Nebraska man paddles 38 miles in hollowed out pumpkin he grew himself, setting world record

• A Nebraska man has set a new world record for the "longest journey by pumpkin boat."
• Duane Hansen paddled 38 miles down the Missouri river in an 846-pound pumpkin called "Berta."

A Nebraska man has set a new world record after he paddled 38 miles down the Missouri river in a hollowed-out pumpkin he grew himself.

Duane Hansen of Syracuse, Nebraska, set sail in his 846-pound pumpkin – which he named "Berta" – at around 7.30 a.m. from Bellevue on Saturday, according to a Facebook post from the city.

He completed his journey 11 hours later, at 6:30 p.m. in Nebraska City.

"I went 38 miles down the river without standing up in that pumpkin and my knees still hurt," Hansen said in a video posted by Reuters.

"I probably won't try this again."

Hansen told the Omaha World-Herald he had endured a collision with rock during his journey, as well as heavy rain and cold.

"I thought, 'I'll just paddle harder and warm up.' I wasn't thinking about quitting," he said. "I went another four to five miles and it rained again. Berta is only about eight inches above the water line. I've never paid so much attention for so long in my entire life. It was tough."

The previous world record "longest journey by pumpkin boat" was set in 2016 by Rick Swenson, who traveled 25.5 miles in Grand Forks, North Dakota.

Hansen kept paddling for over five more hours after breaking Swenson's record and said after that he would be surprised if anyone ever bests his attempt.

"If somebody breaks this record, I will bow down to them because they are tough," he said.