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After finishing fifth in her inaugural attempt at conquering 3,022-foot Mount Marathon, Seward's Denali Foldager was joined behind the finish line by a legend five years in the making.

Cedar Bourgeois, also traipsing through her hometown, had just captured her fifth consecutive crown in dutifully joining an elite group with just three prior memberships, when she approached Foldager, the pair engaging in a race-oriented conversation.

A moment witnessed by few could be the preface for another legendary tale.

But first, Foldager will have to surpass the champion 16 years her senior.

"Oh, she's going to have it. They're going to have it one day," Bourgeois said of Denali and her twin sister, Rubye, who finished 29th. "Totally. Oh yeah."

With the way she performed on Friday, saying Bourgeois was in view for most of the race, the sky's the limit for this 2008 Seward High School graduate.

"Cedar's amazing right now, and that's awesome to even hear that she thinks I'm good at 18," said Denali, who finished in 1:01.26. "I really hope (to win). If not first, right next to Cedar."

That could be tough, considering Bourgeois is only 32 and finished in a steady 52:11, just more than 10 seconds better than her championship run last summer and about nine minutes ahead of Foldager.

And this year, the snow was more plentiful, the mud just as treacherous and the fog engulfing.

For Bourgeois, though, it was just another walk in the park.

"For me being experienced with the mountain, I just kind of rolled with it," she said. "I think it's easier to not get fazed out by conditions. I mean, that's Mount Marathon, just all these variables, and I've just gotten used to rolling with those better.

"I just seemed more in control than usual. I just felt calmer," Bourgeois added. "I think I'm getting used to this thing and just dealing with emotions better, knowing what's coming up."

Ten years ago, she never would have thought this was possible.

Now how about four more crowns in joining nine-time champion Nina Kemppel?

Not if Foldager has anything to say about it.

"I hope one day I can keep up with Cedar," said Foldager, who with her sister is soon departing to the California State University, Stanislaus for track and cross country but will definitely be returning for the race each summer. "I wanted to be the best rookie and I wanted to get like an hour. I got a 1:01 and I got top five, which is pretty insane. Holy crap."

Even more amazing than her surprising finish was she didn't notice a bloody, 12-inch scrape along her left arm until well after her finish.

"I don't know what that's from," she said while holding her arm. "The only thing that ever hurts is your hands because you always feel your hands."

Speaking of hurting, Rubye took some tumbles of her own in coming across in 1:11.12.

"I ate it the first time, put my leg forward to stop myself," she said. "Then I was talking to Birdman (Brian Stoeker) and Brad and then I rolled and I ate it and then I ate it right in front of the crowd. It was a pretty intense downhill."

Also competing in the women's race for the first time, Rubye said Kemppel phoned her house the night before the race, offering words of wisdom to her and her sister.

"Nina called us last night and was like, 'One of you could do it.' And I'm like, 'Next year,'" Rubye said. "I think we were just trying to survive."

Kemppel's prophesy could be one year early.

"I think we have the motivation because we're all Seward people," she said, "so you just have that extra pep in you."

Kenai's Trish Kopp had no trouble finding any pep, finishing 18th with a time of 1:08.29 in her sixth attempt, having already placed 12th, 14th, 24th and 34th.

"I went down the snow and I just sat on my butt and I actually ran into two ladies," she said with laugh. "They got out of the way. And then I skidded down. But it was fun. It's always fun."

As many say, the fans carried her around the final turn and down the homestretch.

"The road is the hardest part. Once you hit that road your legs just want to buckle because you just pushed them as hard as you can," Kopp said, adding her legs were like dust. "You hit that and the crowd and all your friends are here."

Even more so for Bourgeois and the Foldagers, who could be considered somewhat of local heroes.

"I was just like, 'Man, I just want to be a part of the winning group,'" Denali said in response to Kemppel's comments.

Perhaps next year, just "the winner" will do.

Matthew Carroll can be reached at matthew.carroll@peninsulaclarion.com.