A four-legged fitness buff hoofed it alongside local runners in Glen Valley last weekend.
On Saturday, more than 70 members of the Peninsula Runner Marathon and Half Marathon Running Clinics were running in the Fort Langley Glen Valley area, completing their longest training run to prepare for the upcoming BMO Vancouver Half and Full Marathon.
A few miles along, as the runners turned off of 240th Street and headed east on River Road, they were joined by a new member, a billy goat that jumped the fence of his paddock and joined them.
The goat ran side by side with clinic members and ignored all their attempts to shoo him back home.
“He kept up a good pace and trotted along for about a kilometre,†related Joanie Proske, a Peninsula Runners run leader. “Run leader, Dave Palmer, who is rather an old goat himself – his words, enquired if Billy was training for the full or the half, but did not receive much of a response other than a happy Maaaa!â€
However, it was soon evident as the group neared the turnoff to the daunting Armstrong Hills that this Billy was more of a five kilometre runner.
“His turnover slowed and the lack of training became evident as he fell off the pace soon lagging behind the Peninsula Runners gang,†Proske said. “Our team in the support car reported that it didn’t take much convincing by a local resident to lure Billy back to his paddock, somewhat winded but invigorated by the experience.â€