The first time Denis Cook visited the Wyoming Range, one of the six mountain ranges within the Bridger-Teton National Forest, he was invited by friends who promised, “we won’t see anyone.” And they were right. “We did a 30-mile run and didn’t see another person,” Cook says. “The Wyoming Range is one of the few places left in the country where you get a wilderness-like experience without having to go into wilderness. It is big, lonely country.”
In 2021, about five years after his first run in the range, Cook founded an endurance run in it, the Wyoming Range 100. The point-to-point route follows the iconic Wyoming Range National Recreation Trail at an average elevation of 8,600 and challenges runners with 24,000’ of climbing and descent. There are steep, often switchback-free ascents (and descents), faint trails requiring wayfinding, loose rock, and game trails, and this all happens in grizzly country. (It is mandated that racers carry bear spray, and know how to use it.)
“This is a ‘graduate level’ race,” Cook says. “It reflects the area in which it is, and that is what makes it truly special.” Feedback from racers often runs along the lines of “rugged,” “remote,” “wild,” and “gorgeous.”
“It’s getting a reputation that runners choose it because of where it is,” Cook says. “They’re looking to be in new mountains. I think it is helping folks appreciate that you don’t have to go to one of eight famous national parks to experience truly unique wilderness. The route is wild and the trails can be shit, but that is a core part of the race. This isn’t the Pacific Crest Trail or the Appalachian Trail, it is the Wyoming Trail.”
That written, Cook says that the trails the run includes have improved since 2021. “We’re putting 100 additional pairs of feet on them every year,” he says. “We’re doing trailwork ourselves and an increasing number of runners, either scouting for the race or because they’ve heard of the race, are exploring the range on their own.” Also part of the race is honoring the local community. “We make sure runners understand that we are guests and, yes, they are on public lands, but that doesn’t mean that they have the same relationship to this landscape as a rancher or outfitter who lives, works, and plays here,” Cook says. “We want our racers to experience the landscape and respect the culture of the surrounding communities.”
The 2026 event starts August 7. Learn more about the event here.
Sign up to be a volunteer for the Wyoming Range 100 here.
Dead Friggin’ Last
Proof that Wyoming Range 100 runners are more interested in the experience of the race than in finishing first is an in-progress short film, Dead Friggin’ Last. Created by Wyoming Range 100 founder Denis Cook with the help of Home Range Films, the documentary highlights the leaders, laggards, and landscapes behind the Wyoming Range 100. We’ll update this with a link to a trailer as soon as it is available.
