Race Date
The race date for the 2024 Devil Dog Ultras will be December 7-8 in Prince William Forest Park, Triangle, Virginia.
Pre-race
Packet pickup will take place from 1500 to 2000 on Friday at Prince William Forest Park’s Camp 5, aka Camp Remi. Read the 2023 pre-race brief here.
Race day
Can’t make it out on Friday to get your bib and swag? No problem—we’ll have packet pickup beginning at 0400 to 0755 at Camp Remi start/finish. But still: Please make sure to read the pre-race brief here.
The 100 mile and 100k races begin at 0600 (that's 6 a.m., folks) at Prince William Forest Park’s Camp 5, aka Camp Remi. THERE IS NO PARKING AT THE START LINE. Please make sure you and your crew have read the parking instructions in the parking section. The 50k start will at 0800. (8 a.m.) We’ll have a super-fast overview of The Rules before the start, but you can also read them below:
Race rules
Be nice to volunteers, other runners, and crew, and listen to instructions from the race director and aid station captains. If you’re rude, you’ll be disqualified.
Do not transfer your bib to someone else. You must be registered, and you must run with your own bib.
No littering. If you litter we’ll think you’re a terrible person. You’ll also be disqualified.
No alcoholic beverages are allowed in Prince William Forest.
Runners are responsible for the actions of their crew, including children and pets. It is the runner’s responsibility to make sure his or her crew is familiar with the crew instructions.
Your pup is adorable, but he or she isn’t allowed at the Camp Remi start/finish area or Camp Toofy. (Other pets aren’t as cute as dogs, and the rule still applies to them. Bummer.)
Each runner’s number must be displayed on his or her front at all times.
Runners are responsible for checking in at the start and making sure they’re checked in every time they pass through the Camp Gunny, Camp Toofy, and Camp Remi (start/finish) aid stations. It is your responsibility, not the aid station volunteers’, to make sure your number is recorded.
Runners must stay on trail. If you get lost, you must return on foot to the point where you went off-course and complete the race from there. You may not ride a bear, be carried by Sasquatch, or be teleported by aliens to get back to where you went off-course. Doing otherwise will result in disqualification.
Runners for the 100k may have a pacer for loop 3. Runners for the 100-miler may have a pacer for loops 3, 4, and 5. Pacers are not allowed to mule — i.e., carry your stuff — or provide any assistance other than keeping you entertained and safely on trail. Pacers can pick up their runners at Camp Remi and Camp Toofy.
Runners wishing to drop must do so at a manned aid station by surrendering his or her bib to the aid station captain only.
Every runner is required to use his or her own illumination device (preferably a flashlight or head lamp, though the RD may give you a blinky ring) from sundown around 1630 (alright, we'll translate this one too — 4:30 p.m.) to sunup just after 0700.
Each runner must carry a hydration device that can hold at least 12 ounces of liquid. Runners without a pack or handheld will be disqualified.
Changing distances on race day is not permitted. If you signed up for the 100-miler but only complete three loops, you will be considered a DNF. If you signed up for the 100k but run five loops, you’ll be considered a 100K finisher — and insane.
Course
This loop course is primarily single-track trails, with occasional roots, rocks, and brief technical section. There are also spurts of fire road and rolling hills but no substantial climbs. (See photos below.) The first loop for both races is 23 miles, and subsequent loops are 19.5 miles. The 100k will complete three loops, and the 100-miler will complete five. The 50K course will be one full Devil Dog big loop (22.5 miles) plus an additional 9-mile (puppy) loop. Here’s how that smaller loop will work:
You’ll do half of the 100K/100M’s second loop, cutting it across the middle via Taylor Farm Road. At this intersection, you will go right (not left!) and down to the boardwalk where you will rejoin the main loop on the South Valley Trail. From here, you’ll rejoin the longer races and head back to Camp Remi to your 50k finish. You have nine hours to finish.
The course will be well-marked, but here’s a turn sheet or a Garmin track to help.
100 mile/100k Map
50k map - note the right turn on taylor farm road after mile 28
Runners have 20 hours to complete the 100k and 32 hours to complete the 100-miler. The time limit on the 50k is 9 hours. There will also be cutoffs during the race itself — a chart with times is in the aid station section below. Aid station captains have full authority to enforce cutoffs and prohibit any runner they deem medically unfit from continuing onward.
Elevation profile
Pacers
Runners for the 100k may have a pacer for loop 3. Runners for the 100-miler may have a pacer for loops 3, 4, and 5. Pacers are not allowed to mule — i.e., carry your stuff — or provide any assistance other than keeping you entertained and safely on trail.
Drop bags
Drop bags will be transported to the Camp Toofy and Camp Gunny aid stations as well as left at the Camp Remi start/finish. Please put your full name, bib number, and the name on the aid station on the outside of your drop bag(s). Remember that volunteers have to schelp your bags, so don’t bring the steamer trunk that your grandma brought from the Old World. We’re certain you can fit everything you need in a small backpack, duffel, or even a gallon Ziplock bag.
NOTE: We cannot guarantee that drop bags will be collected and returned to Camp Remi until after the cut-off for the 100K, and until 11:30 a.m. on Sunday for the 100-milers. You can collect them at Camp Toofy any time, but you will not be able to collect them from Camp Gunny. Any unclaimed drop bags will not be mailed to runners post-race.
Aid stations
Each loop has three fully stocked aid stations (Camp Remi start/finish, Camp Gunny, Camp Toofy) and three unmanned aid stations (RP Alpha, Bravo, and Charlie) with only water. Crew are permitted at Camp Remi and Camp Toofy only. There’s no crew access at Camp Gunny or the RPs.
At the manned aid stations, we’ll do our best to provide a variety of options for all diets, but if you have specific dietary restrictions or allergies, please be prepared to carry your own food. Note: This is an apricot-free race.
Weather
Northern Virginia provides delightful December weather. Average highs in December are are in the mid- to upper-40s (Fahrenheit), with average lows around 30 — perfect shirtless running weather.
Awards
Awards will be given to the top three in both the male and female categories for all three race distances.
Along with our top finisher awards, we also celebrate all types of finishers—not just the runners who get around the course the quickest. The award categories are listed below.
Awards are split into two categories: finish line and post-race. Finish-line awards will be handed out at—wait for it—the finish line. For post-race awards, volunteers and runners will receive an email asking for nominations in the days following the race. DD HQ will determine the winners, announce the results in an email, and send out your prize via snail mail.
Finish line awards
First 100k finish. Your debut official finish at this distance. If you’ve previously completed a longer distance (100-miler, for example) but have never done a 100k, you are eligible for this award.
First 100-mile finish. Same setup as above, but with more loops.
Besting previous Devil Dog time. Extra high-five if you beat your time from the ice year (2016).
Oldest finisher in each race. We hope we still look as good as you do when we’re your age.
Youngest finisher in each race. We’re going to need to see some ID.
First place military retired in each race. Oorah! Carrying a pack for 20-plus years is great training!
First place military active duty in each race. Continuous cycles of MREs in the field have prepared you well. #rockorsomething
Dead f--kin’ last in each race. You were out there longer than anyone else, and for that, we salute you, DFL!
Post-race awards
The Mayo award. The Devil Dog Ultras are all about one team and one goal: Getting everyone across the finish line, safely, while having as much fun as can be packed into each loop. This award, named for Mayo in An Officer and a Gentleman, will go to the runner/crew who went out of his or her way to help someone else on the course. Maybe that’s lending someone headlamp batteries and a fresh pair of socks. Maybe it’s putting your time goal on the back burner to pace someone who’s struggling into the next aid station. If a fellow runner helps you during the race, make sure to get his or her name (or bib number) so you can submit them for this award. Still confused about the Mayo name? Watch this.
Best crew/pacing team. Over the past three years, DD HQ has been beyond impressed by the spirit and ingenuity of pacers and crew. So we want to celebrate the people you talked (or kidnapped) into skipping sleep and warmth and vegetables for a weekend to help you get dizzy in the woods. Maybe it’s the crew that helps a dozen other runners in addition to their own. Maybe it’s a pacer whose runner drops but goes out to pace a stranger for another loop. Volunteers will be on the lookout for nominations, but we’ll also ask for your votes in an email after the race.
And, of course, 10-time finishers will receive a puppy.
Lodging
Prince William Forest Park is a short hop off I-95 in Triangle, Virginia. The closest airports include Washington Reagan (DCA), Dulles (IAD), or Richmond (RIC).
Bunk beds will be available at the Camp Remi start line area for $30. Everyone must be checked out by noon on Sunday.
The closest hotel is the Ramada Triangle/Quantico.
One exit north you’ll find a Days Inn, a Holiday Inn, a Sleep Inn, and a Super 8.
We don’t endorse any of these hotels; we just Googled for you.