Tomorrow morning, at 6am CST, while you and I just getting going in our morning routine, four guys will be boarding a 4-person canoe in the cold, misty, mossy-evergreen air of the Minnesota north woods, and paddling into Lake Itasca, to start downstream 2,300 miles in an attempt to beat the 18-day record for shortest time paddling the length of the Mississippi River!
(PS: You can watch them set off clicking on the Lake Itasca webcam on YouTube)
History:
The first time the record was set was in 1937 when Joe Tagg, Gerald Capers and Charles Saunders paddled from Itasca to New Orleans in 56 days. In 1978, the record was set for a second time by a British Royal Air Force team at 42 days, 5 hours and some minutes. Bob Bradford and Clark Eid set the current record of 18 days, 4 hours and 51 minutes in 2003. There have been at least 3 unsuccessful attempts since then (2014, 2017, 2018).
The Mississippi Speed Record Team
Scott Miller - 45, Minneapolis, Minnesota. Team captain. Paddled from the Twin Cities to Hudson Bay in 2005. Missouri River 340, 4th place, team division (fastest MN IV canoe finish in the history of the race); Great Alabama 650, 3rd place, team division. Joel Ford - 36, Fallston, Maryland. Member of Rootstock Racing, the 2018 US National Championship Adventure Racing Team. Perry Whitaker - 59, St. Louis, Missouri. Twelve time finisher of the Missouri River 340 canoe race. Expert on the St. Louis area of the Mississippi River. Adam Macht - 36, Ely, Minnesota. Wilderness canoeing and camping outfitter and long distance paddler, Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and Quetico Provincial Park.
Scott Miller began planning for the attempt in September 2018. This year’s effort is scheduled to launch from the Headwaters at Lake Itasca on May 4, 2021. In addition to individual daily training, the team has had numerous multi-day training sessions on several sections of the river from Minnesota to Tennessee.
Strategies for Success
Four paddlers, allowing at least 1 paddler to be resting at any given time. In addition, safety support boats will escort the team from St. Paul, Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico and handle communications with barge traffic and commercial vessels, and with Lock and Dam operations.
Follow Along
You can follow the team on their attempt at www.mississippispeedrecord.com or on the Mississippi Speed Record Facebook page.
Below is an approximate schedule of the team’s intended time schedule and locations (will depend on canoe speed, weather conditions, water levels, etc.). You may also click on this link to track the team’s progress and see their exact location once they are underway:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEContact: Todd Foster, team advisor
Phone: (320) 241-6041
Email: mississippispeedrecord@gmail.com
MISSISSIPPI RIVER GUINNESS WORLD RECORD ATTEMPT
Team Aims for New Speed Record for Paddling the Entire 2,300 mile Length of the River
St. Paul, MN – April 28, 2021 – Mississippi Speed Record, a team of four canoeists, will set off from Lake Itasca, Minnesota on Tuesday, May 4 in an attempt to set a new Guinness World Record for the fastest time to paddle the length of the Mississippi River. The original record of 56 days was set in 1937. The current record of 18 days, 4 hours and 51 minutes was set in 2003.
As part of its effort, the team is partnering with the Mississippi River Network to bring attention to challenges facing the river. “Our goal is to set a new record, but our mission is to raise awareness of the need to preserve the Mississippi River Basin,” said Scott Miller, Mississippi Speed Record team captain. “The river is a source of drinking water for 18 million people and provides vital habitat to numerous species of plants, birds, fish and other wildlife. It is a vital source of economic and community activities and an iconic part of America’s history that deserves our protection,” said Kelly McGinnis, Mississippi River Network executive director.
Learn more about the Mississippi Speed Record team and the Guinness World Record attempt by visiting www.mississippispeedrecord.com or the Mississippi Speed Record Facebook page.
The Mississippi River Network is a coalition of 58 non-profit river conservation advocacy organizations located in the 10 states along the river. A list of members and additional information can be found at www.1Mississippi.org.
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Mississippi Speed Record - Overview
The four-paddler Mississippi Speed Record team will be attempting to break the Guinness World Record for the fastest time down the entire 2,300-mile length of the Mississippi River - from Lake Itasca in Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico in Louisiana - in May 2021. The launch of the attempt is planned for the morning of Tuesday, May 4.
The Guinness World Record
The first time the record was set was in 1937 when Joe Tagg, Gerald Capers and Charles Saunders paddled from Itasca to New Orleans in 56 days. In 1978, the record was set for a second time by a British Royal Air Force team at 42 days, 5 hours and some minutes. Bob Bradford and Clark Eid set the current record of 18 days, 4 hours and 51 minutes in 2003. There have been at least 3 unsuccessful attempts since then (2014, 2017, 2018).
The Mississippi Speed Record Team
Scott Miller - 45, Minneapolis, Minnesota. Team captain. Paddled from the Twin Cities to Hudson Bay in 2005. Missouri River 340, 4th place, team division (fastest MN IV canoe finish in the history of the race); Great Alabama 650, 3rd place, team division.
Joel Ford - 36, Fallston, Maryland. Member of Rootstock Racing, the 2018 US National Championship Adventure Racing Team.
Perry Whitaker - 59, St. Louis, Missouri. Twelve time finisher of the Missouri River 340 canoe race. Expert on the St. Louis area of the Mississippi River.
Adam Macht - 36, Ely, Minnesota. Wilderness canoeing and camping outfitter and long distance paddler, Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and Quetico Provincial Park.
The May 2021 Attempt
Scott began planning for the attempt in September 2018. This year’s effort is scheduled to launch from the Headwaters at Lake Itasca on May 4, 2021. In addition to individual daily training, the team has had numerous multi-day training sessions on several sections of the river from Minnesota to Tennessee.
Strategies for Success
Four paddlers, allowing at least 1 paddler to be resting at any given time. In addition, safety support boats will escort the team from St. Paul, Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico and handle communications with barge traffic and commercial vessels, and with Lock and Dam operations.
Below is an approximate schedule of the team’s intended time schedule and locations (will depend on canoe speed, weather conditions, water levels, etc.). You may also click on this link to track the team’s progress and see their exact location once they are underway:
Day 4: Little Falls, St. Cloud, and the Twin Cities
Day 5: Twin Cities, Lake City, MN
Day 6: Winona, MN, LaCrosse, WI
Day 7: Dubuque, IA, Camanche, IA
Day 8: Muscatine, IA, Burlington, IA
Day 9: Hannibal, MO
Day 10: St. Louis, MO
Day 11: Cape Girardeau, MO
Day 12: Ashport, TN
Day 13: Memphis, TN
Day 14: Greenville, MS
Day 15: Natchez, LA
Day 16: Baton Rouge, LA
Day 17: New Orleans and Venice, LA
~~~
History of the World Record
The quest to set the Guinness World Record
People have been setting and breaking the record for fastest paddle down the Mississippi River since 1937. The record is recognized by the Guinness World Records under the title “Fastest Time to Row the Length of the Mississippi River by a Team”. Most of the teams that have set the world record have done so in a canoe, though per the guidelines issued by Guinness a scull, rowing boat, kayak or canoe would be permissible. The first time the record was set was in 1937. Joe Tagg, Gerald Capers and Charles Saunders paddled from Itasca to New Orleans in 56 days.
KJ Millhone and Steve Eckelkamp set the Mississippi canoe record in 1980.
In 1978, the record was set for a second time by a British Royal Air Force team at 42 days, 5 hours and some minutes(1). In 1980, KJ Millhone and Steve Eckelkamp set a new world record at 35 days, 11 hours and 27 minutes.
The record is broken several times
The record was next set in 1984, by famed paddlers Verlen Kruger and Valerie Fons(2). Fons and Kruger’s time was 23 days and 10 hours(3). Bill Perdzock and Mike Schnitzka set it again in 1989 with a time of 23 days, 9 hours and 51 minutes(4). In 2001, Bob Bradford partnered with Verlen Krueger to try and reclaim the record, but various authorities forced them off the river on multiple occasions due to flooding(5), and they just missed setting a new record, paddling the river in 24 days. Bob Bradford made another attempt two years later, paddling with Clark Eid. Bob and Clark set the current world record on May 10-23, 2003: 18 days, 4 hours and 51 minutes(6). Bob and Clark documented their trip at the website: Mississippi River Ultra Marathons for Rett Syndrome (2001) and Rett Syndrome & Leukodystrophy (2003) - Home which continues to be a wealth of information about the history of the record, their attempt, and their efforts to raise awareness of Rett Syndrome and Leukosystrophy. Clark Eid was personally very helpful in sharing information about the history of the record and some of the information from this page is from his website and work. Clark has also been assisting the Tunica Riverpark and Museum in Tunica, MS in expanding their exhibit dedicated to human powered racing on the Mississippi River. His family donated the kayak Double Helixand associated gear from the 2001 Great Mississippi River Race for Rett Syndrome along with items from their 2003 Guinness World Record from the Mississippi River Race for Rett Syndrome and Leukodystrophy. They are also helping the museum by collecting historical information about firsts, attempts, Guinness Records, and notable runs on the Mississippi River. Both Bob and Clark have been kind and helpful with advice as we have trained and prepared for our attempt.
An unsuccessful attempt in 2018
Since 2003 there have been at least three unsuccessful attempts to break the record. A team of four consisting of Tim Muhich, Colin Bright, Clint Adams and Boot Baweja made and attempt in 2014(7), and in 2017 they made another attempt with Dale Waldo replacing Boot Baweja(8). Kevin Eckelkamp (nephew of Steve Eckelkamp), Nate Lastinger and KJ Millhone made an unsuccessful attempt in 2018(9).
In 2020, Scott Miller along with KJ Millhone, Casey Millhone, and Oliver Simes put together a team to break the record. Because of the Covid pandemic and numerous stay at home orders, this attempt was scraped and Scott Miller put together the current team trying to break the record in 2021.
Notes:
(1) Personal correspondence with KJ Millhone, 12/13/18
The Mississippi River is the second longest river in the United States. How long is it? That depends on who you ask. Most estimates are between 2,300 and 2,350 miles, but some sources have it as long as 2,552 miles. It starts at Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota and makes a question mark shape as it flows 681 miles through Minnesota—the most miles of any state the river flows through. Minnesota is one of only two states the river flows mostly “through”, the other being the last state it flows through, Louisiana. For every other state the river touches (there are eight others, for a total of ten), the river serves as a border. In order, the ten states are: Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi and Louisiana. With all of it’s tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains all or parts of 32 U.S. states and two Canadian provinces. It is the fourth-longest river in the world and certainly the most famous river in the United States.
To move goods up and down the Mississippi, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers maintains a 9-foot deep shipping channel from Baton Rouge, LA to Minneapolis, MN. From Baton Rouge past New Orleans to Head of Passes, a 45 foot channel is maintained to allow ocean-going vessels access to ports between New Orleans and Baton Rouge.
The river can be divided into three sections. The first section, from Lake Itasca to Minneapolis/St. Paul, has 14 dams that must be portaged around. The second “middle” section of the Mississippi, from St. Paul to St. Louis, has 29 locks and dams. At every lock there is a chance the canoeists will have to wait, up to many hours, for the lock to be ready for them to go through. Finally the “lower” Mississippi, 1,000 miles of free-flowing, fairly “wilderness-y” river but for barges, flows all the way to the Gulf of Mexico.
(Some of this information was found at the informative Mississippi River National River and Recreation Area’s website at: Mississippi River Facts)
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The Lower Mississippi River Dispatch "Voice of the Lower Mississippi River" is published by the Quapaw Canoe Company, 22 years of high quality access to the wild wonder of the big river in human powered vessels. Photos and writing by John Ruskey, Mark River and others. Please write info@island63.com for re-publishing. Feel free to share with friends or family, but also credit appropriately. Go to www.island63.com and click on "Quapaw Dispatch" for viewing back issues of the LMRD.
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