Buy shoes, win $1M: St. John's couple walks away with Lotto 649 jackpot

Ron Brocklehurst went for a walk and changed his life.

After trekkingaround Quidi Vidi Lake in St. John's, he decided to go to Stavanger Drive and buy a new pair of sneakers. On his way home he stopped into Marie's Mini Mart and bought a lotto 649 ticket.

"The next morning [I] checked the ticket and bingo. A million dollars," Brocklehurst said as he picked up his cheque from the Atlantic Lottery Corporation on Wednesday.

"It took a little while for it to sink in."

Ron's wife, Bonnie, was in the bath when he discovered the good news.

"I said 'What's the commotion, what's going on out there?' and I heard Ron say, 'I think I just won a million dollars.' I didn't believe it, really, right away, but I do now," she said.

"It's really exciting."

The couple has a son and a daughter and plans to "make their life a little bit happier," as well as do some travelling with the winnings, Bonnie Brocklehurst said.

Ron Brocklehurst has a few plans too.

"Well I've got an eight-year-old vehicle that's all duct-taped, so I'm probably going to replace it," he said, adding that his son has been handling the car shopping.

"He's [been] updating me every hour, since last Saturday," Brocklehurst said with a smile.

Marie's Mini Mart, meanwhile, picks up aoneper cent seller's prize.