‘Gourdspeed.’ 60-year-old paddles 38 miles in huge pumpkin to set record, photos show

When Duane Hansen walked into the mayor’s office in Bellevue, Nebraska, asking for volunteers to witness a record-setting feat, officials were initially confused.

Two city employees went along with the unusual request to, of all things, watch a giant pumpkin float down the Missouri River, according to a social media post by the City of Bellevue.

Bellevue is a suburb of Omaha, roughly 8 miles south of the city’s downtown.

But Hansen wasn’t just going to send his prized pumpkin — which weighed in at 846 pounds — down stream by itself. Instead, the gourd enthusiast had hollowed it out so he could ride inside and paddle, photos show.

With a paddle, a life jacket and a camo baseball cap, Hansen climbed aboard the homegrown boat and set off from the docks in Bellevue at 7:30 a.m. on Thursday, Aug. 25. His destination was Nebraska City, 38 miles and an estimated six hours away, the post said.

It was Hansen’s 60th birthday, and he intended to spend the occasion breaking the record for longest distance floated in a pumpkin. Family followed his courageous journey, taking photos and videos, collecting proof to show Guinness World Records after the deed was done.

Many more followed Hansen’s progress online, cheering him on.

“Gourdspeed,” one commenter wrote.

“Squash that record!!!” wrote another.

“They show gold on TV for 8 hours straight, but what we really need is live coverage of this epic journey! Go Duane!” a comment read.

Hansen was prepared for a long and arduous ride on the Mississippi, but it wound up taking even longer than anticipated, city officials said.

At 2:52 p.m., Hansen had traveled 25.5 miles, breaking the pumpkin floating record for distance, city officials said.

But he kept going, finally arriving in Nebraska City around 6:30 p.m., 11 hours after he set sail from Bellevue.

“We are proud that you started this record breaking 38 mile journey in Bellevue and it’s been fun to follow along,” the city said in a post.

As impressive as Hansen’s expedition was, it’s less clear if it will be acknowledged as a new record by Guinness World Records.

Guinness has received an application from Hansen and is in the process of reviewing his journey, a spokesperson told McClatchy News in an email.

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