Walking a hundred miles is one thing. Running 100 miles (well, most of it) was at times beautiful, admits Scott Gaiser. Other times it was downright grueling.

Gaiser, 48, an assistant principal at Columbia Falls High School, took second place at the Swan Crest 100 mile race held last weekend. He clocked a time of 26:21 in his first 100-mile race ever.

Gaiser is no stranger to grueling races, however. He's run plenty of Ironman Triathlon events, which include a marathon, a 2.4 mile swim and a 112-mile bike ride.

Still, he admits, this race was a different animal. Not only was it 100 miles, it had a whopping 23,000 feet of elevation gain and 24,000 feet of elevation loss as it went from the town of Swan Lake to rural Columbia Falls, primarily along Alpine Trail No. 7, with a detour around the Jewel Basin Hiking Area.

Despite the distance, Gaiser said he didn't have any physical problems.

"I never got sick or anything," he said.

He also never stopped to rest, save for pauses at aide stations for water and food.

But the race was not without its challenges. One section had stinging nettles that were over his head. Another section had a slew of downed trees.

Things definitely got tough, especially after the first initial 25 miles or so.

"'Wow, this is harsh,'" Gaiser said he thought to himself. But the night went quickly, he said.

The race drew controversy because a local environmental group claimed the race would disturb grizzly bears. Gaiser said he saw no bears but he did see a big track and plenty of scat. The wildlife he saw consisted mainly of grouse.

Gaiser said he saw the sun rise on one side of the Swans and set on the other.

"It was beautiful. What a blessing to be able to do this," he said.

Recuperating from the race took a good day. It was tough getting up and down the stairs, but by Monday he was outdoors cutting wood at his rural Kalispell home.

It will be a while before Gaiser starts training for another race he admits, but he's definitely going to try another 100-mile race.

Dan Barger, 44, of Cali-fornia, won the race with a time of 24:34 minutes. Twenty racers out of the 44 who started finished the race.

Overall Results

1. Dan Barger, Calif., 24:34; 2. Scott Gaiser, Mont., 26:21; 3. Justin Yates, Mont., 27:18; 4. Tom Stroh, Wash., 27:39; 5. Eva Pastalkova, Va., 28:03; 6. Jody Aslett, Idaho, 28:47; 7. Tom Hayes, Mont., 31:08; 8. John W. Hart, Mont., 31:18; 9. Jay Dobrowalski, Calif., 31:18; 10. Steve Ansell, Calif., 31:34; 11. Liz Bauer, 33:05; 12. Scott Brockmeier, Ga., 33:05; 13. Beat Jegerlehner, Calif., 34:23; 14. Marc Shomion, Mont., 34:39; 15. Brandon Lott, Wash., 34:48; 16. Jon Burg, Calif., 34:54; 17. Mark Heaphy, Mont., 34:56; 18. Doug Newton, Colo., 35:08; 19. Dennis Aslett, Idaho., 35:27; 20. Tim Marchant, Mont., 35:39