Before Anita Ortiz delivered her megadose of inspiration, she showed she was human. She got lost.

But even a wrong turn couldn't stop the 45-year-old high school teacher and mother of four from completing a stunning debut in the Western States Endurance Run.

The Eagle, Colo. runner overcame triple-digit temperatures, 18,090 feet of climbs, 22,970 feet of descents and 100 miles of uncertainty to win the women's title in 18 hours, 24 minutes and 17 seconds.

As Saturday night gave way to Sunday morning, the punishing heat relenting slightly, Ortiz savored what she had done in the 35th annual race from Squaw Valley to Auburn.

"It felt great," Ortiz said while standing on the Placer High School track after finishing her first 100-miler and far exceeding her expectations.

"I didn't think I would (win). I was saying like top seven."

Instead, she beat runner-up Kristin Moehl (19:26:02) of Seattle by more than an hour, with Red Bluff's Beverley Anderson-Abbs third in 19:53:14.

Hal Koerner of Ashland, Ore. won his second consecutive men's title, his 16:24:55 effort beating Japan's Tsuyoshi Kaburaki (16:52:06) and Great Britain's Jez Bragg (16:54:35).

The task of navigating the high country, enduring the scorching canyons, surviving the rolling descent to the American River and climbing to the finish became more difficult when temperatures along the course climbed into the 100s.

Only 238 of the 399 starters finished the race before the 30-hour cutoff, which came at 11 a.m. on Sunday and provided the usual last-minute drama of back-of-the-packers trying to earn a brass buckle.

But it was Ortiz who provided perhaps the biggest motivation, recording the fifth-fastest women's time in race history despite making a wrong turn after crossing the American River and climbing to the Green Gate aid station at mile 79.8.

"We went down on private property," said Ortiz, who was accompanied by her pacer. "We went all the way down to the bottom.

"There was a guy standing there. We said, 'Is this the right way? He said, 'No, you've got to go all the way back up.'"

Ortiz estimated she lost 20 minutes on the misadventure, and had to expend extra energy climbing back to the trail.

"You think, 'How much effort did you put in to get back up? How close are they?'"

Not close enough, although Anderson-Abbs, also 45, ran with Ortiz until reaching Michigan Bluff 55.7 miles into the race.

"At one point I was going, 'Yeah, the 45-year-old ladies are kicking butt,'" said Ortiz, who teaches computer and media classes.

Gold River's Mark Lantz, 43, who finished ninth in the men's race in 18:45:55, just behind training partner Erik Skaden of Folsom's 18:22:44 eighth-place finish, saw Ortiz throughout the race before she pulled away in the later stages.

"She is incredible," Lantz said. "I was shocked she would maintain the pace ... An amazing, amazing run.

"I was really surprised she was able to withstand the heat like she did."

Ortiz said she kept putting ice in her cap and laid in every water crossing to cool off. She didn't let herself believe she would win until she stepped onto the Placer High track for the final 300 yards.

"I'm a believer in not feeling it until it happens," she said. "I hit the track, I said, 'OK, I can do this.'"

How does Ortiz juggle work, parenting and training?

"I get up really early (4 a.m.)," she said. "Then I go (run) like in the evenings, too."

Her husband, Mike Ortiz, executive director of the Vail Recreation District, said his wife does a great job of juggling work and life with their children -- Amelia, 16; Amanda, 14; and twins David and Acacia, 12.

"They're going 100 miles an hour all the time," he said. "She supports all that, finds time to train, finds time to make dinner and be a great wife.

"That's a lot. It makes me proud."

More inspiration made its annual appearance just before the 11 a.m. cutoff.

Mylinh Nguyen, 50 and from Milpitas, missed the 30-hour mark by seven minutes in her first Western States effort. On Sunday, she crossed the line beaming in 29:52:31.

Give her that buckle.

"I wanted to be the first Vietnamese to finish the race," the electronic technican and mother of four said. "I'm so happy. This is unbelievable."

Folsom's Tim Daly, 49, shared something with Ortiz. This was his first Western States finish, too, with the Sutter Medical Center administrator crossing the line in 29:32:16.

"It was the experience of a lifetime," he said. "You never have a day like this in your life.

"It's been a goal of mine for four years. I did a 50k and a 50-miler and I thought, 'Maybe I can do this.'"

Call The Bee's John Schumacher, (916) 326-5523.