Toot Suite

Toota-Linn 2024 – report and results

Credit: Blythe Lindsay

We’ve done Toota-Linn before. Not as Acorn Trails, but we rallied Glasgow South Road Runners into creating an event for the, now defunct Tour of Clydeside, for which Alex helped organise alongside it’s mastermind Robert Rogerson. The Kirkintilloch Olympian legend was Alex’s inspiration to stepping into the world of race organiser. Lots to thank him for!

The original Toota-Linn in 2019 is marked in Linn Park as part of the Centenary Trail, which links into another Acorn Trails event. Along the Linn Park Centenary Trail there are markers to highlight important parts, features and history of the park. Lots to be learned about the park as you wander along the Trail.

2024 Toota-Linn

The original route is blocked due to a rock fall on the route a few years back. Friends of Linn Park are in the process of securing funding and contractors to facilitate reopening of this part of the park.

The 2024 route had multiple iterations in the design phase. There’s various good routes been left on the floor of Acorn HQ! The final route intended to showcase the park, but be as different as possible to our other events in the park, so no repeat of the mud fest that was April’s Linn Park Trail Race!

With the local Old Smiddy putting on a free beer for runners, the route was angled to finish a short walk down the hill.

The Seil Drive entrance to the park on Wednesday morning looked a little wild! Friends of Linn Park stepped up to the plate to help showcase their park to it’s best, trimming back the over grown entrance way and fence line, and encouraged the council to complete a verge trim. The result was the start and finish area looking nice and clipped and ready to welcome park regulars and new visitors.

Donations from runners and Acorn Trails amount to a £125 payment to FoLP. Thank you all. Anyone wishing to donate to their work can do o at: https://localgiving.org/charity/friends-of-linn-park

Race start

With Jim The Dog on marshal deployment duties with Alex, Michelle has some peace and quiet to give the expectant runners the brief brief!

Without further ado, runners where off, and sent to explore the park via Alex’s latest route.

After the race, participants were full of compliments about the course, and how it ‘summed up Linn Park in a nutshell’.

During the race, Alex was subjected to multiple abusive comments from labouring Harriers and Road Runners! He did situate himself at the top of THAT hill.

A hill he deployed two photographers on to ensure entrants had to at least give a pretence of running up it! ‘Cruel and heartless’ one of the more polite comments, ranging to ‘sadistic little bast*rd’! 🤣🤣

Credit: George Wilson

Results

Not everyone was put off by the hill…twice. A recent Acorn Trails trend saw a couple of Westies leading the entry into the Top Wood on lap 1. Robert Hamlin would ultimately take the tape in a rapid time of 28.55

Second male was the “I’m not racing tonight” Mark King. Setting off wearing the purple of his regular running group Glasgow South Road Runners, after taking the podium in 30.39, he was later to be spotted at the Smiddy, in the red of his affiliated club, Cambuslang Harriers!

After chasing Hamlin hard in the first lap, regular Westies sparring party Chris Butler, having been overtaken by King, managed to hold off a late charge from Steven Prentice to hang onto the last podium step, crossing the line in 31.11.

One of the best podium photos ever!

With the men’s podium featuring King in the M50 category, the women’s V50s went one better and filled two steps of the ladies podium!

Mary McCutcheon, strong throughout, took the line in 36.12 with Giffnock North AC club mate Hilary Carswell hot on her heels in 36:29 to put two F50 runners on the top two steps.

Third female was Katherine Lafferty to round out a competitive podium in 36:58.

Age category

M40 Steven Prentice

M50 Mark Ford

M60 Gerry Rooney

F40 Sheila Murray

F50 Jodi Sharpe

F60 Anne Macfarlane

Podium prizes were vouchers for Migo Sports (£50, £25, £10) and age category was a free entry to either Rouken Glen Trail Race or Sandhead 10.

Full results can be found here.

Thanks

Our army of hi-viz heroes enable us to reduce course signage. A particular concern with an evening race in a busy park is the interference of passing muggles who think moving or changing a course arrow would be a good prank!

All these folk gave up their Friday night in order that you could enjoy your race. Huge thanks to:

Blythe Lindsay, Lynn Connor, Cha Harris, Callum Wallace, Cedric Moreau, John Softly, Becca, Cllr John Carson, Stuart Ainslie, Ruth Harrison, Dorothy Buchanan, Kirsty Milton-Moir, Kristin Sauer, David Sawyer, Julia McIver, Robert Hill, Michael Devlin, Fiona McDonald, Deidre Parkinson, Paul Fletcher, Kathryn Sinsheimer, Keira Hill, John Gordon.

Next up..

Rouken Glen Trail Race 28th July

Also South By Five is now open, along with the Dunky

www.entrycentral.com/acorntrails