Brothers Paul and Dennis Vanderheiden have taken their love of running to their wildest dreams - this week's Wild West Relay, a 195-mile running race from Fort Collins to Steamboat Springs.

The popular second-year race has drawn 94 teams from 14 states and one Canadian province.

The Coloradoan recently sat down with Paul, a former Fort Collins resident who currently lives in Englewood and is a race director, and Dennis, a Fort Collins resident who has helped his brother organize the race as well as serving as captain of last year's winning team, to figure out how you dream up a race that winds through three national forests and two states.

Let's get this out of the way right now. Who's the better runner?

Paul: Let me put it this way, he's finally beaten my last PR. He beat my marathon time by a minute, which had I not had to stop and pee he wouldn't have beaten it.

Dennis: Yeah, but I ran mine in the oppressive heat and humidity at Myrtle Beach. S.C.

Best running story about your brother?

Dennis: That's easy. He dared me to do a marathon and so I ran the Mile High Marathon and then he left me there by myself and he went and did a marathon in Chicago.

Paul: We ran the Race for the Cure in Denver and to this day Dennis complains that the only reason I beat him was because he ate some of my whole wheat waffles.

When did the light go on for the Wild West Relay?

Paul: I did a relay in 2003 and I was very disappointed with their customer service. I just thought I could do better. Most of my jobs have had to do with customer service. This particular race I did has gotten to the point where I think they feel like they don't have to do squat for the teams. I told them I'd never come back and my impressions was they were fine with that as they felt there were plenty of other teams to fill our spot.

How do you keep the Wild West Relay real?

(Paul) You keep it small. I’ve capped it at 100 teams. Maybe it can handle 150 or 75, we’ll see. You also don’t forget about customer service.

Ever think you could be successful doing your own race?

(Dennis) Paul’s organizational skills are outstanding. Runners appreciate a race organized by a runner. Paul knows what the runners want because it’s what he wanted when he did a race. Also, the race lives up to its name, Wild West Relay, especially when coming out of the Roosevelt National Forest and into the Laramie River Valley.

Is there a trend toward these endurance relay races?

(Paul) There are probably around a dozen around the country where four years ago there were four. I think it will grow. The fun aspect of it is that it’s an adventure race because you’re running all night but you don’t have to be a hardcore and know how to rapel, and kayak and things like that. It’s an adventure race for the normal person.

What was your vision for the race?

(Paul) I knew I wanted it to end in Steamboat and to start in Fort Collins. I wanted it to be scenic, adventurous, rural, challenging and to benefit the communities, which ours does through proceeds going to the United Way 211. This year, we’ll donate more than $15,000. It has worked. I’m blown away by how many people come here to run it from out of state.

How long did it take to map out the course?

(Paul) It took a year between driving the course to figure out the right course then presenting the course to the three national forests that it runs through and finally getting the OK.

How does it compare to the Outward Bound Colorado Relay?

(Dennis) The course is more pastoral than the Colorado Relay; you’re not running along Interstate 70. On this course, you can be running down the road at night with flashlight and see the reflection in the cows’ eyes.

(Paul) The Colorado Relay has singletrack and on those legs you obviously feel like you’re out there. But overall, our relay has more variety in scenery and higher percentage of remoteness.

Toughest leg of the Wild West Relay?

(Dennis) Leg 14. It’s an eight-mile leg up Deadman Hill. It’s tough but the views from the top are phenomenal.

(Paul) Leg 34 is the downhill leg off of Rabbit Ears Pass. It won’t get you breathing that hard but it’s a steep downhill and a leg-pounder.

Strangest thing to happen during the race?

(Paul) The year (2004) we did it as a trial run; we were driving the van toward Woods Landing in the dark and with no moon. It was where I found out what open range meant. We came around this corner and there was a herd of black cows standing in the road. I was glad I was going slowly.

(Dennis) That same year, we stopped at an exchange to rest at 10:30 p.m. We got out sleeping bags to lay down for a while and out of the woods came four ATVs going round and round. We picked up our sleeping bags. We didn’t know if they were going to run us over or if it was a bad B movie and they were going to harass us.

How much do you sleep during the race?

(Dennis) You’re resting your eyes anywhere from two to three hours.
What’s the feeling running in the middle of the night in the middle of nowhere?

(Paul) It’s the best part. I time the event to be close to the full moon as possible. My favorite memory was running my third leg at two in the morning during a full moon and being exhausted. It was surreal.

(Dennis) You’re always on guard for wild animals so it’s always an adventure.

How do you handle the fluid and food intake when you have three legs to run?

(Dennis) I don’t eat much but I drink a lot of water, Gatorade and Cytomax. You have to especially be aware of replenishing your fluids because of the elevation.

(Paul) I eat. I eat sandwiches, pizza, spaghetti, cookies and we stop to eat at restaurants.

(Dennis) He’s a pig.

What hurts most at the finish?

(Dennis) If you don’t win.

(Paul) You get pretty sore all over because of the run, rest, run.
How fun is it to share your love of running with one another?

(Paul) It’s funny, because of all the relays we’ve done together we’ve never been in the same van. One of these days we will. But we’ve traveled to marathons together and it makes your relationship tighter.

Can No Small Feet repeat?

(Dennis) We can but probably won’t. You try to get the best runners, but there are times when you provide opportunities to run with good friends and that’s what we’re doing this year.