Nearly 60,000 Rubber Ducks Dropped Into Chicago River In Annual Race [PHOTOS]

Nearly 60,000 rubber ducks were dropped into the Chicago River for the annual Rubber Ducky Derby.

CHICAGO HOLDS ANNUAL RUBBER DUCKY DERBY

The race is to raise money for the Special Olympics Illinois, and the final duck to cross the finish line wins a new SUV to the sponsor printed on the bottom of the duck. This year, 57,234 sponsors signed up for a duck each. With each duck being adopted for just $5, this year the derby raised about $350,000 for the Special Olympics. The grand prize this year is a brand new 2017 Chevy Equinox, all in the name of charity.

Chicago Cubs catcher Willson Contreras helped out the Special Olympics Illinois team by appearing in an ad for the 2017 Windy City Rubber Ducky Derby. He begins holding a real duck and asks the city if they think they can beat his duck, who he’s been training for a month. Someone comes in and swaps the bird for a rubber version, and Contreras starts again. “Hey Chicago, you think you have what it takes to race my duck?”

Jose Moreno with the WINNING #ChiDuckyDerby Duck! ?

A post shared by Special Olympics Illinois (@specialolympicsillinois) on Aug 3, 2017 at 11:37am PDT