Goat 2024

Rules
Goat rules

Updates, September 28

Park and Walk. We do not have permission to park on RR205. There is parking in the Staging Area which is 900m north of the registration and then 300m to the start area, so there will be a 1.2 km walk to the start. Drivers can drop off passengers at the registration then continue to park at the staging area. Care should be taken to avoid parking in loose sand. There is a safer but further parking lot another 1km north at the intersection of RR205 and Twp 574.

Trails. There has been a considerable amount of recent large tree blowdown that is not shown on the map, some of which has affected the usage of trails by OHVs. This affects the appearance of several trails as it contrasts to what the map shows.

Blowdown & Deadfall: There is much deadfall on the Goat 2 map west of RR205. Some of this is recent and quite a bit has been there for years. Open hills may be quite difficult to navigate through. 

SI Punching.  Controls punching will be Standard SI. The SI Air feature is not offered. Many of the controls on the Goat 2 map west of RR205 do not have an alternate pin punching clip.

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There are courses for all abilities, as well as a Goat which is an extra long course.

Important: Registration/starts for most courses is from 11:05am until 1:00pm (but earlier for Goat and half Goat, which have a mass start).

• an easy course (Techical Difficulty 1/2) suitable for beginners/families; controls on or very close to trails (3.4km)
• intermediate course (TD 3), controls on prominent features (eg knolls, depressions, pits) next to or close to line features, with perhaps catching features. Simple compass work (such as orienting the map with a compass or taking a rough bearing) (about 3.8km as the crow flies)
• a short advanced course (4.8km as the crow flies)
• and a Goat course. A Goat is a mass-start extra-long orienteering course (this one is about 10.5km). It begins with 4 controls which can be taken in any order, followed by a regular point-to-point course, except that participants may skip one (or two) controls. The course is designed so that most controls have a trail or other catching feature in case inexperienced runners should get lost – but the fastest routes are technical ones. This year’s Goat is approximately 10.2 km long with a map-exchange mid way. Those who finish the full Goat within the time limit win a Goat hat. Read the Goat rules

Note: there is a higher per-person fee for the Goat than regular courses. The Goat and half Goat start earlier than the other courses.

Terrain: subtle sand-hills with lots of winding sandy trails (which make good handrails, but are difficult to run along); lots of marshes in low-lying areas are fairly dry this year.

Timetable (provisional):

10:30am	Sign-in opens for the Goat and Half Goat
10:45am	Goat and half Goat participants assemble for last minute instructions
11:00am	Mass start for Goat and Half Goat
11:05am – 1:00pm	Registration and starts for regular courses
2:00pm	Cut off for map exchange for Goat participants
3:00pm	Deadline for winning a Goat hat
4:00pm course closing;	All participants on all courses must check in by this time, finished or not.

Fees:
Note: fees for the Goat are per person, and higher than for other courses
Goat Fees:
$20 per person for Full Goat
$10 per person orienteering club annual member for Half Goat
$15 per person member for a day for Half Goat
Regular courses fees:
$10 annual member individual/couple/family.  Fee includes a map, rental of SPORTident timing card*, rental of compass* and whistle if you don’t have your own.
$15 member(s) for a day individual/couple/family.  Fee includes a map, rental of SPORTident timing card*, rental of compass* and whistle if you don’t have your own.
$5 per additional map for couples/families going out together.
*Driver’s license required as deposit for rentals.

Register: https://zone4.ca/register.asp?id=36558

Directions:
From North Edmonton: take Hwy 28 north to the Redwater turn-off. After the realignment bend, drive straight i.e. due EAST, for approx 13km. The road changes from paved to gravel, and the road number changes TWICE! Just drive straight. At RR 205, turn right/south and follow the orienteering signs. Registration will be on the EAST side of RR205, about half way between Twp 574 and Victoria Trail. 53.92908042188551, -112.95090568271934

From East Edmonton: the event site can be reached via Ft Saskatchewan on Hwy 15 or Hwy 21. Take SR 830 north. At the end of SH 830 turn left onto Hwy 38. 1.8km west of of the Vinca Bridge turn right onto Victoria Trail then turn north at Range Road 205 for approx 2.7 kilometres.

NB for this event, registration/starts will be on the EAST side of RR205, about half way between Victoria Trail and Twp 574. 53.92908042188551, -112.95090568271934

Parking
We do not have permission to park on RR205. There is parking in the Staging Area which is 900m north of the registration and then 300m to the start area, so there will be a 1.2 km walk to the start. Drivers can drop off passengers at the registration then continue to park at the staging area. Care should be taken to avoid parking in loose sand. There is a safer but further parking lot another 1km north at the intersection of RR205 and Twp 574.

Officials
Course Planner: Stefan Duret O200 official; Controller: Greg Yarkie Level O300 certified official

More Information
Stefan <sduret (at) gmail (dot) com>
Greg  780-977-1175 <gyarkie1 (at) gmail (dot) com>
or Marilyn 780-455-1916  <eooc (at) shaw (dot) ca>