Kiss the Goat

Are you ready to Kiss the Goat?
We're coming back to Perry County Park on June 15th with an exciting addition this year! 

The classic 4 mile KTG course will be an option for walkers, runners, hikers, and beyond. You will start as a group and not solo for this. We will be giving 1/2/3 to overall male and female for the 4 mile. We had previously noted this was only for 11, but we are adding that to the 4 mile as well. 

The NEW addition is a longer format with the same KTG taste of climbing to the top and descending the fire road down. This will also start as a group like most races. This course will take you up the mountain three times. Each time you will get to the top, see the goat, and then descend down the fire road. Each climb to the top is a different route. We estimate this route to be around 11 miles and 3K+ feet of gain. We will give top 3 Male and top 3 Female awards for this race. As a heads up, Perry County Park is very hard to trust GPS data as it is steep and thick, which causes a bit of inaccuracy with GPS Signal. 

We will have details soon about the race, the swag, and more. Until then sign up and get your climbing legs ready for some fun!

NO DOGS ON COURSE. They are welcome at the facility, but not the race course.  

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Everything you need to know for race day!

Race Day:

• All racers will take off at 9:00 AM Eastern Standard Time.
• Race Location is at the Horse Ring of Perry County Park, Hazard, KY. The address is: 933 Perry Park Road. You will likely need to enter through the Perry Central High School Parking area. Perry Park Rd will be partially closed for the fair. Parking is at the Extension office just below Horse Ring Rd.
•  Pickup begins at 7:30 AM on Saturday and closes at 8:45 AM.
• All runners please line up at 8:50 for a pre-race meeting about markings and other needed info.

Course Notes:

11 MILE

• You will follow “LOOP 1” for the first loop. This is the same as the 4-mile course. It’s marked by orange & green flagging tape.
• For Loops 2 & 3 you will begin in the same direction as Loop 1, but there will be a place where Loop 2 splits and then merges back. Then the same for Loop 3, you will complete Loop 2 and then go out the same course and split off and merge back again.
• The splits on Loops 2 & 3 are marked with orange only!
•  We will have large signs at the splits and loops to let you know when you are going off Loop 1/back on, etc. From roughly the meadow down, the loop will be the same every lap.

4 MILE

• You will follow the orange/green tape the entire course. You will see signs for “LOOP 2 & 3”, ignore those; they are for the 11-mile runners only.
• If you see orange tape only, you may be on the 11 Mile course as that shows their extension loops.

BOTH

• From the meadow it is nearly all downhill for about 1 mile.
• You do have to go back through the start/finish line to get your race to count.
• If you need to call it quits, the best spot to do so is before MUDSLIDE, a steep climb. EMS will likely be stationed there, and they can assist.
• We will have water at the bottom of MUDSLIDE and at the top at the Meadow.
• If you pull/quit the race you MUST let race staff know. If you do not you will be banned and potentially face fines if EMS/Fire/Search and Rescue must look for you and you’ve failed to communicate with race staff of quitting. 

Cutoff Time

• For the 11-mile runners you must complete your second lap before 11:30AM to begin your third loop.
• 4 Mile Runners if you have not gone through the intersection before Mudslide before 10:15 AM you will be pulled, and we will have EMS escort you back to the start/finish area.

Awards

• Awards will be given shortly after the top three 4-mile racers finish. We will follow the same with the 11-mile racers.

GPS

• Your GPS data will likely vary from others, as well as ours. We mapped this in person, with multiple GIS/GPX software and this is the closest rounded off numbers we have consistently gotten. If you don’t have exactly these numbers don’t freak out, and don’t be surprised. Enjoy the time in the woods, the challenge, and the goats!

Food/Crews/Water

• We will have some snacks for during and after the run near the start line. These are for the 11-mile runners during the race, and the 4-mile runners afterward. Crew is allowed, swapping packs, shoes, shirts, etc. in the start/finish area of each lap.
• We recommend everyone run with water. We will have coolers, but it is looking to be hot, and this is a demanding course.

Headphones

• We allow headphones after the firsts 4 mins of running (This helps everyone talk and get settled in a bit).
• When you approach any volunteers, please take one headphone out or pause your music so you/them can easily communicate.
• Please take a headphone out or pause when approaching the start/finish before your next lap.

Litter

• If you are caught littering on course, you will be disqualified and banned from our events. We will have a trash can near the start/finish to drop any wrappers, bottles, etc. you need there.

THE GOATS

• The goats will be in the Meadow but may get taken down to the start/finish or back home if they are cranky/hot/etc. before the race ends. Make sure you thank them for coming out on your first lap!

Post-Race

• Hang around Hazard and walk over to the Perry County Fair! This will be taking place inside the park, and you will likely hear a good mix of the action when on a few of the lower mountain trails.

Massive thanks for Perry County Parks, The City of Hazard, Hazard/Perry Co. Tourism, ARH, and all the locals who help make this happen. This event is unique, and still in its infancy, we hope to see everyone again in 2025 and at more of our events.