Columbus businessman hopes free banana brightens somebody’s day

Columbus businessman and ultra marathon runner John Teeples has gone bananas — really, he has gone totally bananas this time.

No, it is not because he is running across Georgia in a single weekend or running out of the bottom of the Grand Canyon. This time he is giving away bananas in front of Big Dog Running Co. at the corner of 12^th Street and Broadway.

“Somebody asked me why the other day,” he said on Tuesday. “My response was why not. All it can do is make somebody’s day a little better.”

The concept is fairly new, and so far he has done it three days, giving away a case each time from a specially designed street cart.

“We are getting our feet on the ground with this,” said Teeples, co-owner of Big Dog Running Co. and the Iron Bank Coffee Shop. “There is also a real timing issue in doing this. You don’t want to buy them too soon because you will be giving everybody green bananas, but if you buy them too late you will be giving away brown bananas.”

He is exploring the possibility of taking the cart to area races and giving away the bananas prior to the start of 5k and 10k runs.

“That is most people’s favorite pre-race food, why not?” he asked.

Some people have already tried to poke holes in the idea.

“One person asked me what I would do if the homeless people wanted a banana,” Teeples said. “I said that would be great and I would give them a banana. I sure would like to make their day a little better.”

Teeples said the plan is to do it two or three days a week, mostly in the morning.

This story was originally published April 26, 2016 at 4:24 PM with the headline "Columbus businessman hopes free banana brightens somebody’s day."