Not long after completing his 10-day, 20-hour, 26-minute conquest of 55 Colorado peaks over 14,000 feet high, Ted Keizer said he felt great.

"I was amazed at how well my body held up," Keizer, 28, said Friday. He set a record when he came down Longs Peak at 10:56 p.m. Thursday at the end of a "megamarathon" he began Sept. 4 at 2:30 a.m.

"I feel pretty good," said Keizer. "I could use a shower and a shave."

The feat was not accomplished without a few harrowing experiences: On 20 of the peaks, winds were 30 to 50 knots; on Maroon Bells, a few inches of snow covered an inch-thick layer of ice; on Snowmass Peak, a lightning storm flashed around him.

"When I got to the top of Longs Peak, there was some sort of peace, a heightened experience where everything seemed so crisp and clear," Keizer said.

Two things distinguished Keizer: his support crew and his two-year training regimen, which included marathons and climbing all the peaks earlier in the summer.

The support crew of friends and family drove him around, cooked meals, filled his pack, tended cuts, did laundry and offered constant emotional support.

"All I had to do was hike, eat, sleep and run," Keizer said.

The idea of the run came up about four years ago.

"So many people never dream and never attempt," he said. "Failing or succeeding isn't important in my mind. It's getting out to give it a try."