Alaskan woman wins $300K guessing when ice breaks

NENANA, Alaska (UPI) — An Alaskan woman won $311,652 for guessing the exact date and time a tripod would fall into the water after ice gave way on the Tanana River in Nenana, Alaska.

Anchorage native Patricia Andrew predicted the ice would go out on April 14 at 12:21 a.m. Alaska standard time — making her the only contestant to guess the correct time, officials announced Friday.

“She had no clue,” Cherrie Forness, who runs the Nenana Ice Classic told the Daily News-Miner. “She probably didn’t remember what she put on her ticket.”

People buy tickets for the annual event to guess what day and time a tripod sitting on top of the frozen river will fall into the water as the ice melts. This is the first time since 2013 the Ice Classic had only one winner.

If no one chooses the exact time of the tripod falling into the water, the person who guesses the minute closest to the actual time wins.

This year was the quickest ice breakup since the first content in 1917. The unusual part is that the ice broke up at night rather than under the heat of the sun.

Reporting by Tauren Dyson

United Press International

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