1 min readReturning for her third year, Wrinkle the Duck charmed spectators as she ran alongside New York City marathoners.
In 2021, Wrinkle Five Star aka A Wrinkle in Time: The Time Traveling Duck aka Wrinkle, quacked up nearly 8 million views on TikTok shortly after her debut. Today, there are 13 million views. Her adopted parents, Justin Wood and Joyce Kung of the Justin Wood Circus Variety Show, were training her for parading, they previously told Runner's World.
“She has very good endurance in walking and running,” Kung said. “We just figured [out] a good way to display it.”
Wrinkle wears custom shoes made from a soft, waterproof material, to protect her little duck feet.
Wrinkle knows the importance of fueling (nibbles of zucchini and sips of water from a Paw Patrol cup) and avoiding heavy foods while running (she refused an on-course donut).
We tried to determine how far Wrinkle ran during Sunday’s race; in 2021, it was estimated that she ran about a half-mile with stops. Footage from this year’s race shows her running during the day and after the sun went down at the race’s iconic finish line in Central Park. Requests for an interview with Wrinkle’s parents were not immediately answered.
Heather is the former food and nutrition editor for Runner’s World, the author of The Runner’s World Vegetarian Cookbook, and a nine-time marathoner with a best of 3:23. She’s also proud of her 19:40 5K and 5:33 mile. Heather is an RRCA certified run coach.
