Georgetown County Parks and Recreation challenge residents to join the GOAT herd in 2026

The Georgetown County Parks and Recreation department is challenging local residents to take the Fit GOAT/ Iron GOAT Challenge in 2026 as part of its ongoing efforts to promote health and physical activity outdoors.

Georgetown County’s Outdoor Adventure Trails program, better known as GOAT, closed out last year with strong participation and mileage totals according to TL Staub, the program’s coordinator. “The numbers show huge growth, but more than that, people are really getting into it. They’re hiking, biking, paddling and pushing themselves in ways they didn’t think they could.”

The Fit GOAT and Iron GOAT Challenge is a self-paced challenge where participants hike, walk or run, bike and paddle outside to meet their mileage goals. There are five levels of achievement that individuals can attain over the course of the GOAT “season” which runs from January 1 through October 31, 2026:

Fit GOAT: 200 – 349 miles

Fit GOAT Pro: 350 – 499 miles

Iron GOAT: 500 – 999 miles

Iron GOAT Pro: 1,000 – 1,499 miles

Iron GOAT Elite: 1,500+ miles

The county’s goals for 2026 include growing participation, expanding paddling and hiking opportunities, strengthening partnerships and potentially finding ways to connect GOAT to the county’s employee health initiative. They are also planning to launch a digital tracking platform called Challenge Hound which will allow participants to log miles manually or through their phones, compare progress on a live dashboard and participate in multiple challenges at once.

For more information about the Fit and Iron GOAT Challenge, please email your questions to [email protected].