Verlen Kruger (June 30, 1922 in Pulaski County, Indiana – August 2, 2004) was an American canoe enthusiast who paddled over 100000 mi in his lifetime.

Biography

Kruger was born in 1922 in Pulaski County, Indiana. When he as 14 years old, he dropped out of high school to help provide for his family during the Great Depression. During World War II, Kruger got drafted into the Army, where he was enlisted to be a tank driver. He graduated from the Army Air Force Flight Training School, and became a pilot, and eventually a flight instructor. Upon his exit from the Army, he moved to DeWitt, Michigan and started in business as a plumbing contractor.

Paddling

Over the course of his life, Verlen Kruger paddled the most miles (over 100,000 miles) of any single competitor in the sport. Kruger started his paddling career at age 41. Of particular note are the 29341 km Two Continent Canoe Expedition and the 45130 km Ultimate Canoe Challenge, the longest canoe journey ever.

Legacy

During his lifetime of canoeing, he earned 11 Guinness World Records, and was the first canoeist to paddle up the Grand Canyon. A bronze statue of Kruger was erected on the banks of the Grand River in Portland, Michigan by family and friends in 2010.

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