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Prankster sends Glasgow runners on lengthy detour

ACORN TRAILS Runners at the Acorn Trails race in Linn Park, Castlemilk, Glasgow on Sunday. There are a number of runners in the image. At the front are three men in dark clothing. A woman in a purple top is behind. They are all mid run. They are in a park with green grass and trees behind them.ACORN TRAILS
About 30 runners were directed on a 1.5 mile (2.5km) detour by a "mischievous" prankster at the Acorn Trails race in Castlemilk, Glasgow on Sunday.

Runners at a 10k trail race in Glasgow were sent in the wrong direction by a prankster who impersonated a marshal and buried signs marking the course.

Acorn Trails said someone moved a route arrow and impersonated a race organiser to send about 30 competitors on a 2.5km (1.5 mile) detour on Sunday.

The organisers said they could "laugh about it" but warned the safety of runners had been compromised.

They apologised to competitors for the "mischievous interference" and offered affected runners a discount on entry to their next event.

ACORN TRAILS A composite image of a race sign on the ground in Castlemilk Woods. On the left, the white back of the sign is visible underneath a pile of brown leaves. On the right, it is turned the correct way round and has a black arrow on a luminous yellow background.ACORN TRAILS
It was later found a race sign had been torn off and buried underneath leaves and twigs

The 115-strong field was due to start and finish the race in Linn Park in the south of the city, following two laps of Castlemilk Woodland.

Race marshals were positioned at several of the more difficult turning points on the route.

But several runners reported being pointed away from the course by a person as they approached one unmarshalled section.

They were sent towards the Linn Park Bridge, with about a quarter of the field covering a 12.5km (7.7 mile) distance rather than the outlined course, which was billed as "just shy of 10km" (6.2 mile).

Alex Osborne and Michelle Sinsheimer looking directly at the camera. Both are wearing a green hoodie. Alex, on the left, has sunglasses on his head. He has a ginger beard with white patches. Michelle, on the right, is taller. She has dark hair and is wearing her hoodie under a blue jacket.
Michelle Sinsheimer, right, who owns Acorn Trails with partner Alex Osborne, left, said runners were directed on a 2.5km (1.5m) detour

Michelle Sinsheimer, who owns Acorn Trails with partner Alex Osborne, said, at one stage, runners were approaching the finish line from three different directions.

Ms Sinsheimer, 40, said some of the runners quickly realised the arrows had been tampered with, but others were unfamiliar with the park.

When Mr Osborne went to fix the signs, he found one had been ripped off a tree and buried underneath leaves and branches.

Ms Sinsheimer said: "Some people came across the line and they were saying they were following arrows but they went the wrong way.

"We've had lots of different stories from the runners who were affected. But they all said they were told where to run.

"The sad part for us is that the sign was buried, whoever did this made a point of doing it. It clearly wasn't an impulsive move".

Safety risk

Ms Sinsheimer said runners were directed away from medical help which could have had serious implications if someone had become unwell.

She said a previous race in the city's Queen's Park in January had also been targeted with signs redirected, but that it had been spotted before the starting gun was fired.

Ms Sinsheimer said competitors were "good about it" but they would look at increased stewarding for their next event in the park next month.

She said: "We can laugh about it now, especially as everyone was so good about it.

"It wasn't an easy course, there were a lot of dips and hills, so the people who managed an extra couple of kilometres were quite impressive.

"It could have been the longest run ever for some folk.

"We had 22 marshals out on the course, it is something we are always aware of, but we will obviously have to look at that."