BELLEVUE, Neb. – A Nebraska man paddled a hollow pumpkin Saturday 38 miles down the Missouri River.
Duane Hansen of Syracuse, Nebraska spent his 60th birthday breaking this world record. Before Hansen started paddling Saturday, the record was right around 30 miles.
A Facebook post from the City of Bellevue, Nebraska said two city employees were official witnesses to the Guinness World Record.
The post also said Hansen’s hobby is growing large pumpkins, gourds, and other vegetables. He was inspired to go through with this adventure when he saw someone else attempt to beat the record in Ohio.
He put his 846-pound pumpkin in the Missouri River at the Bellevue Public Boat Docks at about 7:30 a.m. He estimated it would take approximately six hours to go from there to Nebraska City.
The approximation was off by a decent amount. Instead of six hours, the journey took about 11. Hansen made it to Nebraska City just after 6:30 p.m.
His wife, family, and friends followed him in a boat in case of an emergency.
