The Wild West Relay--Extraordinary Enterprise and Tremendous Natural Beauty—Rocky Mountain High
This relay is 195 miles of the most spectacular scenery in North America. The Wild West Relay begins at 5,007 feet, reaches 10,290 feet crossing two major passes, including the Continental Divide. Bring family, friends, and teammates, and enjoy the challenge.

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By Skip Cleaver
Posted Monday, 9 May, 2005

The Wild West Relay in Colorado and Wyoming is generating excitement and anticipation—are you ready for some relay running on the rooftop of America? The second annual WWR is a dream come true for those who love running within view of spectacular natural beauty. Isolated roads traversing some of America’s most beautiful US National Forests and purple mountains’ majesty just may be the team event--and the vacation--you have been waiting for.

Relays are the most enjoyable team experiences anywhere. But when that somewhere includes northern Colorado and southern Wyoming—36 legs covering nearly 195 miles in approximately 24 hours—you have a real winner. Running will seem easy; it will be the phenomenal scenery that will take your breath away in this remarkable event.

The Wild West Relay will run on August 19 and 20, Friday and Saturday, starting in Fort Collins, Colorado, and finishing further west in famous Steamboat Springs, Colorado. It will travel generally northwest, cross into Wyoming and the northern most point, then head southwest. Runners will climb over the Continental Divide, and descend to the Yampa River Valley and Steamboat Springs, Colorado. It will be a remarkable journey for either 12-person or 6-person (ultra) teams. Teams will be seeded by pace to insure finish within a narrow timeframe. All are welcome to join if they can maintain an easy average pace of 10 minutes, 30 seconds per mile.

The August (19-20) dates were chosen to coincide with the full moon (August 19), allowing beautiful mountain views even during night hours. Moonlight playing on the majestic slopes will be an experience in itself, although there are only 10 hours and 31 minutes between sunset and sunrise on the 19th. The weather in the Rockies will likely be ideal on these dates. Fort Collins’ average high on August 19 is 84 degrees, with an average low of 55 degrees, and a mean temperature of 69. Steamboat Springs, at higher elevation, has an average high of 80, with an average low of 40—mean temperature for the 20th is 60.

Teams of 12 runners will, of course, have each member run three legs. The shortest is 2.6 miles, and the longest is 10.6. They will average 5.4 miles per leg, or a total of 16.1 miles per team member. The ultra teams will be responsible for twice that distance, but can accomplish the run in two ways: The 6 X 1 Ultra teams will each run one ultra leg of approximately 32 miles. (The longest leg will be 33.8, and the shortest 30.8.) Or the 6 X 6 ultra teams will run the same legs and sequence as 12 person teams, but will be responsible for six legs each.

There will be standard divisions—that is, women’s, men’s, and mixed teams (6 to 11 women), and “open” teams, which is any combination of women and men. These four will be made up of any age combination. There will also be masters’ teams—all members over 40, any combination. And there will be two unusual divisions: The Flatlanders Division (all members live at 2,500 feet or below), and the Hash House Harriers - Red Dress Division. The two Ultra categories will be made up of any age/sex combination.

Legs are graded by difficulty, using designations of easy, moderate, hard, and very hard, depending on distance and elevation gain (or loss). Two thirds of the legs are graded either easy (16) or moderate (8). Seven are listed as hard, with five in the very hard category.

Fort Collins, Colorado
The start for the event is in Fort Collins at the parking lot of the Budweiser Visitor Center, just off Interstate 25 (Exit 271), approximately 65 miles north of Denver and the Denver International Airport. This is on the north side of Fort Collins just west of the interstate, and the city elevation is 5,003 feet.

Fort Collins was exactly that, a fort for US Cavalry, abandoned in the 1860’s. The fort, located on the Cache la Poudre River, was then ceded to the farming community growing up in the area. Early trade was transported on the famous Overland Trail. It is the seat of Larimer County, and is remarkable for many reasons. To the east lies the Short Grass Prairie, Pawnee National Grasslands where there are hundreds of species of wildlife. To the west lies the imperial presence of the Rocky Mountains.

The agricultural community pioneered not only the west, but also irrigation farming. The agricultural school that became Colorado State University was founded in 1879. Fort Collins Museum is well worth a visit, as is the National Parks Visitor Information Center on South College Avenue. Poudre Canyon, just west of the city, offers remarkable scenery.

Fort Collins, known by many as the “Milwaukee west of the Mississippi,” is also home to six microbreweries, including the very popular New Belgium Brewing Company, makers of Fat Tire Amber Ale, and Odell Brewing Company who produce Easy Street Wheat – free tours available. And there are more. Of course, the relay begins in the parking lot of Anheuser Busch where tours are also available. The famous Clydesdales are also stabled here.

Steamboat Springs, Colorado
The finish of the relay will be in beautiful Steamboat Springs, specifically at the Steamboat Middle School Track, at the head of Butcherknife Trail, only 1.5 miles from U.S Route 40. Steamboat Springs is the seat of Routt County, and headquarters for the striking Routt National Forest.

The region of Steamboat Springs was once home to the Ute Indians, but was given its present-day name by French fur trappers. The name had nothing to do with boats on the Yampa River, but more than 100 hot springs and mineral springs created a chugging sound as they spewed water 15 to 20 feet in the air. These visitors thought the rhythmic chugs sounded like a steam engine, and the name stuck. Those springs are still there, and the geologic phenomenon and springs’ medicinal qualities helped make Steamboat Springs famous. Strawberry Park Hot Springs http://www.strawberryhotsprings.com/, opened 365 days of the year - is 7 miles from downtown Steamboat Springs.

Several other factors contributed to the world famous reputation of the region. Gold was discovered in the Yampa valley in 1864, followed by discoveries of silver, lead, copper, and zinc.

But the modern day reputation of Steamboat Springs as a recreational paradise began with Norwegian ski jumper Carl Howelson, the “Flying Norseman”. Howelson began skiing and jumping in the area in 1913, and contributed to its international appeal. He started the Winter Carnival (still going every February) in 1914. Today Steamboat Springs is also home to summer recreation, and to excellent arts and entertainment, including outdoor concerts, theater, and dance. The Tread of the Pioneers Museum and the Yampa Botanic Park should not be missed. Only minutes from town visitors can enjoy the spectacular Fish Creek Falls, a 283-foot cascade.

The last leg of the relay passes Howelson Hill, a ski area named for the famous Norwegian, and one of the oldest in the country. You will also find Howelson Ice Arena, Howelson Rodeo Grounds, and Howelson Parkway.

Former Winter Olympian Billy Kidd is the figurehead/spokesman for the downhill ski area – you can see the ski area from the Core Trail and downtown. Steamboat Springs also has many events -- many are free -- during the summer. Check out the Steamboat Chamber's August Calendar for events. You really should plan to spend a few days following the relay in Steamboat Springs. Take some easy running tours, and simply enjoy all that this beautiful resort city has to offer.

Everything In Between—the Course
Between these two remarkably grand cities lies 193.3 miles of mountains and forest that will keep you in awe along the way. Peaks over 14,000 feet with snow caps, forests of evergreen contrasting with the purple spires, colorful rock formations, and even glaciers in higher terrain. More than one third of the course lies within national forests, and 28% of the miles are on scenic dirt roads. The finish includes a section of the Yampa River Core Trail along the river. Two major mountain passes will be traversed, including Rabbit Ears Pass (at 9,387 feet), the crossing of the Continental Divide. Rabbit Ears Pass, by the way, is pictured on the race logo.

The relay will race north from the Budweiser Tour Center as the teams will start in waves throughout the day, depending on estimated pace. Heading north, then west, the teams will leave all remnants of the city behind. Heading into Owl Canyon, the course turns northwest and climbs toward Red Feather Lakes, a small mountain town that is the second van exchange (all 12-person teams will have two vans, and van exchanges are at relay handoff/exchange points 6, 12, 18, 24, and 30). About 12 miles west of Red Feather Lakes, runners will climb over Sand Creek Pass (10,269 feet) and into Roosevelt National Forest. The Roosevelt and Arapaho National Forests include 1,300,000 acres.

The course meanders down to the Laramie River, and parallels the river northwest into Wyoming. Runners will pass ranches and small communities all along the course, but there are many miles of solitude within an area of magnificent natural beauty.

The northern most point is Woods Landing, Wyoming, along the Laramie River. It is also one of the lowest points west of Fort Collins. Turning southwest toward the Colorado border, the course will enter Medicine Bow National Forest. It will pass through several small mountain towns, including Mountain Home and Wycolo right on the border. The largest town between start and finish is Walden, from which runners will see the ridgeline of the Continental Divide to the west. After leaving Walden and heading southwest, runners will enter Routt National Forest and the final legs before hitting Steamboat Springs.

The climax of the relay will be breaching Rabbit Ears Pass (9,573 feet) and the Continental Divide. If you look carefully, you can see the huge rock formation, which gives the pass its name. Just after the pass there will be a spectacular descent, with Steamboat Springs visible and only 21 miles away. Entering Steamboat Springs, participants will run along the Yampa, and then finish on Butcherknife Trail, which ends at the Middle School, elevation 6,728 feet.

This will be one of the most scenic series of runs you will ever experience. Sharing it with family and friends will make a great experience even better. As you visit the Website you will discover the details of a remarkably well-planned event. You will also discover that registration will close at 200 teams or August 1st, whichever occurs first. Teams will be present from throughout the country, and the camaraderie will be one of the most treasured aspects of this event—both within and without your own team.

The course profile shows a significant series of elevation gains and losses. The emotions over this 24-hour adventure, however, will be all “Rocky Mountain High”. You definitely should give it a try.

Related info:
Event Website

Online Registration

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