Dressed in running shoes and a wide smile, Raul Valero looked cool and confident – albeit slightly nervous – as he prepared to sprint through the supermarket in CITC’s Woolworths Grocery Grab event yesterday.

Valero, the lucky winner of the challenge, walked away with $1143.10 worth of groceries after racing against the clock in a 60-second shopping dash.

Originally planning to wear sandals, Valero made a last-minute switch to running shoes — the way to go, he said, to avoid tripping while dashing through the aisles.

“I feel very happy but I’m also very nervous,” Valero said before the event. “I feel like there’s a little bit of pressure from my wife to do well.”

“Everyone’s got a strategy, but I think I’ll just grab what I can and hope for the best - and most importantly, just have fun.”

The competition gave Valero one minute to collect Woolworths products and another 60 seconds to grab anything else inside the CITC supermarket.

Despite his pre-race planning, he admitted afterward that his approach quickly changed.

“Strategy went out the window,” he said with a grin.

Valero, who has been living in Rarotonga for a year, is the manager at Nautilus Resort and a proud father of a two-year-old.

Among his haul, he was especially pleased to secure a parenting essential: “I’m pretty happy I got the nappies – they were important.”

On top of his haul, he also received a Woolworths fresh and frozen hamper and a CITC meat hamper, each valued at $250.

CITC brands manager George George said this was the first Grocery Grab event in several years.

He noted that Valero’s choices clearly reflected his expat background.

“If it was our mamas, they’d race straight for the corned beef and mackerel tin fish,” George joked.

He also thanked customers for their enthusiasm and patience during the event and expressed appreciation to Woolworths for their support.

“We’re hoping to have more events like this in the near future,” George added.