EUREKA -- He said he lost a lot of sleep and about 10 pounds during a frenzied week of signature gathering, but Darin Price appears to be the North Coast's only candidate in the big, wild race for governor.

The Humboldt State University chemistry lecturer submitted about 123 of 150 needed signatures to the county Elections Office on Saturday, with more en route from other parts of the state. Price needed 150 signatures to skip paying the $3,500 filing fee.

County Elections Manager Lindsey McWilliams said while Price appears to have qualified, his candidacy won't become official until the signatures are verified by the Secretary of State's Office later this week. Price is running as a Natural Law party candidate. Should he fall short of the required signatures, the state will charge Price roughly $23 per signature to make up the difference. Price submitted a blank check along with the signatures on Saturday.

On Monday, an exhausted Price said he was catching his breath. Over the past week, he estimated he shook hands with as many as 700 people, averaged about two to three hours sleep per night, ate "maybe one or two lunches" and lost 10 pounds.

"It's really made me start honing in on my message," said Price, who staged an unlikely five-day campaign to gather the needed signatures.

Since there are only 73 registered Natural Law party candidates in Humboldt County, Price had to persuade people to switch to his party to sign petitions. He estimated he added more than 100 new people to his party.

The governor's race, which could include more than 200 certified candidates, is shaping up to be one of the strangest political episodes in the state's history. Price, though an admitted long shot, said such extraordinary circumstances could play into his favor. No matter what happens, he's hoping his candidacy will at least draw more attention to the geographically isolated North Coast.

"I thought getting on the ballot was a long shot," Price said. "But like I said to someone else, the odds of winning the lottery are 26 million-to-1 and somebody wins. So who the heck knows what's going to happen?"

Other North Coast would-be gubernatorial candidates won't be on the ballot. Doug Thron, an Arcata nature photographer and Green Party candidate for state Assembly last fall, took out papers late last week to run in the recall race. But Thron did not file the needed signatures in time for Saturday's deadline. No one filed for the race in Del Norte County, and elections officials in Mendocino County reported Monday that two prospective candidates did not make Saturday's deadline.