HUMOR – Good news for people who like to win stuff: I am unable to participate in the St. George Turkey Trot 5K this year, so the odds of someone besides me winning the grand prize just went up astronomically.
Historically, I have cleaned up at the post-race Turkey Trot raffle. I have won frozen turkeys, $30 worth of Kentucky Fried Chicken, T-shirts, ice cream, you name it.
A few years back I won a pair of running shoes from St. George Running Center, which was the grand prize. I made sure that everyone around me knew about it for a full year afterward because, obviously, it was a pretty big deal. And it was one of the proudest moments in my life.
People still ask about it at parties when I corner them and mention it in my subtle way.
“Have I told you about the time that I was the Grand Prize Winner at the St. George Turkey Trot 5K?” I ask, pointing to my fancy blue running shoes and making intense eye contact.
I am good at reading social cues and can tell when people are anxious to hear my story by how their eyes dart to the door and they slowly inch away from me. People love hearing this story and I love telling it.
If only I had access to some public forum wherein I could share the story of my winning moment for all to enjoy.
Insert intense eye contact here.
I thought you would never ask.
It was a brisk November day in 2011. The smell of cows and runners’ sweat hung in the air as my family and I anxiously watched the Turkey Trot raffle prizes being awarded. I clung to my ticket, chanting my ticket numbers in my head and groaning aloud every time the wrong numbers were read, per raffle custom.
Prize after prize was awarded, but my numbers were not read. The situation became bleak. I began to lose hope. Why do I bother supporting charity? I thought. I never win anything.
Finally, it was time to draw the grand prize-winning ticket. And my numbers were read.
It was surreal. One minute I was just a common person like you, listening to the winning ticket numbers being called, and the next minute I was a Grand Prize Winner, yanking the winning ticket out of my husband’s hand and elbowing my way up to the stage to claim my new running shoes.
The winning raffle ticket might have technically been my husband’s, but in the excitement of the moment it was difficult to say. It all happened so quickly. There were hands holding tickets everywhere. Who is to say that the winning ticket was not in my hand? It was like Shakespeare might have said: “Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some snatch greatness right out of their husband’s hands.”
I am a supporter of the St. George Turkey Trot 5K. Actually, I am a supporter of any event where I can donate $5 and a few cans of food to Dixie Care & Share and walk away with the best story of my life, plus a new pair of shoes.
Everyone should applaud the St. George Turkey Trot.
Insert intense eye contact here.
Please enjoy our photo gallery of this morning’s Turkey Trot.
Click on photo to enlarge it, use your left-right arrow keys to cycle through the gallery.
St. George racing was able to raise 1,047 pounds of food for the Dixie Care & Share at the St. George Turkey Trot 5K fun run, Seegmiller Historical Farm, St. George, Utah, Nov. 16, 2013 | Photo courtesy of Linsley Miller, St. George News
St. George racing was able to raise 1,047 pounds of food for the Dixie Care & Share at the St. George Turkey Trot 5K fun run, Seegmiller Historical Farm, St. George, Utah, Nov. 16, 2013 | Photo courtesy of Linsley Miller, St. George News
Off to trot. St. George Turkey Trot 5K fun run for Dixie Care & Share, Seegmiller Historical Farm, St. George, Utah, Nov. 16, 2013 | Photo by Dave Amodt, St. George News
the Ionel family, including five kids, sign up for the St. George Turkey Trot 5K fun run for Dixie Care & Share, Seegmiller Historical Farm, St. George, Utah, Nov. 16, 2013 | Photo by Dave Amodt, St. George News
St. George Turkey Trot 5K fun run for Dixie Care & Share, Seegmiller Historical Farm, St. George, Utah, Nov. 16, 2013 | Photo by Dave Amodt, St. George News
People received a raffle ticket in exchange for donating three cans of food for Dixie Care & Share. St. George Turkey Trot 5K fun run for Dixie Care & Share, Seegmiller Historical Farm, St. George, Utah, Nov. 16, 2013 | Photo by Dave Amodt, St. George News
St. George Turkey Trot 5K fun run for Dixie Care & Share, Seegmiller Historical Farm, St. George, Utah, Nov. 16, 2013 | Photo by Dave Amodt, St. George News
St. George Turkey Trot 5K fun run for Dixie Care & Share, Seegmiller Historical Farm, St. George, Utah, Nov. 16, 2013 | Photo by Dave Amodt, St. George News
And some walk. St. George Turkey Trot 5K fun run for Dixie Care & Share, Seegmiller Historical Farm, St. George, Utah, Nov. 16, 2013 | Photo by Dave Amodt, St. George News
St. George Turkey Trot 5K fun run for Dixie Care & Share, Seegmiller Historical Farm, St. George, Utah, Nov. 16, 2013 | Photo by Dave Amodt, St. George News
St. George Turkey Trot 5K fun run for Dixie Care & Share, Seegmiller Historical Farm, St. George, Utah, Nov. 16, 2013 | Photo by Dave Amodt, St. George News
St. George racing was able to raise 1,047 pounds of food for the Dixie Care & Share at the St. George Turkey Trot 5K fun run, Seegmiller Historical Farm, St. George, Utah, Nov. 16, 2013 | Photo courtesy of Linsley Miller, St. George News
St. George Turkey Trot 5K fun run for Dixie Care & Share, Seegmiller Historical Farm, St. George, Utah, Nov. 16, 2013 | Photo by Dave Amodt, St. George News
St. George racing was able to raise 1,047 pounds of food for the Dixie Care & Share at the St. George Turkey Trot 5K fun run, Seegmiller Historical Farm, St. George, Utah, Nov. 16, 2013 | Photo courtesy of Linsley Miller, St. George News
Elise Haynes chronicles family life in her blog Haynes Family Yard Sale. Any opinions stated in this column are her own and not necessarily those of St. George News.
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @STGnews
Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2013, all rights reserved.
It was great fun – our first ever 5K walk with our special needs son in wheelchair. We are going to the Run Run Reindeer in Ivins on December 7th.