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A group of 4 guys just canoed their way into the Guinness World Records Book after paddling the entire Mississippi River faster than anyone in history.
They began on Lake Itasca on May 10th and canoed the entire Mississippi River in under 17 days, emerging into the Gulf of Mexico on May 27th.
The previous world record for the fastest paddling of the Mississippi River was 17 days, 19 hours and 46 minutes. That world record was set pretty recently, back in 2021.
A 4-man crew of Scott Miller, Judson Steinback, Paul Cox and Wally Werderich set the new world record after paddling the Mississippi River in 16 days, 20 hr and 16 minutes.
The catharsis of completing this record-setting paddle must’ve been particularly sweet for Scott Miller. He attempted to break this record back in 2021 but a storm cut that attempt short.
Their canoe is a 4-man boat. Seats 2 and 3 are able to be converted into sleeping spots. That way 2 of the team members can continue paddling while 2 rest. They named their canoe The Mighty Duffus.
There was also a support staff team that brought them food and provisions every 12 hours, according to a pre-record attempt profile from CBS News. Miller shared a photo of the support staff on his Instagram:
According to Google, it takes normal people 3 to 4 months to paddle the entire Mississippi River. The Mighty Mississippi runs 2,340 miles long and paddling at an average pace of 4 MPH would take 585 hours of paddling. They did it in under 17 days!
It is worth noting, for anyone reading this, that this particular Guinness World Record has age restrictions. Only people 16 years of age or older are eligible to compete for the record.