04:17 AM ET 09/22/99
Contestants Vying for Pickup Truck
By MEGAN K. STACK=
Associated Press Writer=
LONGVIEW, Texas (AP) _ It's just before 7 a.m. on a chilly
September morning and the 24 people vying for a $15,000 pickup
truck are sizing up the competition.
A mother faces down the twentysomething owner of a snow cone
store. A father-and-daughter duo eye a teacher who was inspired by
a dream to enter the off-beat competition sponsored by a vehicle
dealership.
The Hands on a Hardbody contest is about to begin.
The participants clustered at dawn Tuesday to begin a standing
marathon that will last until mistakes, chilly winds and exhaustion
peel all participants from the steely skin of the truck but one.
The rules are simple: One hand must be laid flat on the truck at
all times. The contestant who holds out longest drives the truck
home.
Day One is by far the easiest. Soon feet will swell, boredom
will sink in and tempers will shorten. Still later, as the
sleepless hours and days roll by, the hallucinations begin.
``You go slowly insane,'' said Vinny Perkins, the 1992 winner.
``Tempers flare, you start talking trash, playing mind games with
each other.''
Most years, a winner is declared after 90-some grueling hours.
Around the gleaming truck, the line between comedy and tragedy is
smudged.
``There are so many aspects to this contest people don't think
about,'' organizer Jan Maynard said. ``It is a real human drama.''
Filmmaker S.R. Bindler thought so. Bindler shot a documentary of
the contest in 1995. Released last summer, ``Hands on a Hardbody''
traces the hilarity and heartbreak of the days-long event.
Last year, one tired woman in a waking hallucination dreamed she
was on her way to a dance club. She wandered away from the truck
and was immediately disqualified.
``I've had them thinking they see snakes, bending over to pick
up tools that aren't there because they dream they're working on a
truck,'' longtime judge Barbara Baggs said.
Each participant is bent on winning the Nissan Frontier, but
everyone has a different theory on how to win, and who the toughest
competitors will be.
``But there are surprises every year,'' Ms. Baggs said. ``You
can't tell by looking at them.''
The diet tends to be spartan and packed with protein: Tuna
straight from the can, thick gobs of peanut butter, bananas. No
caffeine, lots of water.
Every hour, contestants can take six minutes away from the
truck. They dash either to the bathroom inside the dealership or to
makeshift rest stations set up nearby.
Warren Hearne, a state police officer, has been hitting the gym
at dawn to ready himself. Last year, Hearne lost when _ after 56
hours on the truck _ he accidentally used both hands to pull off
his headphones.
This year, his personal trainer looked on while Hearne squirmed,
twisted around and leaned away from the truck to chat with
spectators.
``See?'' trainer Kevin Elder sighs, tapping his forehead. ``No
mental concentration.''
Each contestant has a collection of comforts _ things like lawn
chairs, stocked coolers, blankets, notes from their families.
``This is a vacation for me,'' said Stacy Jimerson, a mother of
two and full-time student. ``I actually get to relax.''
Most of the would-be truck owners already have cars; some say
they'll give the vehicle away if they win.
Not so Mary Edwards. She needs the truck. Her 9-year-old son has
cerebral palsy, his doctors are in Louisiana and she can't fit two
people, a wheelchair and a walker in her compact car.
``They keep saying, `Get a van, get a truck,''' said Ms.
Edwards, who works as a hostess at a local restaurant. ``But I've
been struggling.''
Others say they want to win because, well, they want to win.
``It's really just the prestige,'' Rick Stolz said. He
hesitated, glanced around. ``Um, if you can call it that.''
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