Welcome to Trout Brook Valley and the 25^th Billygoat Run! Below are a few notes on the event.

Golf Course and Homes: The golf course on the east side of the map, and the homes dotting the perimeter of the map, are out of bounds. These areas are marked with the purple-hatch “out of bounds” symbol, and they cannot be used for route choices. All other areas are fine—they are either open space or we have permission to use the land.

Run in From the Last Control: The run in from the last control (#25) is roughly 200 meters, and is marked with small orange surveying flags. Part of this looks a little funky, because about 50 meters of the route is on a driveway and we don’t usually run on driveways. However, we have permission to use this driveway. Follow the orange flags and they will lead you to the finish chute.

Indistinct/Seasonal Marshes in High Areas: We have some rather odd water features, mostly on the tops of the higher hills in this area (and you’ll be seeing plenty of such high areas today!). Basically, there is almost no topsoil in these areas, and in places where the water has no place to drain, rainwater pools for some days or weeks after a rain. Sometimes there will be foot-deep standing water covering over an acre, and you would swear it’s a permanent pond. A week later the same place will be bone dry, and you would swear there has never been water there. I’ve mapped such places with the indistinct/seasonal marsh symbol, but be forewarned that, especially on the tops of the high hills, these can vary substantially in appearance from one week to the next.

Billygoat Rules, Traditions, and Miscellaneous notes: Finally, a few notes on Billygoat rules and traditions.

Bib Numbers and Control Codes: Bib numbers between 1 and 99 indicate that person’s finish from last year’s Billygoat, and bib numbers for past Head Goats indicate the year that person was Head Goat. Control codes are the initials of hte top finishers from last year—control 1 has the initials of last year’s winner, control 2 has the initials of the 2nd place finisher, and so on.
Controls and Reserve Boxes: There are 25 controls on the course. As usual, you must visit them in order (except for the one control you skip—see below). your punch card has 21 boxes plus 4 reserve boxes. Punch 1-21 in the usual boxes, and use the 4 reserve boxes for 22-25.	[illustration not available]
Following: As always at the Billygoat, following other competitors is explicitly allowed.
Skipped Control: Skip any one control. The choice of which control to skip is up to you. Leave the box for that control empty on your punch card.
Forked control: There will be a forked control somewhere on the course. Both forks are shown on all maps, and it’s your choice which fork to take. Both controls have identical codes and are on identical features, so you can’t tell from the clue sheet which is the forked control. If you’re not familiar with this tradition, the picture to the right might help. Suppose control 5 is the forked control. There will be two control 5’s, and you will visit only one of them (again, the choice of which to go to is up to you).
Saeger Loop: There is a funky and intentional dogleg near a trail about 2/3rds of the way through the course. You’ll be able to see fellow billygoats who are a bit ahead and a bit behind you, so you’ll know who you might be able to catch, and who might be interested in catching you.
Water and Aid Stations: There are four water stops on the course, two of which (at controls 12 and 19) will have basic food—bananas, cookies, that sort of stuff.
T-Shirt Time Limit: You must finish within 3½ hours to receive a coveted Billygoat t-shirt. This time limit is ruthlessly enforced, so don’t dawdle if you’re getting near the deadline. If you take more than 3½ hours, you’ll still be considered a finisher, but one without a t-shirt.

Acknowledgements: Thanks to Jim Henderson (registrar), Donna Fluegel (meet director), Steve Fluegel (course consulting), Rich Vail (t-shirt design and other artwork), Peter Goodwin (weather), and especially the crucial volunteers Lisa Breton and family, Geoff Connor, Tom Farrell, Marilyn Fetzer, Elizabeth Hebner, Karen Olah, Chris Osborne, Eric Schonenberg, and Janet Tryson.

Have fun!
Rick DeWitt		Head Goat, Billygoat 2003