Pollok Park Trail Race event report

Pollok Park Trail Races

What a great finish line. Tree lined, daffodil strewn, and downhill toward the gates and splendour of grade ‘A’ listed, Pollok House. All the runners at the Pollok Park Trail Races particularly enjoyed this bit!

The preceding bit generated mixed feelings! Our hi-viz hero, Ann-Marie recorded several F-words and a couple of C-bombs, as she gleefully (by her own admission maybe a bit over exuberantly!) directed already weary legs up the last taxing muddy hill.

That variety perfectly sums up the course at the PPTR – varied. Tarmac downhills, muddy up-hills, rhododendron lined trails, lime tree avenues, community memorial gardens, well-established deciduous woodland and open meadows! It’s tiring just writing all that never mind running through it all.

Most agreed the route was fantastic, even if it took 24-hours before being able to admit that! For those that missed out and would like to try, we’ll be doing a nice social run in a few weeks around the route at a conversational pace. Keep an eye on our socials for details.

Race Brief

Some last-minute juggling to the marshal plan, meant some additional course marking was required, leading to a delay at the start, exacerbated by a group of 4 horses plodding along the race route. For their safety and yours, we let Jim The Dog add a wee bit to the race brief so as to drag it out a bit. A lot of you will know how opinionated he is, and likes to help his mum out and ensure she doesn’t miss any details.

Luckily Debbie, our (thankfully) under-worked first aider had the pleasure of keeping her shoulder joint intact whilst Jim was getting giddy! You wouldn’t believe he’s usually a very quiet lad!

Race start and route

With some more barks, the runners were sent on their way, with a strangely down-hill start. Lured into a false sense of security trail runners soon found themselves with a small incline (“I’m glad I volunteered and didn’t sign up” uttered marshal, Amy, who sent you up that incline when she saw it!).

Onto the Rhododendron Walk, first developed in 1925 by Sir John Stirling Maxwell. This wonderful bit of trail running offers up various underfoot conditions before ending just shy of the North Lodge in a big vat of mud. Many buckets of water were required for Alex to get this spot to a suitable level of shoe-sucking gooeyness!

A reprieve from the mud, as the route wound its way down to and across the Nether Pollok playing fields, before running around the it’s woodland perimeter and heading back towards the Burrell Collection field. An uphill trail alongside the downhill parkrun finish, with many runners fully appreciating that finish in a new light as they worked upwards, and out winding into the new Commonwealth Foresters’ Memorial woodland.

Heading back

Into the North Wood via the new bearded art installation and some more mud. The North Wood floor is just starting to sprout, and in a couple of weeks will be a bed of stunning blue bells. And speaking of bells, the best marshal instruction of the race from Ruth, “Head down the hill towards the sound of the cowbell”. Gayle at the bottom, making enough clanging for the full herd of nearby Highland coos to take the morning off!

Finally into the glade and down towards the Twelve Birches (representing the apostles). With the lap completed, 5k runners were given the sting in the tail, and sent with gusto over THAT incline (there’s no hills in this route!). 10k runners were sent via the water station onto a second lap to do it all again. Michael Devlin commented on social media, that he was tempted to lie to the marshal and tell them he was only doing 5k!

Winners and podiums

Everyone who cross the finish line is a winner in our eyes. Well done to you all on achieving your personal goals, from first trail runners, first race, mud dodges overcoming adversity, to those PBs and podiums!

The 5k steps were filled with:
1^st John Logan, Deidre Harrington and Finn Boyd

2^nd Martin Munro and Laura Lennon

3^rd Gordon Gallacher and Katie McQuistin

V40 – Stuart Reid & Donna Thomson

V50 – Steven Lochrie & Morag McFarlane

V60 – Ray Loughran & Pamela Clark

Full results 5k:

https://liveresults.kitst.co.uk/#pollock5km24.csv

10k:

1^st Oscar Coetzee and Julie Atkinson

2^nd Paul Foster and Jenny Peebles

3^rd Johnny Lawson and Alexandrea Gonzales

V40 Mark Ford & Sheila Murray

V50 Neil Salter & Yana Thandrayen

V60: Micky Anderson & Terry Nimmo

Full results 10k:

https://liveresults.kitst.co.uk/#pollock10km24.csv

Thanks:

A list as long Jim’s tail!

Brian Hughes, Lynn Connor, Cedric Moreau, Cha Harris, Callum Wallace, David Gemmell, Ann Marie Weir, Paula Quinn, Amy McCallum, Imaan Niven and Marwa, Donna Gillon, Debbie Haxton, Kadyn Alyse, Deidre Hoyle, Robert Hill, Alex “Dad” Osborne, Sam Hampton Smith, Steven Gilligan, Katie “Mumus” Sinsheimer, Anna Conlon, Kirsten Reilly and Euan, Ruth Harrison, Gayle Owens, Kevin Queenan, Bill Oliver, George Wilson, Ian Cochrane, Debbie Wright and Paige, KMAC and Sophs.

Thanks also to Morrisons supermarkets for supplying the finish line water and fruit, and Tunnocks for the snacks.

Next up

We’re on the count down to our next event in Linn Park, which promises to be equally good fun.

In aid of Meatball’s story, and Cats Protection, there is still some entries left.

www.entrycentral.com/acorntrails