Speedboat racers ready to thrill crowds ahead of annual Duck Race
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IDAHO FALLS — Speedboats cruising on the water, revving their engines and making sharp turns is a sight you don’t want to miss coming up this weekend!
On Monday, speedboat racers practiced racing on the Snake River ahead of this Saturday’s event prior to the Great Snake River Greenbelt Duck Race. Racers made sure their motors were working properly and their boats were running smoothly.
“I grew up doing the sport. My dad and my uncle used to race back in the 80s and so I have been in these boats ever since I was a little kid. Now I am racing,” said Kenny Manwill, one of the speedboat racers competing Saturday.
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Great Snake River Greenbelt Duck Race. It is put on by the Idaho Falls Rotary Club.
To kick off the day, there will be high-performance boat races from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Manwill from Idaho Falls says he has two different boats. One of them reaches speeds of up to 110 miles per hour. He says he loves racing.
“It’s just a good time and a good show. I mean, where else can you see boats go fast on the water? Just the thrill, the rush, the adrenaline, it’s just something that you can’t beat,” he said.
Organizers say there might be around 12 to 24 boats on Saturday that are racing. The boat racers come from all over the place like Salt Lake City, Boise, and even southern California.
As for the duck race, it has raised more than $5.5 million with matching funds from the city of Idaho Falls since 1991. The money goes directly to improvements for the Greenbelt River Walk.
At every duck race, there are thousands of rubber ducks each with unique identifying numbers. Participants adopt rubber ducks for a small amount of money. The ducks are then dropped into the Snake River for the race. The more ducks you adopt, the better your chance of winning a prize.
Rubber ducks can be adopted online at the Great Snake River Greenbelt Duck Race’s website.
Rubber ducks can also be bought at Idaho Falls Cars and Trucks, any Idaho Central Credit Union in Idaho Falls, Albertsons, Sam’s Club, and the Farmer’s Market. Ducks can also be bought on the day of the event.
The Rotary Club announced two big prizes for this year’s winners. Click here to view those prizes.
There will be events too on Friday ahead of the duck race.
