Teen finds world record bid toy 18 years on
BY
A RUBBER duck which was part of a world record bid 18 years ago has been found by a teenager 423 miles away.
The rogue duck was one of 150,000 released into the River Liffey in Dublin in June 2006 as part of World Duck Race Ireland.
The ducks were supposed to travel a mile from the Millennium Bridge, but several of them escaped into the sea.
And now one has been found on Stronsay in Orkney, Scotland.
Filip Miller, 13, came across the plastic duck while walking his dogs, and mum Marion spotted the telltale writing on the toy.
She said: “The spring tides have been really high recently, and my son was walking the dogs along the shore. He was finding bits and pieces and then he said, ‘There’s a rubber duck’. He put it by the sink, and I had a look at it, and I saw writing on it. We got a bit excited and started googling it.”
Each duck was sponsored, with the first duck to pass under five
RACE bridges being declared the winner, and the winning sponsor was awarded a trip to the US.
Other ducks have been found in Morecambe in Lancashire and the Isle of Wight, and one was even discovered in Sweden in 2016.
Marion added: “It’s special to be able to learn about its journey.”
And Marion has reassured people the duck’s future was safe.
“He’s definitely not going in the bin. I don’t think we’ll keep him in the bath, but we’re definitely going to keep it on the shelf!”
The world record attempt managed to raise money for Our Lady’s Hospital for Sick Children Crumlin, news service RTE reported at the time.
The current record was set in 2009 and involved 205,000 ducks racing down the River Thames.