UKC

My lovely wife did a 50 mile ultra at the weekend, her first and most definitely her last.  Except that this morning she found that all entrants in her race were also entered into a prize draw, with three 'lucky' winners getting a free entry to the 2024 Fellsman.  Her resolve never to do another ultra has lasted less than 36 hours.  Who says these things are addictive?

In reply to Sam W: If you win a class at the OMM you aren't allowed to enter that class again, back in the day I was 2nd at B class, we felt we had dodged a bullet!

In reply to Sam W:

Isn't the usual arc of these things:

• Please shoot me if I ever say I'll enter another ultra
• Well, maybe it wasn't too bad
• I'll just check events out of idle curiosity
• Oooh look at that, I'll just sign up for this double hard bastard 200 mile event with 50,000 feet of ascent

So looking on the positive side of things, you've just saved the entry fee for stage 4 above. 

In reply to Sam W:

Once won a pub quiz where the prize was a gallon of ale. I was driving. 

In reply to George Ormerod:

That "usual arc of things" did make me laugh, spot on!

In reply to Sam W:

Reminds me of a joke about a crap hotel:-

What's first prize in the competition - A night at hotel X.  What's second prize? 2 nights at hotel X

In reply to Sam W:

Too early to know if it's addictive or not. She says "never again" now, but you'll only know if she says the same thing in a few weeks time.

If by that point a "just maybe?" has started to sneak in, she might be hooked

In reply to Sam W:

Years ago I saw a flyer for the Lewis Highland Games. 

One of the prizes was a lorry load of aggregate.

I always imagined some disappointed kid winning that.

In reply to ripper:

A friend with chronic liver disease won a half marathon where the prize was a barrel of ale. However her dad was delighted.

In reply to ablackett:

Was that the one we came 2nd in 2012?

I took it as podium and you move up. Won the 2014 A class by an embarrassing amount so now stuck on Elite; can I use medical exception to drop back down?

There's many stories of esoteric but useful prizes in fell running - toilet role, cling film etc.

Blisco Dash has a bottle of crap lager (the cheapest he can find in Aldi) for 1st, 2 for 2nd and so on. An under 18 came 4th or similar this year, he said "don't give him that it'll put him off beer for life!" There's also a 'fat man' prize (a full case of aforementioned crap lager) - the race organiser always picks on someone who he knows will take the joke. He thought about dropping it due to modern sensibilities but had complaints, so it stays!

In reply to Sam W:

IIRC there was a bit in Big Ron's autobiog about winning a bouldering comp while on a trip to the US. The prize was every boulderer's must-have bit of kit: a portaledge.

In reply to Nic Barber:

Yes, it was, good times, who knew what a bloody hero you were destined to be as I plodded on through mediocrity and still count it as one of my finest results!