New World Record!!! Greg Kolodziejzyk pedals 173.76 km in 24 hours in his human powered boat setting a new HPVA record.
Here are the live updates from the 24 hour human powered boat record attempt at Glenmore Reservoir in Calgary, Alberta on June 2, 2007.
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10:45 am
Hello from the lake!
Hey everybody, Greg here.
It’s about 10:45 am, an hour, 45 minutes after the start of what I know will be one VERY long day!
I woke up this morning at 7:00 am after a sound 7 hour sleep. My buddy Gary and I headed over to the reservoir and he, Stefan and Ben unloaded WiTHiN, and 3 boxes of gear. We had the boat set up, in the water and ready to go by 8:30.
At 5 seconds to 9:00 am, according to the atomic clock, Rob gave me the 5 second count-down. At exactly 9:00 am, I was off.
It has been a great day so far. The temperature is 23.5 degrees at 1 hour, 45 minutes into attempt. My average power is 145 Watts and my average speed 9kph, (from the GPS).
My feet are getting a bit numb. I guess I will have to suck it up, but so far my knee is OK. Talk to you again in a hour or two.
Peace out
Greg.
Now Ben here, Greg could use some questions and such to keep him company, Post comments here and we will get them to him. Or better yet call him at 403.651.2748 talk to him and keep him company, especially the European friends when it is night here.
Ben
3 Responses to “Hello from the lake”
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1:00 pm
Video from the boat
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3:00 pm
58 km complete and another video from onboard WiTHiN
Hello all,
Greg has just hit the 58K point and that is about 1/3 of the way to the record and 6 hours in. so he should be hitting the record at the 18 hour mark and then has 6 hours to stack on as much distance as possible over the record.
He has done another self interview, here you go, enjoy!
Ben
2 Responses to “58K into the record attempt”
- # 6:25 PM
- # 7:06 PM
32 degrees C is way too hot for me these days. I spent way too many days on the road on a bike with those sorts of temperatures, ending up with heat exhaustion on more than one occasion.
On the other hand, having a nice cool body of water close by would probably have made it much more enjoyable.
Good luck!
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5:00 pm
Our first casualty!
Stefan should be OK, don’t worry people. I am sure he will pull through.
Ben
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7:00 pm
Greg is one of the coolest people I know!
First, I have been out filming and that is why it has taken so long for this post…. Check this out, Greg told me to get a song off of iTunes and then made a video clip for me from the boat. The instructions I got was that I would know what to do. Seriously this has to be the coolest clip I have had the privilege to do….
What does Greg listen to when he is on the boat? ‘Perfect’ by ‘The The’
Ben
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9:00 pm
Video of Greg’s route shot fom onboard WiTHiN
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10:00 pm
A video from onboard WiTHiN as the sun sets
3 Responses to “Evening Shots”
- # 1:22 AM
Ben, Please convey our best wishes to Greg, I just watched his 58 K report and he still sound quite chirpy! I cannot wait to see the final distance. Looking at the evening shots, what time does the sun set their at the lake? Best of luck for all the crew and please give him an extra cheer from Danie Pretorius and family from Vaalpark, Sasolburg in South Africa
- # 4:37 AM
- # 4:38 AM
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4:45 am
Sun is finally rising!
Well here we are 4:45 and only 5 more laps to the record. Greg is now running 30 minute laps but he is a bit run down right now, I am positive that once the sun is over the horizon he will pick up the pace and get a better lap time. So at the current pace he should be breaking the record around 7:15-7:30 by my bset guess. Then he will have about 1.5 hours to add distance to the record. Ben
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6:45 am
2 laps to go to a new record!
Well, Greg is feeling crappy to say it mildly, he has a sour stomach and we are worried that it may be heat stroke and or sea sickness. But 2 laps and he will have the record. It is now 6:47
Ben
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9:00 am
NEW WORD RECORD!!!!
173.76 Km!
Ben
Responses to “NEW WORLD RECORD!!!!!”
- # 11:15 AM
- # 12:49 PM
- # 1:23 PM
If you think that this boat is special in being able to go that speed over that distance, then let me be the first to say that it isn’t.
The cruising speed of a boat is defined by a number of factors. These include its length, beam, bow shape, weight and drag caused by the underwater appendages. Of course, the efficiency of the drive system and that of the propeller determine how much power is needed to move the boat at its cruising speed.
The cruising speed of Greg’s boat is actually fairly typical for one of its length, though I suspect that the drive system with its large underwater leg induces a bit more drag than some other designs.
If you are looking for production boats of similar capabilities, i.e., cruising speed, power required for such speeds, length, etc., then take a look at Open Water Cycling’s Cadence.
Yes, I am involved with making, selling and racing those boats. That is how I know what they can do. I also have pedaled many other pedal boats and know their characteristics, too.
No, the special thing here was Greg’s ability to pedal for 24 hours, putting up with high temperatures and pushing through the pain of sore knees and muscles.
Again, congratulations!!
- # 4:00 PM
Greg
Well done. The first milestone in just under a year. Would have been nice to crack the unofficial record as well but Within is not the boat for that.When you look at the boat used by the previous record holder you have done remarkably well. There are a lot of compromises in this test boat compared with an outright racer.
Now for the next phase. A deck, a hatch, maybe some ballast and then the ocean. Much more fun than looping a lake.
- # 10:52 PM
- # 10:38 AM
Congratulations Greg!
Your will, strength, tenacity and passion that borders on insanity is an inspiration. Thanks for giving me something to compare all my long rides to- so I never feel “tired” again!
Very cool what you have chosen for your life. Thanks for creating this site so I can “watch”.
Take care, rest up and recover.
Amber Dawn
Hi Greg,
How is the new prop working?
My HPB Kayak leans to the inside when turning, then to the outside (scary!), when coming out of the corner. Does Within have any of the same issues?
Good luck with the attempt!
Ben – I had a hard time finding the icon to post a comment… Also I had to verify the goofy text string 2 or 3 times before it would let me post.
-Warren.
Greg,
Looks like a great day on the lake! What do you see for wild life? Are you going around the shore line, or back and forth across? Doing the Zen thing, focussed on your breathing, or are you using some other techniques to pass the time?
Wishing you the best, keep it crankin’!
Eric K, the Bender Bikes guy
Greg:
I have been watching the building of your boat with real interest. We are wishing you the best on this record attempt. We will watch your progress online throughout the next 24 hours.
Bruce in St. Louis, Missouri USA