Sauk River aquatic experiences lead to Sauk River aquatic experiences lead to record-setting paddle adventure

St. Cloud native advises ‘Mississippi Speed Record’ canoe team

BY TIM HENNAGIR | STAFF WRITER

Todd Foster grew up on the Sauk River in St. Cloud and paddled it as a member of Boy Scouts Explorer Post 7. His continued affinity for outdoor recreation has fostered many aquatic adventures.

For example, if Foster wanted to go canoeing, and his friend Scott Miller was not available, Foster drove himself upstream and put his canoe in the river. Then, he happily paddled home to St. Cloud. Later, he picked up his car.

Miller, who lives in Minneapolis, is team leader of “Mississippi Speed Record,” a group of canoeists who will attempt a Guinness World Record in May.

The team’s goal is daunting: Paddle the 2,300-mile Mississippi River in the fastest time.

Foster will serve a lead adviser for the record-setting effort, working with financials and sponsorships as well as serving as media contact for the four-man canoe crew.

People have been setting and break- ing the record for fastest paddle down the Mississippi since 1937. The current record of 18 days, 4 hours, 51 minutes was set in 2003.

The record is recognized by Guinness World Records under the title “Fastest time to row the length of the Mississippi River by a team.”

Foster and Miller’s friendship grew at Many Point Scout Camp in northern Minnesota. They also became business partners, running North Wind Winter Adventures.

A Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness visit sparked dozens of trips over the years, including a trek of more than 2,000 miles from Minneapolis to Hudson Bay.

That 2005 adventure commemorated the 75th anniversary of a trip by journalist Eric Sevareid and Walter Port chronicled in the book “Canoeing with the Cree.”

Foster and Miller have paddled on the Snake River in Wyoming, the Missouri River in Montana, the Buffalo River in Arkansas and numerous rivers in Minnesota.

In 2021, Miller led another four-man team that attempted to set the Guinness World Record for fastest canoe trip down the Mississippi River. Foster also served as the lead adviser for that attempt. The team built a lead of seven hours over the existing record by the time they reached Louisiana.

After paddling more than 16 days non-stop, the team was between Baton Rouge and New Orleans when they encountered ferocious headwinds over 30 mph. The team’s lead dwindled to two hours. Just past midnight, the waves became too much. They were rescued by a safety boat as their canoe was swept away.

Foster met Miller and the canoeists a couple of times during that record attempt.

“Even at 11 p.m. or 3 a.m., people were coming out to see them,” Foster said.

For the upcoming attempt, Miller and his team will go live daily online when they have cell phone coverage.

Miller said the team has a March training trip set for southern Iowa and Missouri. That trip is important because it will serve as a dress rehearsal for the May attempt.

Setting a new record will require travel through all 28 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers lock and dams, Miller said.

The team will encounter high-priority, wave-producing barge traffic day and night.

“When you are going for speed, you want to stay in the main shipping channel,” Miller said. “Barge traffic is frequent. The challenge is it’s dangerous and difficult enough during the day. When we start paddling all night, that’s when it gets really crazy. That’s why we are so lucky to have safety boats.”

When they are not busy with record-setting attempts on the Mississippi River, Foster and Miller run Two Paddles Canoe & Kayak Races, an endeavor that promotes paddling.

“Last year was our first year of putting together a race series,” Foster said. “This will be our second year. Right after Scott gets done trying to set the world record, we’ll have a series of races on the Mississippi in the Twin Cities and Brainerd. Creating awareness about canoeing is what our races are all about.”