Saturday was one of the luckiest days ever for the executive director of Administrative Resources Association (ADa) in Columbus.
During the Finish on Fourth after-party of the Mill Race Marathon in downtown Columbus, two names – a woman in her 60s from Cincinnati, Ohio, and a man in his 70s from Colfax, Indiana – were called out as the winner of a 2022 white Dodge Ramp pickup truck with a Cummins turbo engine, the top prize for those who completed the marathon or half marathon.
Unfortunately for Jane Rahee and Steven James, they were not at the truck giveaway during the party along Washington Street when their names were announced – a requirement for winning the vehicle.
But when the name of half-marathon contestant and ADa Executive Director Eric Frey of Columbus was named as the winner, cheers rang out from the crowd and Frey sprinted up to the stage.
Frey says he has never had this type of good luck in his life.
“I talked a lot about ‘oh, yeah. Sure. I’m going to win the truck.’ But never did I truly believe it. This is unbelievable,” he said.
Frey, the husband of Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce President Cindy Frey, said he plans to keep the truck. He is currently driving a small company car while his wife drives a Toyota Highlander.
”So this will be my vehicle,” Frey said with a wide smile across his face.
The truck is supplied each year by Leo Portaluppi, owner and president of the Columbus Auto Group. A number of people teased the car dealer earlier in the day, asking when he was going to deliver their free truck.
“Yeah, I’ve heard that more than a few times today,” Portaluppi said with a smile.
But when he did take center stage prior to the announcement of the winner, Portaluppi expressed heartfelt appreciation to Cummins Inc. for partnering with his company to make the truck giveaway possible at the marathon each year.
“This is such a great event, and there are a lot of great things happening because of the Mill Race Marathon,” Portaluppi told the crowd.
And the participants in the marathon’s 5K race were not left out from a chance to win prizes. In a drawing, four runners received new bicycles provided by Columbus Cycling & Fitness and the Bicycle Station. Each bicycle is valued at $500.
The winners were Zoe Torres-Martinez, April Abney, Upendrey Deshmukh and Kelly Benjamin.
Bike winners
Four winners of new bicycles were announced Saturday morning during the Mill Race Marathon. Provided by Columbus Cycling & Fitness and the Bicycle Station, each bicycle is valued at $500.
The winners were:
Zoe Torres-Martinez
April Abney
Upendrey Deshmukh
Kelly Benjamin
