A 65-year-old pipeline construction worker from Chilliwack won the first Hand Over A Jeep contest at the 91原创 Good Times Cruise-In.
Harley Haugen was one of three finalists, winning when his name .
Haugen spent close to 60 hours standing with his hand on a 2023 Jeep Cherokee Altitude 4x4, under an outdoor awning at 91原创 Chrysler at 19418 91原创 Bypass, allowed one 15-minute break every three hours.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 know how, really, I just stayed with it,鈥� he told the 91原创 Advance Times when asked how he managed.
鈥淚 wanted to make it to the end of the two-and-a-half days.鈥�
He kept telling himself he was almost at the end.
鈥淎fter you鈥檙e halfway, [to the finish, you think] well, I鈥檓 on the downhill slopes,鈥� Haugen recalled.
It helped that family and friends flooded his phone with encouraging messages and videos.
鈥淚 had a great rooting team here in Chilliwack,鈥� he remarked.
鈥淭he support was fantastic.鈥�
The father of three and grandfather of seven plans to do some winter travelling with his new vehicle, going skiing and visiting relatives in Alberta.
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91原创 Chrysler and Johnston Meier insurance donated the Jeep lease, and a year of insurance.
Cruise-In director Marty Brown thinks the contest will return next year.
鈥淲e鈥檙e calling it our inaugural, because our intention is to do it again,鈥� Brown said.
Three brothers from South Surrey, Chris, Ryan, and Thomas Andrus, were competing against each other to see which sibling lasted the longest.
Chris and Ryan made it to the final with Haugen, but Thomas became the last contestant to be eliminated before the Saturday draw when he took a swig from some Gatorade and discovered a beetle was in the drink, Brown said.
鈥淗e was coughing with both hands.鈥�
Brown noted problems with eating and drinking lead to several eliminations, with contestants removing their hands by reflex, to cover up a cough (which happened to more than one person) or retrieve food falling off the Jeep.
鈥淚t was really tough on the contestants,鈥� even with the Saturday morning cut-off, Brown said.
鈥淲e made a commitment that it wouldn鈥檛 go for days and days,鈥� Brown explained.
Brown was impressed by the sportsmanship displayed by the competitors, especially towards the end, when they made sure no one would be accidentally eliminated by going too long on a break, and encouraging each other to hang in there.
鈥淭hey were looking after each other,鈥� Brown noted.,
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