Frequently Asked Questions about the Mountain Goat Training Runs

Am I in shape enough to do the training or the Goat?

The first training run will be approximately 5 Miles. There is one pretty good climb, the climb to the Woodlawn Reservoir, which is about ¾ of a mile. The rest is flat or downhill. If you have run at least 4 miles recently and a few hills, you should be fine. Each week, we will extend the run a bit, covering different portions of the course.

Will there be people running my pace?

Pace groups are put together at the start of the run. The fastest group is at 7 Minutes to 7:30 per mile. We also have an 8 Minute, 9 Minute, 10 Minute and 11+ minutes per mile. You should be able to run at least 12 minutes per mile to participate, because it translates to the amount of time the Mountain Goat Run Course is closed to traffic.

Can I run the entire Mountain Goat Course?

We design the training runs to fit the majority of runners. You might not know this, but 40% of all people at the training runs have never run the Mountain Goat Run before. So to that end, we don’t design the training to run the entire course. We gradually build up to the mileage needed to run the Goat. Much like marathon training, it is not necessary to run all 10 miles prior to race day. The longest training run is scheduled for 9 miles in week 5, where most of the course will be completed.

A few experienced runners will run the entire course each week. Our training program can’t support the additional energy stops, so runners who plan on doing this on their own, should plan accordingly.

Is the course closed to auto traffic?

No and this may be the most important question. Runners are responsible for their own safety and car traffic will be out on the course. Runners should always run on the left side of the road, facing traffic. Also, runners should not run more than two across and should always use the side of the street if possible.

Look in all directions before crossing a street and during no time should runners be running down the middle of any street.

We can’t stress this enough, we will not have volunteers out directing traffic, runners are responsible for your own safety.

Do you supply water or energy drinks?

Yes. Each week, we try and make sure runners get to at least one water/Power Bar Endurance stop. On longer training weeks, we will have two stops. Power Bar Endurance Drink is the official energy drink of the Mountain Goat Run and will be served on race day.

Where do I go and what time does the training start?

The Museum of Science and Technology (The MOST) is the starting point for the training. Doors open at 7:15AM and participants can come in, use the rest room, stretch and look around the museum. The training run instructions are given at 8AM and the run starts at 8:05AM. Valuables should not be left at the MOST during the training. Parking is plentiful and free on city streets in Armory Square.