Yorkville man part of canoe team that may have set Mississippi River record

YORKVILLE, Ill. (WLS) -- A Yorkville man who may have helped set a canoeing world record is making Chicago Proud.

Wally Werderich and his fellow paddlers canoed down the Mississippi River all the way from Lake Itasca, Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico.

These completed the journey in just in 16 days, 20 hours and 16 minutes! That breaks the old world record by nearly a full day.

Werderich is an active member of the St. Charles Canoe Club. His fellow paddlers come from Lacrosse, Wisconsin, Minneapolis and Atlanta.

They have notified the Guinness Book of World Records and are awaiting official verification.