Rubber ducks took the spotlight away from the elk in Estes Park…if just for the day

Estes Park is a known as the gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park and home of the famous Stanley Hotel. The town has a rustic mountain vibe boasting a village along the Big Thompson River with quaint shops, local fare, and, of course, great views at the foot of the Rockies. And you just never know when you might run into an elk or two. But sometimes you may just run into a rubber duck, or two, instead.

According to its organizers, the annual Estes Park Duck Race, held the first week in May by the Estes Park Rotary Club, has returned over $3 million to local organizations over the past 37 years. There are 60-70 non-profit organizations that participate, and people may “adopt” a duck and specifically designate which non-profit their donation will be directed to.

Along with that, was the Duck Waddle 5k. The 5k went off at 9 a.m. as the festivities of the day got under way.

The course went around Lake Estes, beginning just off to the side of the Estes Park public parking garage, and then counter-clockwise along the Lake Estes Trail (a 3.9 miles loop), finishing at Fisherman’s Hook (the 3.1 mile mark), with a beautiful backdrop of Rocky Mountain National Park.

Each person who signed up to run/walk/walk their dog/push their baby’s carriage automatically “adopted” a duck for the Great Estes Park Duck Race.

The main event, of course, was the big race. The start time was a bit confusing as there was a place online that said the start time was 11 a.m. Then there was another webpage for the Duck Waddle 5k that stated the duck race would begin at 1 p.m. We found out the start time was actually 12 p.m. because we overheard someone along the way as we were walking along the path alongside the Big Thompson River.

Throngs of people were lined up along that path and a lot of people made their way below to sit on the huge rocks on the river bank. Volunteers were along the bank, and wading in the water, with rakes to help push any ducks along that might get caught in the branches or small mini pools created by the rocks in the water.

Thousands of rubber ducks were dropped into the river at the Riverview Bridge and made their way about ½ mile downstream where they were collected by volunteers of the Rotary Club. The leaders were collected and saved for the next “heat” and then the leaders of that heat were put into the final heat at 4 p.m. to determine the grand prize winner.

Hundreds of prizes, donated by local businesses, were given away to the people who adopted the ducks. It was truly a community event that people really got into, dressing in any kind of yellow duck garments, and even full duck costumes. The locals will tell you that it is the big event that kicks off what they call “the season” in Estes Park.

There was also an event “expo” set up next to the Visitors Center and parking garage. There was a stage with musical entertainment, and a number of vendor tables with duck-themed games for people to try, mostly in exchange for listening to their pitch.

As a Jeep Wrangler owner, I took notice that there was a designated section for Jeeps to park. As it turned out, there was a Jeep “show” and a few dozen Jeep owners did, in fact, park in that area. I went to each of the Jeeps and ducked them…and figured that it was all a part of the “duck theme” of the day. Apparently, the Jeep show was more of a promotion for a local Jeep dealership.

The Great Estes Park Duck Race, for me, was a great event to see, as I view it as a long-time fundraiser, and also as someone who values community. I think the organizers did a phenomenal job and I commend them for the execution of such a huge event.

On the other side, I was perplexed and disappointed to see how seemingly disconnected things were.

It didn’t seem like there was much thought given to the Duck Waddle 5k, it truly appeared as if it were just an afterthought. There were not a lot of people involved, only 112 people took part. There were no water stations along the way, and just seemed a bit disjointed. Although it WAS timed, but it just seemed very “Head out and we’ll see you at the other side” type of thing.

I will say that the bibs and t-shirts were great, but there was no finishers’ medal. It just seemed like it wasn’t a part of the day’s events, it just happened to take place on that day.

The same with the vendors and the stage near the Visitor Center. That too just felt like it didn’t belong. Like there was something missing.

And the highlight of the day…no…we didn’t win a prize….but I DID get ducked!