|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
A longtime tradition for Danville residents and the running community is set to return in full force this weekend, with organizers and attendees looking ahead to warm weather and the return of large gatherings in the wake of a rainy fall and winter and the end of emergency precautions against COVID-19.
Registration is still open for this year’s Devil Mountain Run kicking off in Danville on Sunday (May 7), with organizers anticipating more than 1,000 participants for the first full-scale run following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
The annual race has been a fixture in Danville for more than 40 years, with the inaugural event commencing in 1978 and the fourth race director, Darryll Whaley, starting his tenure in the position last year.
“I’m probably the first race director to not live in Danville, but I think they know me well enough,” Whaley said. “But the Danville Devil Mountain Run, it’s special.”
What makes the run special for runners and Danville residents alike is its function as a community event aimed at providing fun for all ages and activity levels, as well as its long history and influence in the racing world.
“It’s a real downhome, community feel event but it’s got all the bells and whistles of a major production race,” Whaley said.
In its earlier days, Whaley noted that the 10K race at the Devil Mountain Run served as a pre-qualifying run for Bay to Breakers, which traditionally takes place two weeks after the Devil Mountain Run, in the third week of May.
“It was such a popular race back in the day, but more races have come in since the mid ’90s,” Whaley said.
Nonetheless, he said the race had remained popular into the new millennium, with the 2019 event seeing approximately 1,600 participants. That number dropped to approximately 800 for last year’s race however, which was held in September at the start of an especially wet season in the Tri-Valley and beyond.
“After a two-year break we had a lot of people asking us to do the race … and we promptly got rained on,” Whaley said.
However, he noted that organizers and participants had braved the storm for the first run since 2019.
“So that went well, but we’re back to where this race has been for years, and that’s the end of the first week in May,” Whaley said.
In addition to being the first full-scale run during its normal spring time frame since 2019, as well as the first expected to see the return of triple-digit attendance, Whaley noted that this weekend’s race is all the more impactful as a marker of May as Mental Health Awareness Month.
“Health and wellness is just so key in the life of many, and I think so many people unfortunately haven’t paid attention to it,” Whaley said. “Mental health was something that I didn’t really pay attention to, and then COVID made us all pay attention.”
Whaley said that the run’s partnership with Discovery Counseling Center this year, and his interactions with that organization, had made him all the more aware of the need for mental health awareness and support locally.
“Paying attention to our mental health is so underrated,” Whaley said. “It needs more attention and I’m just excited to be alongside an organization like Discovery Counseling that is doing so much for the community.”
While Whaley said it’s standard for races to support good causes as beneficiaries of the events, the beneficiaries and partnerships for the Devil Mountain Run and their role in the community are signature pieces of the event’s tradition.
“I think a lot of races have entities out there that they support, but they are more probably aimed at physical fitness and friends and fun and the environment and the experience (of) a great event,” Whaley said. “Whereas I think this one, it’s kind of got it all. It’s family oriented; it has events for everyone so everyone can be a part of this and know their money is going to a good cause.”
And despite the increasing number of big name races over the years, Whaley said that the Devil Mountain Run was still going strong as one of the longest standing and most beloved events locally.
“Any event in the East Bay that has 1,000 runners is doing something right, so I think it’s about keeping a good reputation and letting people know that their running is for a good reason,” Whaley said.
Whaley also pointed to the support of town officials including the town council and Mayor Robert Storer as critical for the race’s past and continued success.
“I think it’s important to know that the town of Danville really supports this event, and the race directors that put it on are absolutely thankful for the tremendous outpouring of support they give to us,” Whaley said.
One aspect of this support includes several road closures in order to accommodate the race, which Danville town officials announced on Tuesday (May 2) from 4:30 a.m. to noon on May 7.
These consist of Railroad Avenue between San Ramon Valley Boulevard and Prospect Avenue, Hartz Avenue between Hartz Way and Railroad Avenue, Wayne Avenue between Danville Boulevard and the Iron Horse Trail, the southbound lanes of San Ramon Valley Boulevard between Diablo Road and Wayne Avenue, and Camino Ramon and Fostoria Way. A detour is set to go around the southbound lanes of Danville Boulevard via El Portal and La Gonda Way.
The Devil Mountain Run is set to kick off early Sunday morning with the whirlwind of racing and festivities wrapping up by noon. Runners in the 10K event are set to take off at 8 a.m. in front of Lunardi’s on Railroad Avenue in Danville, followed by 5K racers at 8:05 a.m.
The Mile of Truth, which offers six different heats based on gender and age group, has groups set to take off from 9:15 a.m. through 10:05 a.m. The Buddi Love Dog Mile starts at 10:15 a.m. from Railroad and Prospect, followed by the Kids Free Fun Run at 10:30 a.m. from the same intersection.
More information including route maps and registration is available at devilmtnrun.com.
