Team members & their stories
KJ Millhone
Casey Millhone
Bobby Johnson
Rod Price
KJ Millhone, age 62
In 1980 KJ and his friend, the late Steve Eckelkamp, set the world record for canoeing the length of the Mississippi river. Millhone and Eckelkamp also attempted the Amazon River record (but were washed out in a flood) and kayaked the Pacific coast of Canada to Alaska. In 2018, together with Steve’s nephew Kevin Eckelkamp and Nate Lastinger, Millhone attempted the Mississippi record again, but their attempt was cut short because Lastinger’s son needed emergency surgery. Millhone is an executive coach, corporate trainer, motivational speaker and owner of HeadWaters Consulting.
KJ says: “When Steve Eckelkamp and I set this record in 1980, it was the beginning of the life I’d always hoped for. One filled with adventure. When he died in 2017, I thought my adventuring days were over, until my daughter Casey said, “Let’s do the Mississippi. Let’s get that record back!” Now I’m back on a path of adventure shared with a good friend, who happens to be my daughter.”
Casey Millhone, age 20
Casey attends Colorado College where she is studying sociology. She went to high school in Minnetonka, Minnesota. She is a modern-day renaissance woman. She likes sketching, comedy, skiing, fashion, mathematics, canoeing, and the music of the 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s. When successful, she will be the youngest female world record holder for canoeing the length of the Mississippi River.
Casey says: “Growing up, I listened to my dad’s stories of his world record on the Mississippi and of having his expedition wiped out by a flash flood on the Amazon. I watched people’s faces as they listened and was fascinated just like they were. Now I am doing this because I want to live that kind of life and have my own stories to tell. I want to be able to say I did something no one else had ever done.”
Bobby Johnson, age 42
In 2017, Johnson set a course record of 56 hours in the Suwannee 230 canoe race. In 2019, he set a course record of 7 days, 8 hours in the Alabama 650. And in both 2019 and 2020 he won his class in the Everglades Challenge. In 2020, Johnson dropped his own course record in the Suwannee 230 to 39 hours 55 minutes. Bobby thanks his wife Kerri and daughter Eyvn for their support. He’s been a car dealer for the past 20 years and now owns and operates Bobby J’s Auto in Clearwater, Florida.
Bobby says: “This record attempt will be harder than anything any of us has ever attempted. We will face sleep deprivation, hallucinations, barges, wind, thunderstorms, waves, currents, portages, locks, emotions, human error, ice, snow, and excruciating pain. Those of us in the ultra distance paddling community will understand this is a chance to prove that there are no limits we can’t endure. It’s also an opportunity to create the type of friendship only an ordeal like this can create. We will start as four and end as one.”
Rod Price, age 60
Rod Price has won over 300 races in all types of paddle craft. In 2009 he and his partner, Ardie Olson, won the world’s longest canoe race, the Yukon 1000. Rod is the only paddler to complete North America’s five longest distance races: The Ultimate Florida Challenge (1,200m), the Yukon 1000, the Race to Alaska (750m), the Great Alabama 650, and the Yukon River Quest (440m). In 2019, Price won 3 Gold Medals for Team USA at World Dragon Boat Championships in Thailand. He’s written three books about his racing adventures (Racing to the Yukon, Racing Around Florida, and Have Paddle Will Travel) and lives in Orlando, Florida with his wife, Stacey. Rod is a paddler, writer, and speaker.
Rod says: “I’ve always been driven by challenges, and the 2,350-mile Mississippi River represents possibly the biggest challenge of my life. Being part of a highly motivated, four-person paddling team attempting to break the 18-day record is an honor. I will do everything in my power to make us successful.”