The (mostly) flat and fast Devil Mountain Run 10K course will give you a chance to really fly! Get ready to set a new PR! Or run/walk the 5K course through downtown Danville. The 5K is perfect for speedsters as well as those just wanting to get out with their dogs and walk. Everyone is welcome.
The 10K will start on Railroad Ave. between Church St. and School St., heading South to San Ramon Valley Blvd, intersecting with the Easy Bay Regional Park Iron Horse Trail. Turning Left onto the Iron Horse Trail, and heading South to Sycamore Valley Rd. Once at Sycamore Valley Road, a jaunt across and onto Camino Ramon will take the runners South to Fostoria Way. Left on Fostoria Way, and Left again onto the Iron Horse Trail, crossing Greenbrook Dr, El Capitan Dr, Paraiso Dr, and Sycamore Valley Rd all the way back to the finish line on the Iron Horse Trail just before it intersects with San Ramon Valley Blvd.
The 5K will start on Railroad Ave between Church St and School St, heading South to Hartz Way. A quick Left on Hartz Way and another Left on Hartz Ave (San Ramon Valley Blvd) will take the runners North along Danville Blvd all the way to Wayne Ave. Left on Wayne, then left onto the Iron Horse Trail (IHT). Runners head South on the IHT all the way to the finish line just before Prospect Ave.
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Nice Trees, Well Done, Hoped for More
Event & Course Description: Devil Mountain Run is a local charity benefit event in the City of Danville. There are other activities, but the main race distances are 5K and … MORE
Event & Course Description: Devil Mountain Run is a local charity benefit event in the City of Danville. There are other activities, but the main race distances are 5K and 10K. I did the latter. The 5K and 10K courses are entirely different, other than a 50-100 yard section at the start. The start was in downtown Danville on Railroad Avenue. 10K runners made their way on streets to the Iron Horse Trail. After a half mile or so on the trail runners went onto Camino Ramon and followed that for a couple of miles into San Ramon. Then runners turned and briefly followed a street that took them to the Iron Horse Trail, following that back to the finish and then another 1/2-3/4 mile back to the start and recovery area.
Camino Ramon parallels I-680 to some degree, but there are usually mature trees on both sides of the street, and the Iron Horse Trail makes its way through residential neighborhoods, with trees on both sides of the trail. It’s not forest-like, but the views, other that at the start, are mostly trees. The surfaces are all paved,about 50% street and 50% paved trail. I’d guess the course is on the order of 30% shade. Early May weather can be warm, though it was quite pleasant in 2018. All in all, sunscreen is a must!
Organization & Production: The information for the race – getting there, parking, course map, and schedule – was fairly complete, though the presentation could be improved. Due to street closures, getting to parking was less than straight forward, and the website information could have been more helpful. There were no signs directing to parking, but I was able to find a lot using Google Maps on my phone. There were plenty of porta-cans between the check-in/recovery area and the start arch.
Bib: The top ~60% of the bib is blue. The border at the bottom of this section is a curvy thin white line, with a section of red at the bottom. In the blue section is the race logo. The bib number is black with a white border and spans both color sections. At the bottom is the logo of the major sponsor, Hoka One One, and the race date.
T-Shirt: The race T-shirt is charcoal gray poly-cotton. At the chest is the race logo in red and white. The left sleeve has the logo of the City of Danville in white, and the right sleeve has the race name in white. The back has sponsors’ logos. It’s pleasant (and soft to the touch) but kind of bland.
Medals: This race, despite its size (nearly 1100 5K and 10K finishers) and having been run since 1978, only gives medals to event winners and those who place in their age group. Age group and event winners receive gift certificates for a free pair of Hoka One One shoes.
Finish & Recovery Area: The recovery area was a municipal parking lot, great for sponsors’ pavilions, but less so for tired sore feet. The food was bagels and bananas, which I passed on (I don’t like bananas – which makes me a runners’ heretic, I guess – and starchy bread didn’t appeal to me).
My Results & Opinion of the Race: It may be that it’s due to my expectations, but I was a bit disappointed. There was nothing about the organization that would hinder someone from getting to the race, and the course was well marked and marshaled. I was NOT thrilled with the finish arch being 1/2-3/4 mile from the recovery area! At that point runners and walkers are tired and footsore. Having the recovery area near the finish arch is not just an organizational convenience! The race Tee is kind of meh, and even charity races of that or larger size usually have custom finishers medals (not catalog medallions with custom printed stickers). Similarly, bagels and bananas are OK, but kind of meh (one charity race I’ve done a couple of times has food from an Indian restaurant/caterer!). I realize SF Bay Area runners are spoiled, but that’s kind of my point. In the context of what is normal in this area, the Devil Mountain Run is kind of lower end or stuck in an earlier era.
So all in all, I’d consider doing the Devil Mountain Run again. It is a register-n-run race, without organizational issues. But I’d consider it on an, “I want to do A race that weekend,” basis rather than, “I WANT to do THAT race again.”
I love this Hometown Race
the town of Danville has hosted the Devil Mountain Race for a number of years, and recently restarted. The name, "Mountain", scares people away, but it is a flat and … MORE
the town of Danville has hosted the Devil Mountain Race for a number of years, and recently restarted. The name, “Mountain”, scares people away, but it is a flat and fast course! the weather is usually good in May, and 2017 was no exception. The 5k and 10k runners start together, so if you want a fast time, be sure to line up in front. this year I was recovering from a marathon, so enjoyed just running around the course. There is a good amount of local vendor support with samples. Danville also has a lot of great places to eat and / or get coffee after the race.
This year had a new race for Dogs with there owners, and it was really cute to watch them run around as well.
Devil Mountain is My Favorite Family 5k
Devil Mountain 5k is a flat, fast road course, that finishes on the Iron Horse Trail. It is a family friendly event, and a relaxed atmosphere. There is nice support … MORE
Devil Mountain 5k is a flat, fast road course, that finishes on the Iron Horse Trail. It is a family friendly event, and a relaxed atmosphere. There is nice support at the race day staging area with vendors providing samples. (Naked Juice and Hint Water among them) If you are looking to run fast, make sure you get right near the front, and you may even need to remind people that they need to move back. This year, the race director even had signs indicating the expected pace, but some slow walkers still want to be right up at the front. I stayed back in the 2nd tier, just enjoying the day. The shirts are good quality, and available as an early-bird incentive, the first 1,000 getting one. Medals are only given to the top 3 i each age group, and this year they looked to be better quality. (I came in 4th, so I may never know…) I will hopefully be back next year!
Good PR course
Really nice flat and fast course perfect for a PR. Medals go only to the top three finishers in age groups. We got tech shirts for signing up. the only … MORE
Really nice flat and fast course perfect for a PR. Medals go only to the top three finishers in age groups. We got tech shirts for signing up. the only refuel food at the end was a table of protein bars. I mostly ran this one for the chance to get a PR and I love finding races that encourage kids to run too.