Devil Dog offers three distance options (100M, 100K, 50K) on a 20ish mile loop in Prince William Forest Park. The elevation gain/loss of 10,500 feet for the 100 Milers is on mostly non-technical trails, however the technical sections while short can be rather annoying. The race organization and volunteer support are top notch.
The race is advertised as a Sneaky Hard course and I can confirm this is the case. If you doubt me, just check out the finish rates for the hundred mile:
My theory on the relatively low finish rates is that they’re caused by a combination of cold weather and the loop format. This year’s weather wasn’t too bad (no rain), however there was some sort of freezing mist/fog thing going on for a number of hours overnight which made it feel much colder than the actual temperatures. The loop format makes it very convenient to quit when you’re not feeling great, which I guarantee is how you’ll feel after 60 or 80 miles.
Hundred Miles In A Day
This was my fourth attempt at this race. It was my fourth time shooting for a sub-24 hour time. It ended up being the fourth time I was about 2 hours slower than this: 25:54 (2021), 26:15 (2023), 25:54 (2024), and 26:05 (2025). In darts, I believe they call this a nice grouping.
I’ve done some experimenting with early race pacing at DD100 over the years on similar fitness/endurance levels. I’ve started somewhat conservatively (2021, 2023), very conservatively (2024), and somewhat aggressively (2025) yet ended up with virtually identical finish times. The weather has been variable with some years better than others. I would say this year’s was a little better than normal (i.e. no rain). Unfortunately, you can’t really conduct a perfect pacing experiment given all the variables at play, however I might just not have a 24 hour race in me on this course. [shrug]
Heading into the race, I spent a ridiculous amount of time trying to decide whether to wear running tights or not. Shorts only are fine for me down to 30 degrees while the temps were supposed to get down to the mid-20s. I’ve finished hundreds in similar temps in just shorts though so was waffling. Then I remembered that finishing hundreds is all about risk mitigation. There are so many variables that go into finishing (fitness, logistics, chaffing, nutrition, hydration, etc., etc.) and success is largely determined by the fewest things possible going wrong. So in every decision that needs to be made, it’s always best to go with the lowest risk option even if that means adding some time to your race. Better to be 30 minutes slow than a DNF. I’ve never been too hot overnight in all the hundreds I’ve done so wore the tights and was happy I did.
Speaking of cold weather. If you’re planning to run this race, spend most of your time trying to figure out how to stay warm out there. Warm = comfortable. Discomfort = DNF. My best advice is two layers on your hands (gloves/mitten combo), hand warmers, and always carry the hottest liquid available in between aid stations (hot bottle trick) as it provides an extra source of external heat until it warms you internally as you drink it.
Brief Notes On Each Loop
Loop 1. I knew I was going out too fast, but it was semi-sustainable so kept rolling with it.
Loop 2. I pulled the plug on my 12 minute pace plan at mile 30 then switched my watch over from showing average pace to time of day. Average pace can become a negative trigger for me (I’m going slower so must be doing worse!), however I find time of day to be a neutral way to track my progress. Interestingly, I can look at my mile splits getting slower without a mental spiral. I don’t know why my brain works this way, I just know that it does. [shrug]
Loop 3. It was going to be dark before I got back around so spent a couple extra minutes at the start/finish getting my electronics sorted.
Loop 4. I had started to get a little chilled part way through the prior loop, however adding my waterproof mittens over my hands ended up warming me up nicely. I swapped my normal running hat for a nice thick winter one at the start here and that paid dividends later on.
Loop 5. I had gotten a little colder as the prior lap progressed so took some extra time here to change out of a damp shirt and swapped jackets. I also added hand warmers at the first aid station. Basically, I “spent” an extra 10-15 minutes to be warm/comfortable. At the end of the day, no one really cares about a finish time. I knew that sub-24 hour was definitely not going to happen so stopped checking my watch for overall progress (i.e. time of morning). As I get to the end of races, counting down miles/time can really put me in a bad headspace so I tried to stay in a timeless zone. I didn’t even want to know how much farther to the next aid station. This worked wonders and I enjoyed the last loop. Or maybe “enjoyed” is more accurate. About 3am, I started getting drowsy and was slightly weaving on the road heading to AS2. This doesn’t normally happen, but recognized that this is a calorie deficit issue so started shoving gummy bears and peanut M&Ms (don’t judge) down my throat like it was my job. And magically, 10 minutes later I’m back to fully awake.
Needless Safety Feature
This is my landmark that tells me I’m getting close to the finish. I can’t tell you how many hours of my life I’ve spent looking for this damn handrail, which has a tendency to move farther away the more loops you do. It’s such a random course feature. I mean, there’s easily a dozen other places along this stretch that would be a better place for it. Why here? Is this the world’s laziest Eagle Scout project? Did someone have some extra lumber and not want to carry it any farther? Are the RDs just messing with us? I would love to know its origin story, however will likely never learn it. If only this was the sole disappointing thing about the DD100.
A truth of ultras though is that they are chocked full of disappointments. Those of us drawn to them though are not ones who look for the easy button. We’re Optimists. Strivers. Dreamers. We reach beyond what we are capable. Success breeds complacency, but disappoint fuels growth. I can’t wait to see what wonderful disappoint awaits me on my return to this race. I bet I can run sub-24 hours.
Phil – I enjoyed sharing some miles together on lap two and gleaning some wisdom from your experience at Devil Dog. As my stomach become questionable late in the race, I adopted your “50 cal/mi” approach and it settled things down for me.
Congrats on another finish!
Karl, congrats on your finish! Glad my advice helped you out.
Great RR Philip.
After my one finish at DD100, I researched it against all the 100 milers in VA. DD has the lowest finisher rate year in, year out, out of all the 100 milers in VA.