Dottie Hemond acknowledged she could use some bike-related luck. A year ago, she was struck and injured on her bike where she lives in Dunedin, Florida.
Her fortunes turned Saturday at the Mill Race Marathon. At the Finish On Fourth event downtown her name was drawn as one of four winners of a free, $800 bike from Columbus Cycling & Fitness and the Bicycle Station. Finishers of the 5K race by 9:20 a.m. were eligible for the drawing. Hemond was thrilled with her prize.
But she screamed with joy when she left the stage at the event and saw a childhood friend from her Florida home and happily hugged her. She laughed when someone suggested her luck might continue if she bought a lottery ticket.
“I already did,” Hemond said.
Another winner, Trena Phelps of North Vernon, was tickled to win. But she figured she would make her bike a gift to her two daughters, ages 15 and 18. She said this marked the first time she has ever won anything, and affirmed that it certainly was a wonderful experience.
“It’s very exciting,” she said.
The other bike winners were Madeline Prohaska of Columbus and Kourosh Alamsha of Chicago.
