Having conquered the women's field at Seward's Mount Marathon for five consecutive summers, Cedar Bourgeois of Seward branched out in her mountain running career Saturday.

Different mountain, same result.

Bourgeois blazed to a women's course record in Sitka to win the 15th annual Alpine Adventure Run, a seven-mile race that gains 2,500 feet in elevation up Gavin Hill along the Harbor Mountain Rim Trail.

Bourgeois clocked 1 hour, 23 minutes to shatter Andrea Thomas' record of 1:28:37, set in 1997.

Bourgeois, 32, finished seventh overall in a race that is limited to 55 runners by a permit from the U.S. Forest Service. And she clocked her record time despite getting momentarily lost in fog late in the race.

"I was calling out, 'Where do I go?' " Bourgeois said by cell phone. "Some spectators called out, 'It's over here.'

"I was waiting for Gollum to come out. It was so mystical out there."

Meanwhile, six-time Mount Marathon champion Brad Precosky of Anchorage captured his third Alpine Adventure victory, finishing in 1:15:23. He also won the race last year and set the course record of 1:06:47 in 2002.

Runners on Saturday faced the toughest conditions in race history -- rain, hail, wind and fog, and some terrain still covered by winter snow.

"You couldn't see but 100 feet in front of you, and on the snowfields everything looked white,'' Precosky said by cell phone.

"It was the worst conditions I've ever raced in, maybe even trained in," Bourgeois said. "I started laughing."

Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins finished second overall in 1:16:52 and Clint McCool of Anchorage claimed third in 1:18:26.

Emily Buck finished second among women, and 10th overall, in 1:31:18. Emily Bradford took third among women, and 12th overall, in 1:32:05.

Other Anchorage area runners included Ben Ward, who finished fifth (1:19:24) and Matt Kenney, who finished ninth (1:31:10).

About a dozen runners from Southcentral Alaska, most from Anchorage, competed. They presented race director Chris Horan with a plaque in appreciation of her work and hospitality.

"She treats us so great," Precosky said.

15th annual Alpine Adventure Run

Saturday in Sitka

Top 15 and Anchorage runners

1) Brad Precosky (Anchorage), 1:15:23; 2) Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins, 1:16:52; 3) Clint McCool (Anchorage), 1:18:26; 4) Ivan Grutter, 1:19:21; 5) Ben Ward (Anchorage), 1:19:24; 6) Eric Speck, 1:21:09; 7) Cedar Bourgeois, 1:23:00 (women's winner; course record, previous record 1:28:37, Andrea Thomas, 1997); 8) Ben Clark, 1:30:50; 9) Matt Kenney (Anchorage), 1:31:10; 10) Emily Buck, 1:31:18; 11) Craig Powers, 1:31:22; 12) Emily Bradford, 1:32:05; 13) Aaron Routon, 1:32:11; 14) Matthew Hunter, 1:33:08; 15) Scott Robinson, 1:33:13.