Dennis decided to run the 1984 CIM because he was making a comeback from injuries and illness. Pleased with his 2:14 time and quick recovery, he ran the Houston Marathon a month and a half later in 2:12:50. Although he qualified for the 1988 Trials, Dean continued to struggle with injuries in the mid- to late- 1980s. By 1989 he decided try for another comeback and ran CIM, finishing in 2:19:20, again the top local finisher. Competing for the Aggies Running Club, Dennis went on to run six more CIMs and in 2002 won the masters division in 2:31:32. Dennis says he has always liked the CIM because “it is a downhill course with moderate hills. and it is the best route one could take a marathon through Sacramento County.”

In 1992, Mike Callen introduced Dennis to competitive endurance horseback riding, specifically the event of Ride and Tie (two runners and one horse cover a set distance alternating riding and running). Dennis and his partners have since won the World Ride and Tie Championships three times and Dennis was the lead runner on the only team to have finished the Swanton Pacific 100-mile Ride & Tie for five consecutive years. In 1994 he met his future wife Ellen and her horse Scotty, and they competed in 100-Mile Ride and Tie events from 1996-2000. Of this sport Dennis says “I enjoy the team aspects of R&T and the strategy involved in trying to get two people and a horse to race in the most efficient manner without too many runner or rider mistakes. I also enjoy the challenge of riding a horse and managing a horse through the race.”

Will Dennis return to run the CIM once again? His answer, “I hope to if I can find the time to train for a marathon.”