Legs will be furiously whirling north of the swimming beach at Marion County Lake for the first-ever paddle boat race 10 a.m. Saturday.

“Everybody kept saying we should do paddle boat races,” race co-organizer Maggie Nichols said. “I talked to (lake supervisor) Steve Hudson, and he said, ‘You do it; I’ll back you.’”

Creating a new event has been challenging, but Nichols expects the race to become annual.

“Getting it off the ground the first year is the hardest part,” Nichols said. “The second hardest part is getting enough boats. We’ve been looking for some boats.”

Entry fee will be $10 per boat per race, and boats may be used in multiple races. Entries will be accepted until race time. Prizes will be determined by the number of entries.

Registration forms can be obtained at the lake office. For more information, call Nichols at (620) 382-2663 or Hudson at (620) 382-3240.