AN American man who kayaked 3.5 miles (5.6 km) in an 817-pound (370-kg) pumpkin said his aim was to set a world record and raise awareness about agriculture.

    Todd Sandstrum, 42, from Massachusetts, hopped into a large carved-out pumpkin with a kayak paddle at South Street East in Raynham on Sept. 5 and had hopes of making it seven miles to the Weir Village Riverfront Park in Taunton.

    But the trek wasn’t as easy as planned. After battling the water, and some logs and rocks in the river, Sandstrum made it 3.5 miles, where he got into a boat with the pumpkin in tow to finish the course.

    Sandstrum, who posted footage of his journey on YouTube, said he believes his “Taunton Great River Pumpkin Run” still qualifies as a world record for longest journey in a pumpkin boat and he has submitted the feat to Guinness World Records for approval.

    “I’m still in awe of the amount of pain that I pushed through to get it done,” Sandstrum said.

    The kayaker said setting a world record was only a secondary goal — his primary focus was getting kids interested in agriculture.

    “I said all along, if this made one kid want to get in the dirt, it was all worth it,” Sandstrum said.(SD-Agencies)