Dragons are known for breathing fire, but Saturday they showed their competitive side through racing.

The 15th annual Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival, which has become a popular annual event, brought both local residents and people from all over the world Saturday to the Clarks Bridge Park Olympic venue on Lake Lanier.

"We started out with maybe 1,000 folks, and we expect about 6,000 today," said Loren Collins, past president of the Lake Lanier Canoe and Kayak Club. "Especially from last year to this year, we have had a huge growth."

Paddlers competed in slim, 39-foot teakwood or fiberglass "dragon boats" that are built in only a handful of boatyards in Hong Kong. Each boat carries a dragon's head at the prow and a tail at the stem.

Collins said that the sport has taken on a new meaning in the United States.

"A lot of people have gotten involved with it," Collins said. "It is a competitive team sport that people can do in the water, and there are a wide range of abilities that can be accommodated with this sport."

The racing tradition, which began in Hong Kong, started with races in 1976 and has now extended worldwide with many clubs and racing associations in North America, Europe and Asia.

Rosa McGeehin of Grayson and Monica Ealey of Covington were serving as co-captains of The Upholders, a support team for Dragon Boat Atlanta, which supports breast cancer.

McGeehin said that she enjoys being a part of a team with other women who all have the same mission.

Ealey said that she enjoys being with a group of mature women who are still active.

"We have good energy amongst the women, and most importantly, we have a good time, and that is what I love," Ealey said.

Team members of The Upholders ranged in age from 20 to 75.

"We are from all walks of life and all different professions," McGeehin said.

The Upholders were excited after taking first place in one of the races Saturday.

"It is awesome because we just got back from Chattanooga, and we didn't place at all there," McGeehin said.

It was easy to see how big of a deal the Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival was by the number of vendors, participants and spectators who flooded the venue.

"It is a big deal because it is global, "McGeehin said. "Anytime you Google ‘dragon boat' you may be getting a team from Hong Kong or one from New York or Asia or just anywhere."

McGeehin said that the nice thing about the festival is that if you are short of members, other teams will help.

"There is a lot of camaraderie," McGeehin said. "People get along real quickly, and everyone knows what the goal is."

Kathy Cunningham of Cumming and Pixie Gray of Gainesville both Saturday breast cancer survivors who took part. Cunningham, who has been cancer-free for seven years, said that she wanted to spread awareness that there is life after breast cancer.

"This is the silver lining to having breast cancer," Cunningham said. "I never would have known about dragon boating had I never had cancer."

Gray said that kayaking was a natural fit for her.

"I have always been active and athletic, and I want people to see us and understand that this is what breast cancer survivors look like," Gray said.