Manitou Springs runner Peter Maksimow drew a lot of attention on Saturday at the Greenland Trail Races. Maksimow won the 50K race, his first at the distance, in 3 hours, 25 minutes, 12 seconds.

Race results for the 8-mile, 25k and 50k Greenland Trail Races on F...

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Interview Pete Maksimow
Interview Melanie Fryar

Peter Maksimow had never raced a distance longer than a marathon.
His legs reminded him of that on the last lap of the Greenland Trail 50K Saturday at the Greenland Trail Open Space.
"I felt smooth through three laps, and then the last eight miles was definitely a challenge," Maksimow said. "I just tried to get my legs moving. They just didn't want to do anything."

Wearing a fine crust of salt and dust, the Inov8/Colorado Running Company runner cruised through the finishline in 3:25:12, about two minutes off the course record (3:23:11, Justin Ricks, 2008).

"I wanted to do a longer race to see how it went," Maksimow said. "This is a different type of running. After going 25, 30 miles, things don't work any more."

Mark Mobley of Lakewood was second in 3:51:47, while 2010 winner W. Jared Scott finished third.

Melanie Fryar, 30, of Greenwood Village, won the women's race in a course-record time of 4:03:33.

She said the hills get harder with every lap.

"The last lap, I walked on some of the hills," she said. "It's hard, the hills get harder every five or 10 miles."

Fryar was a member of the U.S. 100K team in 2010 (though she was injured and was unable to finish) and hopes to earn a spot on the team again.

She was most pleased with her pace, about 7:51 a mile over 31 miles.

"This is exciting because I feel good," she said. "I wasn't tanked, but I gave a good, solid effort."

Other top Pikes Peak-area finishers in the 50K included Don Solberg of Peyton, who placed seventh in the men's 50K with a time of 4:20.

In the 25K, Todd Murray (Colorado Springs) placed eighth (1:51:29), followed by Duane Roberson in 10th place and Edie Gleason in 12th.

The Boulder Running Company's Melissa Eichers was top woman from the area, placing sixth (33rd overall) in 2:07:05.

"I'm happy with it, but this isn't my kind of running," Eichers said. "I like the mountains. I like altitude. This is flat and my stride is too short."

Race director Derek Griffiths (publisher and owner of Colorado Runner Magazine) said the race, now in it's seventh year, set a record for entries. He increased the cap to 750 and sold it out. There were 733 starters. He said the race has become popular because it's friendly for runners new to ultra running.

"For Colorado, this is by far the easiest ultra," Griffiths said. "It's at 6,900 feet, the terrain is easy. It's a good intro for people who want to see if they can do the distance."