NEBRASKA CITY – An Otoe man climbed aboard his 800-pound pumpkin Saturday morning in an attempt to set a Guinness Worlds Record for longest pumpkin paddle.

Duane Hansen, who turned 60-years-old on Friday, set his sights on growing a giant pumpkin in Nebraska’s difficult climate years ago and says Big Berta is his largest ever at 861 pounds.

Hansen has been planning for the longest pumpkin paddle since he met the world record holder at a pumpkin seminar in Portland, Ore., three years ago. Her record at the time was just over 25 miles.

To set a new record, he is hoping to navigate the river from Bellevue to Nebraska City.

Check out News Channel Nebraska for video coverage of the record attempt.