Storm Contest Winning Entry - Run CrackBerry Gump, Run!!

* News: Storm Contest Winners Press Release just crossed the wire! >> *

Maybe we should have called this the What WON'T CrackBerry Addicts do to win a FREE BlackBerry Storm? contest... Seriously! So far in the What Would You Do for a BlackBerry Storm? Contest we have seen T.J. get inked with a life-size BlackBerry Storm tattoo, a Palm Treo get destroyed by Michael in the most creative of ways, and Priscilla and Lauren hit Time Square on a chilly night to show off their love for BlackBerry, CrackBerry.com and NYC (and of course their wild sides) in a good 'ole chocolate pudding wrestling match. What could be next? How about.... embarrasment and torture??!!!

Out of our over 3,000 entries, a ton of you were willing to push yourself to the limits (beyond the limits?!) and do some pretty sick and embarrassing and tortorous stuff... we're talking things like eating really wonky foods (a few of you were willing to eat your current phone?!), combatting your personal fears (jumping out of planes when it's the last thing you'd ever want to do), or putting a pink tutu or homemade Storm costume on to spread word of the BlackBerry Storm in a crowded place. Think CrackBerry Fear Factor. Our next deserving winner, Kevin Vlk, was a top pick on every one of our judges' shortlists as his entry really summed up all of the above and man oh man, was he ever willing to work hard to earn his BlackBerry Storm:

What would I do for a BlackBerry Storm??? I will run 20 miles, shirtless, around and through downtown Chicago in the middle of November. Nothing but shorts and shoes on. NO SHIRT. Painted on my chest is "CrackBerry.com" and on my back is "I'm running 20 miles to win a BlackBerry Storm from CrackBerry.com!!" I will run by all the major news networks which have sidewalk "peer in" windows so they will see me running on by...I am absolutely bound to get some kind of press coverage on this. And for the BlackBerry Storm. I will have the whole thing videotaped by my brother driving or riding somehow beside me in order to prove this. I am sure a lot of people are willing do some crazy things...but I am willing to go through 20 miles of physical effort (and soreness/pain afterwards) to win one of these things.

Watch the video above! I wish I had more BlackBerry Storms to give away as this entry was truly a FAMILY EFFORT. Not only does Kevin deserve one for being crazy enough to run 20 miles in sub 38 degree weather with no shirt, but his brother Keith ran nearly half the distance in dress shoes chasing after Kevin with a video camera (huge props!), while his other brother Jeff drove the car and picked up Keith from the drop off points Kevin had designated. Even Kevin's parents played a role in this entry from the comfort of their home (you'll see why in the video). And as if planning and executing this To Do wasn't enough, Kevin saved me the trouble of editing and chopped over two hours of footage down to ten minutes of highlights for our youtube purposes. This was one well-planned and executed contest entry!! Awesome job!!

CrackBerry Gump - RUNNING 20 MILES for a BlackBerry Storm!

Date: Sunday, November 9, 2008

Temperature: 38 degrees Farenheit (near the lake it was down to 32 with high winds!)

Start Time: approx 9:30am CST at the Sears Tower

Finish Time: approx 12:45pm CST at Wrigley Field

Total Run Time: 3 hours 14 minutes 48 seconds

Total Distance: 20.01 miles

Running Route: View it on Map My Run >>

Congrats Kevin!! You truly are a deserving winner! Enjoy the bragging rights. Heck, your brother Keith is a deserving winner too just for chasing after you with a video camera for half the distance (Verizon, if you're reading this, send Keith a Storm!! Actually, send the whole family one! The family that CrackBerrys together, Stays Together!). And just an fyi.. I'm posting this on a Thursday morning, spoke to Kevin last night, and he was still sore as all hell basically four days later! The things people will do for a free BlackBerry Storm from CrackBerry.com :-)

We still have five more winning entries left to post before we let the community vote for their favorites! Be sure to check out the previous winning entries on our BlackBerry Storm Contest page and stay tuned for more! Keep the comments friendly folks!!