor Open event... Report by Don Hale. https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com www.welshmastersathletics.co.uk   Four veteran Road Runners competed in the North Wales Christmas Indoor Open Challenge event staged at Coleg Cambria, at Connah's Quay, last Saturday afternoon, and they all claimed new PB’s, podium places, and probable new records in their respective age categories. This was an extra meeting on the Track & Field race calendar that attracted a few hundred of the best junior to master athletes in the region who competed in a wide variety of events in an indoor arena. Steve Gardner, Michael (Pat) Finnie,  and  Don Hale  from NWRRC all ran in the 60m heats, whilst Steve’s father  Dave Gardner  took part in the shot-put competition and won his super-master M80 age cat with an