For eight weeks, Alex Nichols trained restlessly for the Cheyenne Cañon Mountain Race.

The Colorado Springs resident had one goal heading into Sunday’s event, which served as the second qualifier for the Teva U.S. Mountain Running team. He wanted to earn a spot on the national squad by finishing in the top two.

But he fell short, finishing fourth in the 12K race in 48 minutes, 51 seconds. Gunnison’s Tim Parr won in 47:13.

“I’m extremely disappointed,” Nichols said. “I kind of gave up when I realized it wasn’t going to happen and that probably cost me third place. But third place is … there’s just no difference in my mind.”

While it was difficult to find a runner more discouraged than Nichols, it was impossible to find anyone more content than Andrew Benford.

Benford qualified for the national team for the first time with a runner-up finish of 47:38. But it wasn’t how he finished — it was how he got there that made it special.

A senior at the University of Richmond, where he competes in the steeplechase, Benford came to the Springs about five weeks ago and has been staying with a pair of triathletes, free of charge.

“If it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t have a place to stay,” said Benford, 21, who qualified for the junior national team in 2006.

Although he has spent much of his time here alone, Benford felt at home in the days leading up to the race thanks to some familiar faces.

“My brother and my mom and dad, they drove all the way from West Virginia to watch,” he said as his dad recorded him from about 5 feet away. “I went out to eat with them and my friend, Dan Petty, who works at The (Denver) Post, last night. It got my mind off the race and really helped me accomplish what I came to do.”Benford was one of four who qualified for the national team. Parr qualified for the third time after making the team in 2004 and 2005.

On the women’s side, Silverton’s Megan Kimmel (39:23) and Basalt’s Megan Lund (39:28) came in first and second in the 8K race.

“I qualified for the U.S. team in ’08, so I had a huge desire to do it again,” Kimmel said. “It feels great to come out and do well against all of these good runners and know that you’re one of the best in the country.”

The next stop for the four runners is the 25th World Mountain Running Championships on Sept. 6 in Campodolcino, Italy. The full roster for the U.S. team will be announced Saturday.

Alex Nichols, from Colorado Springs, rounded a corner on the trail in the Cheyenne Cañon Mountain Race. Photo by COLE W. EBERLE, THE GAZETTE