But Jared Campbell managed to rewrite the final chapter of the historic 2010 Hardrock on Saturday morning in Silverton.
Campbell, a 30-year-old mechanical engineer from Salt Lake City, came from behind in the final 10 miles of the 100-mile race to win his first Hardrock title in six tries.
In the process, Campbell overtook a tiring and cramping Finkel, who had captivated the trail running world by leading the race for more than 50 miles.
Finkel, in a bid to be the first woman to win a major 100-mile trail race, finally slowed as she approached the final aid station at Cunningham Gulch.
Just nine miles from the finish, Campbell eased past Finkel on the last extended uphill of the race. He strided through the final few miles with his wife, Mindy, at his side as a pace runner (pacers are allowed in the Hardrock).
They ran past the Kendall Mountain Ski Area, across Blair Street and down Greene Street with a sheriff's escort, finishing at the Silverton School to a hail of cheers and applause.
Standing in front of the finish-line rock, Campbell first kissed his wife. Then he kissed the rock.
The traditional Hardrock kiss came 27 hours, 18 minutes and 100 miles after Campbell had left Silverton at 6 a.m. Friday.
"It's awesome. I couldn't imagine what this would be like," said Campbell, who finished fourth last year and sixth in 2008.
"The key really is pacing yourself. But it takes a lot of experience to pace yourself ... properly. This is my sixth time doing (the Hardrock), and I think it's taken me six times to figure it out," Campbell said.
He basically spent the entire race near the front, ranging from second place to sixth, enjoying near perfect weather with only a brief hint of precipitation.
But with only Finkel ahead, Campbell surged late in the race.
"I've had a lot of races in the past where I just fell apart in the last 30 miles. But this time, I felt pretty good the whole time," he said.
Finkel, who won her third consecutive women's Hardrock title, soldiered home to finish second overall in 28:32. The time broke her 2008 course record by nearly four hours, even though she was forced to walk the final eight miles of the course because of leg cramps.
She finished to the loudest and longest ovation on the first finishing day of the Hardrock, and she finished with a big, familiar smile.
"My legs cramped up. It's very strange," said the 39-year-old Finkel, who lives in South Fork. "It's never happened to me before.
"It's a bummer of a way to finish, but ... still, it was beautiful out there. The enthusiasm, the support was incredible," said Finkel, who was sixth overall in 2008 and third last year.
Michael Foote, 26, of Missoula, Mont., finished third Saturday as a first-time Hardrock entrant. The former Ohio prep baseball standout, who took to trail running as a student at the University of Montana, kissed the rock after 29 hours and 35 minutes.
"This course is unparalleled. The San Juans are so beautiful," said Foote, who ran his first 100-miler last year. This was his first try at the Hardrock and its 33,000 feet of elevation gain at altitude.
Darcy Africa of Boulder finished fourth in her first Hardrock, the second female finisher in the top four - another Hardrock first.
"That was brutal. It's the race that keeps on giving. There was always another climb, another climb," said the mother of one who was paced part of the way by former Durango High School running standout Dakota Jones. (Jones is coming off a big win in the San Juan 50-mile race in Lake City two weeks ago.)
Nick Pedatella of Boulder finished fifth Saturday, while Aspen's Ted Mahon was sixth, one year after finishing 10th in his Hardrock debut.
Early race leader Scott Jaime from Denver rallied to finish 11th Saturday.
Durango's Brett Gosney was among the early finishers. Gosney, 51, finished 13th.
Runners will continue on the Hardrock course until the 48-hour cutoff at 6 a.m. today.
Race finish times are available at the Hardrock 100 website at www.hardrock100.com.
A maximum field of 140 runners started Friday morning.
The top finishers Saturday all heralded the victory by the popular Campbell and the historic challenge by Finkel.
"Jared finished super strong. He totally deserves it," Finkel said.
"Jared was totally due to win this," said defending men's champion Karl Meltzer of Sandy, Utah, who occasionally trains with Campbell.
"He's a good friend, a good runner, and I'm really happy for him," said Meltzer, who entered the 2010 race after suffering a broken arm, a broken collarbone and buised ribs in the last two months.
Still, Meltzer, who has won the Hardrock a record five times, made it through 60 miles before opting out at the Grouse Gulch aid station.
That's the same aid station where Finkel, as the race leader, picked up a big boost midway through.
"I came into the aid station, and they said, 'We've got a pacer coming.' When ... they saw (my bib number), they said, 'You're the first runner, and you're a girl.
"That was a good feeling," Finkel said.
The cheers for Finkel were repeated at every aid station, especially among the female fans and course workers.
"We had our girl power day thing going," said Finkel, who was assisted at aid stations by parents, Paul and Eileen Finkel.
Ben Woodbeck, her partner, paced her for 40 miles Friday and Saturday en route to her clockwise course record. She already owns the counterclockwise mark set last year.
Campbell, for his part, said he enjoyed the challenge of racing with a top talent like Finkel.
"She's awesome. I had a lot of fun chasing her all night," Campbell said, adding that he was not suprised in the least that she was leading the race for 50 miles.
"I have the utmost respect for her. I saw her here last year," Campbell said.
"She's the most amazing person to follow, and if she would have finished in front of me, it would have been just fine."
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