A competitor raises his saw after completing the cut.

LAKE PLACID, N.Y. — Greg Hart almost blew it Sunday in the finals of the Men's Tree Topping event, but he's learned over the years to never give up, and it was that attitude that carried him to a gold medal in the ESPN Great Outdoor Games.

Hart, of British Columbia, Canada, stumbled badly at the start of his race against Guy German of Columbus, Neb. By the time he reached the top of the tree, German had already been sawing for about three critical seconds. Hart was worried.

"In that little bit of panic, I tied in as fast as I could at the top of the tree, I dug my spurs into the tree and I just started cutting," he said. "I just poured my guts out."

Hart won in a time of 47.82 seconds. German took the silver in a time of 55.3 seconds.

The tree-topping contest involves climbing up a 65-foot pole with a 10-pound saw. Then the participants must saw through a block of wood that is 12 inches in diameter.

The Tree Topping competition has its origin in the Pacific Northwest, where loggers at the turn of the century, and up until the 1970s, lopped off the tops of trees because the trees were just too large to maneuver when cut at the base.

Hart knows if he can be anywhere close when the cutting begins, he will likely win.

	“	I poured my guts out. ”
		— Greg Hart, Tree Topping gold medalist

"I've been competing against Guy German for the better part of 15 years and I've never had trouble beating him in the sawing. Actually, I haven't had trouble beating any of these guys in the sawing," Hart said.

"It's the climbing they've got me on. I've done a lot of sawing this year and I'm probably in better shape than I've been in for several years. One thing you do when you have a problem like that is you have to make up for it and go."

German said he knew his lead was not safe. Still, he could not have envisioned running a better race — until fatigue set in.

"I saw Greg sawing this morning in the semifinals, and he was so fast through that wood, I knew that I had to have a good lead and a good cut all the way through," German said. "I started to tire about three-quarters of the way through.

"Everything went as good as I could expect, except for tiring a little bit there at the end."

Hart won the silver medal in last year's Great Outdoor Games. He was seeded No. 1 this year. Mike Lee, the defending champion, decided to retire and did not return to this year's games.

Twelve participants were invited to the tree-topping event. The morning preliminary rounds went true to form with all four of the top seeds making it to the semifinals.

	“	I've done a lot of sawing this year and I'm probably in better shape than I've been in for several years. ”
		— Greg Hart

In the consolation bracket, Wade Stewart of British Columbia, Canada, took the bronze. Stewart is probably the fastest climber of the 12 participants. He used that skill to take a good lead on Ed Smith of Eatonville, Wash. Stewart won with a time of 57.23 seconds. Smith finished with a time of 1:01.96.

Hart said doctors told him he should consider giving up the sport some 20 years ago when a fall from a tree tore up his knee. He said he loved the sport too much to listen to them.

He said the Great Outdoor Games brings together the best tree toppers in the world.

"I would say this competition here is by far the most elite," he said. "One of the main reasons is it's an invitational match. They basically pick the top 12 in the world. They're all here."