The Town of Conception Bay South just marked a milestone by hosting its first ever half-marathon—and a four-legged local made history by crossing the finish line.
The T’Railway Trek Half Marathon took place on Sunday, September 29th, in the community of about 27,000 people on Newfoundland’s Avalon Peninsula. More than 250 runners took to the trail to complete the requisite 21 kilometres. The route took them past a local farm, called Taylor’s Pumpkin Patch, where a well-known goat named Joshua lives. When the runners went by, he spontaneously joined the race, trotting along right to the end.
The farm’s owners, Heidi and Jeremy Taylor, didn’t realize he was missing at first, until they saw locals posting about it online. Apparently the goat is comfortable around groups of people as locals visit the farm throughout the seasons. Joshua’s owners eventually caught up, guiding him for the last half-kilometre. When the goat crossed the finish line, race organizers awarded him a medal.
Residents of Conception Bay South showed their love on social media, congratulating Joshua’s spontaneous jaunt and giving kudos to the municipality for its warm response.
“Hats off to the town for allowing this to happen and runners having a bit of motivation along the way!” wrote one Facebook user. Some even called for next year’s race to be named in the goat’s honour. “If this race isn’t ‘Joshua’s T’Railway Trek Half Marathon’ from now on, you’ve missed a great opportunity!” said another. Many also called on the irony, given the popular slang “G.O.A.T,” which stands for “greatest of all time.” “That is the best!!! I mean the G.O.A.T!!” wrote one enthusiastic commenter.
Via the pumpkin patch’s Facebook page, Joshua’s owners have advised the goat is doing well. He’s since made a few more public visits to town hall and a local hockey game, and is even set to appear on an Australian game show some time in the future.
“I can’t believe the amount of people that have reached out to us to see how Joshua is doing. He is resting wonderfully today,” reads a post from September 30. “I keep shaking my head thinking this is unbelievable.”
“The Washington Post reached out to us. The reporter asked me what we think of it. All we could say was I can’t believe The Washington Post called. He told me it’s a heartwarming story.” We couldn’t agree more!
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