Window to the World, calling for Wind of Wisdom, as common sense is a gift to each soul, as common environment is the inseparable planet, as common desire is to live in a better world.
Newfoundland: Joshua the Goat joins a half marathon, runs four kilometres, wins a medal and becomes international celebrity
As marathon runners made their way through winding forest pathways and residential roads on Newfoundland’s east coast on Sunday, they were joined by a four-legged competitor who has since become a sensation, says one mayor. he Town of Conception Bay South hosted its first T’Railway Trek Half Marathon on Sunday. When its 250 runners passed a local business called Taylor’s Pumpkin Patch, Mayor Darrin Bent said a new contestant spontaneously joined the race. “They have a resident goat, Mr. Joshua. And when the runners went past the pumpkin patch, the goat decided, ‘Well, I’m not staying here, I’m joining them!'” Bent told CBC News.
Joshua ran alongside the runners for approximately four kilometres before his owners caught up with him, said Bent. His owners walked the last half-kilometre with him to get him over the finish line. “We very quickly put a medal around his neck and he became quite the star. Most people who actually ran the half marathon wanted their picture with Joshua at the finish line,” said Bent. He recalled he was waiting at the finish line at Topsail Beach when news spread that a goat was running alongside participants. “We didn’t know what quite to make of it. We had just heard that a goat was running along the trail,” he said.
Joshua’s owner, Jeremy Taylor, told CBC News he learned of his goat’s aspiration for long-distance running through social media. “He decided to break his collar, which he had on for years, and join the runners.… He was after going about two kilometres and he was stopped around the water station,” Taylor said. “He’s used to large groups of people and he really gets involved and when he seen the crowd running, he decided to join in not knowing this is one of the longest runs he’s ever had.”
Joshua quickly became a highlight of the race, with his photos being shared hundreds of times on social media. Taylor said he heard from runners who decided to keep pace with Joshua, speeding up and slowing down as the goat tired and found another gear. “Everybody is talking about it…. It’s putting a smile on a lot of faces,” said Bent.
On Sunday Joshua the goat joined more than 250 runners in Conception Bay South’s T’Railway Trek Half Marathon. Since then, his story has spread across Canada, and far beyond.
Heidi Taylor, one of Joshua’s owners at Taylor’s Pumpkin Patch in the town near St. John’s, says she’s been blown away by the attention her goat is getting. “I’m driving along and I’m like, this doesn’t seem real. This does not seem real. You know, if a goat was going to be loved so much, he’s definitely the one — because he is so, so sweet,” she told CBC News. On Thursday, Taylor recorded a segment for an Australian game show and has fielded calls from Germany. She has told Joshua’s story to a Las Vegas-based Amazon warehouse filled with hundreds of employees. “They just found it so heartwarming,” said Taylor. “It’s been, like, amazing.”
In the past few days she said Joshua has gotten a lot of visitors at the pumpkin patch, in addition to international media queries. Someone has reached out about a children’s book, and there’s interest in a podcast. Taylor said she had initially worried that Joshua would be sore after the half-marathon, but he was fine. “It wasn’t until that night — in the 10 years that we’ve owned him — that I actually caught him sleeping.”
Partway through Sunday’s T’Railway Trek half marathon in Conception Bay South, N.L., an eager 68-kilogram (150 pound) goat named Joshua broke free from his collar and joined the runners on the route. He kept pace for nearly a quarter of the race before being rounded up by his owners and now even has a medal to show for his efforts. Joshua’s half-marathon debut surprised no one more than Heidi Taylor, who woke up Sunday morning to find social media awash in photos of her goat mingling with fellow runners. “We take Joshua for walks, he listens very well and will follow you,” she said in an interview Sunday. “So when he’s seeing all the people running, he must have thought: ‘I’m going to go too.”‘
Joshua stuck close with the crowd of runners, Taylor said, and managed to avoid roads and stay on a trail. The runners “kept him going, he would follow whoever he was running after.” “At one point he was leading the race,” Taylor said with a laugh. While Joshua’s escape came as a bit of a shock, Taylor said she’s not surprised her people-loving goat wanted to join in the fun. She said he loves to be with people and can often be found sneaking popcorn and snuggles from visitors at the pumpkin patch. “When we close the farm to the public in October, we encourage people to keep coming back just to see him for a visit with their kids because he’s just such a loveable animal,” she said.
