The New York City Marathon attracts thousands of runners from all over the world. They all have different motivations, backgrounds, and methods of getting ready for the lengthy race. So it’s no surprise that each year there’s a heartwarming story or something interesting that arises from the race. I am sure there are great stories from the 2021 event but none of them are quite like this one. You see, this race is presumably for humans but one runner is from a different species. A feathered and very cute one, actually. Meet Wrinkle, the little duck who stole the show with her incredible running form and tiny red shoes. (Thanks to A.V. Club for bringing this to our attention.)

A video went viral on social media of the white duck running alongside her human counterparts. She’s wearing adorable shoes on her webbed feet and quacking. It is a distraction or intimidation method to steal a higher finishing spot? We weren’t able to get a comment from the source.

But Wrinkle the marathon duck didn’t seem too concerned about winning anyway. She would occasionally stop and take in the epic moment, giving the crowd a chance to cheer for her in awe. This duck has more motivation in her right wing than I do in my whole body right now. What can I say? I’ve been having a lot of no bones days lately.

wrinkle the duck runs in the NYC marathon
Seducktive

Wrinkle’s humans have a lot to say about her. On her social pages, which have the cringy “seducktive” handle, they say she is a speedy adult human child who is still “fast as duck boiiii.” What does that even mean? None of it makes sense. Thankfully, Wrinkle is cool enough on her own merit for us to still dig her anyway. It’s not clear if she finished the marathon but who cares? She’s still the queen of running and a light in this world. What can we say? We love ducks, even if they are cursing at us. Keep up the good work, Wrinkle!