Residents in Louisiana and Clarksville lined the riverfront last Thursday to witness a potential new Guinness World Record in the making. Four river paddlers—Paul Cox, Scott Miller, Judson Steinback, and Wally Werderich—are attempting to break the current speed record of 17 days, 19 hours and 46 minutes to paddle the length of the Mississippi River from source to sea.
As they arrived in Louisiana, volunteer Roy Fenstermacher said that the team was currently a day ahead of schedule.
“They are 24 hours ahead of their goal,” said Fenstermacher. “They began the journey at 6 a.m. on May 10 and they are hoping to finish the trip in 16 days. They are feeling good about it and are optimistic that they will break the current record,” he added.
As a group of onlookers waited on the observation deck at the Clarksville riverfront, Fenstermacher passed out official Guinness World Record witness waivers for supporters to sign. Just ahead of their arrival at the riverfront, other volunteers emerged on the scene.
“There are a total of 14 volunteers who are helping the paddlers along the way,” said Fenstermacher. Out of that group, we have what we call the elite six, who alternate between traveling alongside them by boat and traveling by automobile along the highway. The paddlers are totally committed to the mission and have 4-hour sleep patterns as the others continue to paddle. Volunteers utilize campers and campgrounds to sleep along the way,” he added.
Miller of Minneapolis, Minnesota, is the leader of paddler team. He has paddled more than 8,000 miles to date. In 2005, he paddled from the Twin Cities to Hudson Bay, and in 2020, he competed in the Missouri River 340 and Great Alabama 650 races. Scott first got the idea to try and set this world record in 2018 and has been training and planning for it ever since. He was the leader of a 2020 attempt that held a 7-hour lead over record pace but was hindered by a storm near New Orleans. The current world record was set in 2021 by KJ and Casey Millhone.
“I was contacted after members of the team discovered my business ‘Drone City.’” said Fenstermacher. They obtained my services as a drone pilot to contribute footage for their documentary of the trip. I would actually be flying and filming right now except that I cannot fly over a dam. Other volunteers also include friends of the team who are supporting them as they go,” he added.
Although everyone was supportive and encouraging the team to accomplish their goal, one of the paddler’s girlfriends was a little confounded at the whole idea.
“I think it is insane,” said Daniela Montanez, who is Steinback’s girlfriend. “Initially, I had only planned to help out on the first weekend, but I have decided to continue on the journey. We actually live on the Mississippi River in La Crosse, Wisconsin. He loves to paddle even in the winter months. I do not join him on those cold adventures. I am from Colombia and cannot take the extremely cold temperatures. I hope and believe that they will beat the record when this is finished,” she added.
To follow along with their attempt to break the record, visit their Mississippi Speed Record page on Facebook.
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