"Hilarious And Inspiring": Man In US Sets Guinness World Record For Longest Trip In A Pumpkin Boat

A man in the United States has set a new Guinness World Record for riding 61 kilometres (38 miles) in a giant hollowed-out pumpkin that he grew himself, the BBC reported.  According to a post on the City of Bellevue's Facebook page, Duane Hansen from Nebraska travelled down the Missouri River and broke the record on his 60th birthday on August 27. 

Photos on social media showed Mr Hansen crouched inside the giant squash, which weighed in at 384kg (846lb). He had asked the city officials to serve as witnesses for his record-setting attempt. 

"They say if you stay in your job long enough you might see just about everything and this morning was one of those days!," the Facebook post read. 

Take a look at the images below: 

According to the officials, Mr Hansen set off down the Missouri river around 7:30 in the morning and completed his journey after 6:30pm. His pumpkin vessel had the name SS Berta written on the back and even had a cupholder carved into the hull. 

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The 60-year-old is described in the Facebook post as a "longtime Nebraska resident who enjoys growing large pumpkins, gourds and other vegetables as a hobby". He was inspired to vanquish the previous record after seeing another paddler attempt it. "Seems like a unique if not slightly crazy way to celebrate his 60th birthday, which was yesterday," the caption read. 

Since being shared, several internet users congratulated Mr Hansen for his amazing feat. One user wrote, "This is hilarious and inspiring. This is fantastic!" Another wrote, "That's weirdly awesome, good job!" 

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A third said, "I am so happy that he did this and exceeded his expectations! Wow, that is so awesome. I had to laugh though of a pumpkin boat." "Too funny! What a fun thing to do!! Hope he made it!" commented fourth. 

Meanwhile, according to The Guardian, Mr Hansen broke the previous record for "longest journey by pumpkin boat" held by Rick Swenson, who travelled 41.038km (25.5 miles) in Grand Forks, North Dakota, in 2018.