Mission
Mississippi River Challenge for Rett Syndrome and Leukodystrophy, 2003
Guinness Record Setting Event for 2 different rare diseases!
The Mississippi River Challenge for Rett Syndrome And Leukodystrophy, 2003, was an ultra-endurance race of the ENTIRE Mississippi River (2,348 miles) without any timeouts or breaks, all done to benefit those suffering from two different life threatening diseases - Rett Syndrome and Leukodystrophies.
On May 10, 2003, at 6 AM, Clark Eid (Cheshire, CT) and Bob Bradford (Lapeer, MI) began their paddle of the mighty Mississippi River in World Record Time in a specially designed racing canoe. They launched their boat and their epic adventure in the still waters of a northern Minnesotan lake and emerged ten states and 18 days, 4 hours and 51 minutes later in the Gulf of Mexico.
In the days and nights covering 2,348 miles, the two endurance paddlers raced against time, fatigue, foul weather, and other hazards as they struggled to reach their goal. They were motivated by a love of paddling and the spirit of competition. But behind that, it was a deeply personal undertaking for both men. Clark's daughter has Rett syndrome, a genetic, non inherited disease caused by an mecp2 mutation that randomly affects 1 in 10,000 girls. Boys who have Rett Syndrome rarely survive birth and statistics/information for them are not as well known. Bob's family has been affected by Adrenoleukodystrophy (one of many forms of leukodystrophies). Clark and Bob took on this unique challenge to raise awareness and research funds to combat these two life threatening diseases.
We raced against the clock to beat the previous Guinness World Records set in 1989 and 1984:
Guinness World Records. - 1989 Record for paddling the entire Mississippi River - 23 days, 9 hours, and 51 minutes.
Paddlers Bill Perdzock and Mike Schnitska
Guinness World Records. - 1984 Record for paddling the entire Mississippi River - 23 days, 10 hours, 20 minutes.
Paddlers Verlen Kruger and Valerie Fons
On May 10, 2003, at 6 AM, Clark Eid (Cheshire, CT) and Bob Bradford (Lapeer, MI) began their paddle of the mighty Mississippi River in World Record Time in a specially designed racing canoe. They launched their boat and their epic adventure in the still waters of a northern Minnesotan lake and emerged ten states and 18 days, 4 hours and 51 minutes later in the Gulf of Mexico.
In the days and nights covering 2,348 miles, the two endurance paddlers raced against time, fatigue, foul weather, and other hazards as they struggled to reach their goal. They were motivated by a love of paddling and the spirit of competition. But behind that, it was a deeply personal undertaking for both men. Clark's daughter has Rett syndrome, a genetic, non inherited disease caused by an mecp2 mutation that randomly affects 1 in 10,000 girls. Boys who have Rett Syndrome rarely survive birth and statistics/information for them are not as well known. Bob's family has been affected by Adrenoleukodystrophy (one of many forms of leukodystrophies). Clark and Bob took on this unique challenge to raise awareness and research funds to combat these two life threatening diseases.
We raced against the clock to beat the previous Guinness World Records set in 1989 and 1984:
Guinness World Records. - 1989 Record for paddling the entire Mississippi River - 23 days, 9 hours, and 51 minutes.
Paddlers Bill Perdzock and Mike Schnitska
Guinness World Records. - 1984 Record for paddling the entire Mississippi River - 23 days, 10 hours, 20 minutes.
Paddlers Verlen Kruger and Valerie Fons
Mission Successful! L to R Clark Eid, Bob Bradford, and Bob's grandson after the Guinness Record Setting Event just ended!; Mississippi Challenge for Rett Syndrome and Leukodystrophy; May 2003; Camera used: Kodak
