This Nebraska man wanted to celebrate his 60th birthday in a very unique way.
Duane Hansen of Syracuse, Nebraska wanted to beat the current Guinness World Record for the longest journey made by paddling a pumpkin boat.
The previous record was held by Rick Swenson of Minnesota. He paddled a pumpkin boat for 25.6 miles from Minnesota to North Dakota in 2016.
Duane needed a pumpkin. A BIG pumpkin.
Duane learned about the world record when he attended a Giant Pumpkin Growing seminar in 2017.
He loved growing large pumpkins, gourds, and other vegetables as a hobby. He was actually able to grow pumpkins that weighed around 400 to 500 lbs.
Duane wanted to grow one even bigger.
When he was at the seminar, he met a woman who sailed on pumpkin boats. This was it.
Since then, he has been obsessed with breaking the current record. For five years, he worked hard to grow the perfect pumpkin that will hold him while he paddled it on water.
He finally did it.
Duane grew a pumpkin with a circumference of about 146 inches, just enough to hold him. He even named the 800-lb pumpkin boat, S.S. Berta.
Using a trailer, on August 27, 2022, he took S.S. Berta to Bellevue Marina in Bellevue, Nebraska to start his journey.
At 7:30 in the morning, Duane hopped inside his pumpkin boat while his family and friends cheered him on from dry land.
It was gonna be a long day.
Because he wanted this adventure to be recorded and witnessed, Duane dropped by the Mayorโs Office at Bellevue for official witnesses.
He needed official witnesses so his efforts can be recorded by the Guinness Book of World Records.
The Guinness Book of World Records required that at least two non-family members attend and take photos and videos of the event.
Two witnesses from the Mayorโs Office came to help Duane get recorded.
They were very surprised though.
They thought that Duane was going to float the 800-lb pumpkin for 30 miles. The witnesses were shocked when they found out Duane was going to ride in it.
This just got even more exciting.
For Duane, though, it was a more nerve-wracking experience for him during the boat ride.
Apparently, โitโs like riding in a cork.โ
โOnce youโre on the river, that damn thing was so tippy, it was unbelievable,โ Duane shared. โIt was like riding in a cork. You just could tip over at any second. Youโre using your balance the whole time. Iโve never paid so much attention to any one thing in my entire life.โ
Duane wasnโt just attempting to break the record, he was also attempting a record of his own.
He only had to get to 25.7. miles to beat the record. Duane wanted more. He was going to paddle from Bellevue Marina to Riverview Marina in Nebraska City.
It was going to be a total of 38 miles for the whole journey.
Did he do it?
At 2:52 pm, the witnesses from the Mayorโs Office proudly announced that Duane surpassed the old record but he wasnโt done.
He was going to continue paddling 12+ miles to finish his race.
Good news!
Duane finished his 38-mile journey just after 6:30 pm. In eleven hours, Duane Hansen became the record-holder for the โLongest journey by pumpkin boat (paddling).โ
This feat has since been recognized and recorded by the Guinness Book of World Records.
See Duaneโs glory post documenting his journey just below!
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