"By Josh Williams
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MIDTOWN WEST — In New York City, you're never too young for a little stiff competition.
Family members dangled everything from cell phones, to keys and stuffed animals to entice their tots to crawl — and for those with newly-acquired walking skills, stumble — to the end of a 10-foot course during a "Diaper Derby" Friday afternoon sponsored by Nautica.
Oliver Davis, 13 months, eyes firmly focused on a juicy piece of watermelon his dad was holding, beat out about 30 other tots to earn the title of champ.
"This was pretty impressive, he exceeded all our expectations," said proud father Chris Davis, 38, from the Upper East Side.
The champ's dad and mom, Trudy, will both be racing this weekend in the New York City Triathlon, also hosted by Nautica.
"He will definitely be the only one winning this weekend though," the dad added. "We're all in this together. It's brought our whole family together."
The race's runner-up, Ryan Leopard, 1, pulled a stunner of his own during the warm-up period when he stood up and took his first five steps.
"We're so proud of him, we knew he was close to walking!" exclaimed his mother, Melissa Leopard, 31, a West Village resident. "It was also very exciting to see him do so well in the race."
Ryan's dad, Nick Leopard, 30 will be competing in the triathlon on Sunday for the third time.
He said that when he last did the triathlon, which features a 1.5K swim in the Hudson River, he was stung by a jellyfish.
"I'm hoping that Sunday goes a little smoother," Leopard said.
