“No bad”

With the dust barely settling on the Duncan Macfarlane Race, download were done, route tweaks completed and volunteers organised for another event. Who can believe it’s been twelve months since South By Five began, and here we are again.

As a wee reminder Facebook pushed up a memory – Alex pounding up those steps at Queens Park before heading to the finish line of the South Side Six. It was what transpired to be the final event of that iconic race, and also the inspiration for what several years later would become South By Five.

📸 Lorraine Taylor

For the unaware, South Side Six was a race starting and finishing in Queens Park. During it’s 16 mile journey the route passed through, you guessed it, six parks. Taking on those flavours, South By Five visits each of those six parks in turn and visits a 5km course in each one showcasing corners, nooks and crannies of the parks that SS6 never did or could.

Kx5

So once again back at the beginning of the series. A new route. Since the beginning Kings Park has had the most route changes. Alex has never been happy with the route here. Initially work by Scottish Water curtailed the options available. A tweak here and there but still he wasn’t happy.

This year with junior parkrun beckoning in the park, Alex decided on a complete overhaul of the route. A new start and a new finish, with a lot more trail in-between. The route now highlights the secret corners and also emphasises the work put in by the volunteer group, Friends of Kings Park including new woodlands, Yew Trail, the Sensory Garden and the finish by the Walled Garden.

Race time

Like the pied piper of Hamelin, Michelle led the participants from the secluded registration area to the start line by the old oak tree (how many of you spotted that? An Acorn Trails race starting at an oak tree).

📸 Kevin Queenan

A downhil start with a flat finish was in Michelle’s starting brief. Is this really an Acorn Trails route designed by Alex?

Craig Brown had already led the infantry charge, heading across the park with the startline flag like a Napoleonic standard bearer. Then the charge off the start line was like a rehearsal from Braveheart as Bellahouston Harriers careered down the hill saltires emblazoned on their chests.

Battles

Following on from the Braveheart analogy, the battle for the lead was a great tussle with Wallace wearing the aforementioned saltire.

Callum Wallace (Bella Harriers) versus Grant Jeans (unattached) might be the story of the series. And if the clash they had at Kings Park is anything to go by the series lead will be a great watch.

Wallace took the early lead with Jeans sitting back and observing. Come lap two Wallace stretched out a lead only to see it all unwind in the final half km. With one in road shoes and the other in trails it was interesting to see the concertina effect this had on the gap between them depending on which part of the route they were at. Road shoes also leading to a tumble, roll, and run, stride almost uninterrupted!!

Shoes

Shoe choice was a story. The race brief indicated road shoes would be suitable. Probably and possibly true but a light shower during setup left a sheen to the route surface which became skiddy in places. And that shoe recommendation..a left over from last year’s race brief!! The new route is about 50/50 road/trail. Neither shoe type will ever be right for the whole route.

Results

The front end battle…there was no heroic Braveheart fairy tale ending. Wallace lost! Grant Jeans pipped him over that last kilometre to take the top step. A spot which has eluded home for the last couple of years but now finally achieved.

Third spot taken by Acorn newcomer Ryan Van Rensburg (Fife AC). Another one to watch as the series progresses.

The female battle was equally entertaining. South By Five stalwart Ruth Harrison taking the early lead and fighting hard to stay there. A regular trail runner but felt the recommendation of road shoes was the correct choice feeling her mud experience helped in the trailier sections whilst the road shoes lending a ‘hand’ on the faster tarmac bits.

Ultimately though she was caught and overtaken at the new forest section by eventual race winner Lindsay Branston.

Third place was another good tussle with hater of hills and mud but smiles for cameras, Laura Wallace keeping the Braveheart theme going with a the third podium spot, narrowly forcing…..into fourth place.

Full results here…

The new route

Feedback on the new route was good. Back at Acorn HQ “good” is the highest of praise. Although not sure we can top the praise from yet another Bella Harrier. Usually either swearing at the RD as he crosses the line or lost somewhere, David Gemmell described the route as “no bad”. Now that is indeed high praise and we’ll take that as a five star review!

Steven Gilligan (Westerlands CCC) bemoaning the route lacking elevation…”course was too flat yesterday I was hoping for some hills”. He’s definitely not known for sarcasm! Certainly no one else complained about the elevation profile. We’ll ask him again after Linn Park!

Photos

As always we’re lucky enough to have some amazing folk volunteer to point their lenses at you.

Our lead photographer for Kings Park was Kevin Queenan. His photos are on our main Facebook feed here.

Other photos taken are posted to the Acorn Trails Pinboard on Facebook found here.

Thanks to George Wilson, Ian Cochrane and Blythe Lindsay for their fabulous contributions.

Thanks

On top of the paparazzi, we have another group of favourites in hi viz…

Thanks to:

Cha Harris, Cedric Moreaux, Lukasz Pudlow, Callum Wallace, Paul Fletcher, Anne Broderick, Sheila Murray, Angus Robinson, Karis McDermott and Skye, FoKP, Sam Hampton Smith, H, Callum Roach, LyndaKyle, Elspeth Brown, KMAC and Sophie, Imaan and Marwa.

Good things

With collections for both ShoeShare Malawi and the food bank, a litter pick of the park and a donation to the works of the Friends of Kings Park we’re proud to continue having South By Five as a vehicle for good things, and well as being it’s own good thing!

Food bank donations

Merch

South By Five merchandise is now available to purchase. There will be two collection options, either Pollok Park or Queens Park. Order for collection at Pollok Park must be placed before the Rouken Glen event on 1st December.

Order here

Next up

Linn Park…hillier and muddier than Kings Park. Possibly bring a pair of shoes to change into afterwards! Currently the duck pond is dry….

The ‘duck pond’