Men's Journal

Greg Kolodziejzyk, record holder for distance traveled in 24 hours by human-powered boat. Photo credit: Courtesy of Patrick Lor

This Canadian’s record-breaking trip took a little ingenuity and a lot of leg power.

by Dacus Thompson

Canadian Greg Kolodzeijzyk spent September 8 pedaling his computer engineered carbon fiber boat in circles around Whitefish Lake, in Montana, setting the new world record for distance traveled by a human-powered boat in 24 hours. The 151.3 miles broke the old record, set by kayaker Carter Johnson, by more than two miles. “Before the record, the kayak community was interested in what I was doing,” says Kolodzeijzyk, who also holds the record for farthest distance traveled by a human-powered vehicle on land in 24 hours. “They thought it was preposterous that someone in a paddle boat could challenge their record. Afterward they were pretty quiet.” Next up for the 47-year-old: breaking the record for human-powered flight.

This article originally appeared in the January 2009 issue of Men’s Journal.

Print this article