Joseph D. Grant County Park
Date: (Sun.) Mar. 17, 2024
Location: San Jose, CA
Event Director: 
- 650.941.8251
Course Setters: Tac Sugiyama, Derek Maclean
Type: B; Standard 7 courses, plus a "Silver" option, for beginners through advanced; free introductory instruction for beginners, who are very welcome
Related Event Information
Course Setters’ Notes
By Tac Sugiyama and Derek Maclean
Despite recent storms, the hills are in great shape — soft and green, and not too slippery or muddy.
Courses
As you can see from the relatively smaller numbers of controls, the courses are designed to let you enjoy running, as opposed to crawling, these hills as much as possible with some classical long legs. Having said that, there will certainly be some climb that can be minimized on some legs by route choice.
Course Distance Climb Controls Difficulty
White 2.2 km 30 m 8 Beginner
Yellow 3.1 km 100 m 11 Easy
Orange 3.2 km 110 m 10 Intermediate
Silver 3.0 km 120 m 9 Advanced
Brown 3.6 km 160 m 11 Advanced
Green 4.5 km 170 m 12 Advanced
Red 5.9 km 260 m 11 Advanced
Blue 7.2 km 300 m 13 Advanced
The Start for all the courses will be 750 m (10–15 minutes) from the assembly area. All the courses finish adjacent to the assembly area.
Course Comments
The White course is mostly on trails. The controls are easily seen from the trail, but might require a short off-trail section to reach the marker.
The Yellow course is mainly on, or close to trails, but controls are less visible and require more careful map reading and cross-country travel to find.
The White and Yellow courses cover different areas. So, if you complete White quickly, you might wish to try Yellow as a second course.
The Orange course gets further off trail, and might also be fun to step up to if you are already comfortable on Yellow, or as a second course.
The advanced courses (Silver through Blue) are advanced technical difficulty, with an emphasis on accurate navigation and route choice. The controls are hung as low as possible on the designated feature, consistent with fairness.
As a new trial, we are offering a Silver course option as a shortened version of the Brown course. Both courses are printed on the same map so that you can change your mind and switch to Silver from Brown, or vice versa, during the race. Please make sure to notify the download official if you change from your registered course.
Red and Blue runners will cross a deep ravine and go into steeper terrain. There will be plenty of choices on where to cross the ravine. Please plan your route wisely, as some sections are steep and there are always hints on where it is easier to cross if you read the map carefully. Shoes with good grip are needed for Red and Blue. This is probably not the best day to step up from Green.
There will be one water control on the Silver/Brown, Green, and Red courses, and two water controls on Blue.
Also as a new trial, the maps are printed on locally-sourced waterproof material. Map cases are not required and will not be provided, but you can bring your own if you prefer. We welcome your feedback.
Hazards
You might encounter poison oak on all the courses, in proportion to the distance spent off-trail. It is mainly found near streams and in ravines, but typically easily avoided, as the distinctive leaves are already out and visible. Know what it looks like and take suitable precautions. (See here for information about poison oak.)
There might be cows grazing in the area of the courses, although they have not been present so far this year. Keep your distance when possible, and don’t get between a calf and its mother.
Horses and riders might be encountered, and have precedence over other trail users. Take care not to startle horses, for example when entering or crossing a trail. Slow down, step aside as necessary, and make verbal contact with the rider if appropriate.
Ticks are known to be present in the park. Full leg cover is recommended. Be sure to inspect yourself thoroughly after completing your course(s). (See information here.)
Rattlesnakes might be seen sunning on a rock or trail if the weather is sunny and warm. They avoid human contact, and will normally move away when they sense footfalls nearby.
The ground is soft and runnable with occasional uneven erosion caused by wild boars. You might encounter these wild boars, which are usually harmless and will run away. They mostly hide in dense brush during the day, but there are lots of them, and it is not unusual to see them. They can be startling if they burst out of the brush near you.
Map & Terrain Notes
In areas with lighter tree coverage, the map shows a mixture of small copses (patches of white) and lone trees. A copse might comprise as few as two trees that have a contiguous canopy. Controls on a lone tree will be placed close to the trunk on the indicated side. On advanced courses, controls on a copse might be placed close to the trunk of the tree that is farthest to the side indicated on the description. Small dark-green circles on the map might be prominent lone bushes or small trees.
You might find unmapped animal trails throughout the park, which might indicate easier routes across gullies or fence crossings.
The advanced courses will cross fences, or have route choices that could cross fences. Please use the usual caution when crossing them. Typically it is preferred to roll under the lowest strand. There might also be a choice to pass through a gate. Gates must be left closed, except if they are fastened open.
Longer courses might also have one or more stream crossings. There is currently much less flow than at last year’s event, and the forecast up to the event day currently seems favorable.
There are unmapped large patches of withered tall grass (mainly in the low basin area) that could slightly hinder running speed, but should not affect route choice. Long pants and/or gators are recommended.