Duck racing is great fun for the kids - and for the Duck family, it's destiny

So, I'm interviewing this guy named Robert Duck for a story about the Great American Duck Races returning for a second year at this year's DuPage County Fair.

Wait. Robert Duck? Duck races? What?

I think, how does it happen that one's last name becomes one's profession?

Sure, it's prophetic. But my last name is Hooker, and I think, hmm, that's not the profession I chose.

So why ducks?

Robert Duck laughs long at these deep thoughts - even pauses in our conversation to tell his wife, Kathy, with whom he travels around the country racing Mallard ducks at festivals.

If you can believe it, it just kind of happened, he said, as if it was meant to be.

"If my name would have been Smith or something, I would never have done this," he said. "In my farthest imagination, I could not have imagined doing this."

"This" consists of multiple shows at the DuPage County Fair from today through Sunday that include an educational lesson about ducks, followed by the racing - with human racers selected to release the live ducks into a 16-foot-long racing lane situated on a special pond to determine a winner.

"You cannot watch a duck race without smiling," Duck said. "The little kids who have never been up close to a duck who actually get to hold them - the expression on their face is priceless."

For the Ducks, of New Mexico, their namesake destiny all began with two baby ducks they bought at a feed store in 1980 for the sake of having a pet that shares their last name. Friends teased them into entering the pets into the Great American Duck race in Deming, N.M. One of their ducks placed third in a field of 186 ducks. And from there, a new career was born.

The Ducks became so successful at duck racing - earning more than $50,000 and face time with Johnny Carson and in People Magazine and The Wall Street Journal - that Robert sold his jewelry business and went into the duck business.

And since, business has been quacking like a female duck - strong and loud - with appearances from San Diego to Florida.

As it turns out, ducks don't just normally zoom to the end of the run, Duck said.

"You really have to train them or they would just sit there and float around," Duck said. "It wouldn't really be a race, it would be a mosey."

One of Duck's ducks actually holds the world record in duck racing with a time of 83 one hundredths of a second.

Duck can't divulge his trade secret about how he molds champion racing ducks, though, or he'd have to kill me. I don't want to die over some ducks - even if they're cute. And freakishly fast. So moving on . . .

The Ducks travel with 39 ducks, of which 33 are female and six are male. The feathered ducks travel in a 20-foot air-conditioned trailer from festival to festival. It's a luxury, actually, considering it's more than 100 degrees in their home state.

For those wishing to introduce themselves to the racers, stop by the pen between shows and feed them. Don't worry, they don't require the standard 30 minutes to digest before heading into the water like mom always warned.

While there are other races that take place at the fair, President Jim McGuire said the ducks are the only one where the public can directly participate.

"How many people actually hold a duck and learn a little bit about a duck?" McGuire said. "There are a lot of heats, so a lot of people get to participate. They have a final race at the end, and there are awards and prizes for those who compete. Mostly it's just for education and for fun and for people to have a good time with it."

The races are free to the public with admission to the fair. People are selected at random during the show to race a duck.

Races take place at 1, 3:30, 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. today and Thursday and noon, 1, 3:30, 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. Friday through Sunday.

The DuPage County Fairgrounds are at 2015 W. Manchester Road, Wheaton.

For details, visit dupagecountyfair.com or racingducks.com.