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There's more bringing Jay Thurston and Mike Kinziger to the Wisconsin River this June than a handshake and a promise.

The swirling, dark current carries with it an opportunity to make their mark on history.

Thurston and Kinziger are hoping to set an all-time speed record for canoeing the 436-mile length of the river. They plan to begin at Lac Vieux Desert in Vilas County, Friday, June 13, at 5 a.m. and finish when they hit the brown, silt-laden Mississippi River sometime during the mid-afternoon of Thursday, June 19.

All told, they're aiming to complete the journey, 26 portages included, in about six days and 10 hours.

Sounds like an ambitious task for a pair of world-class athletes with a stellar support team. Instead, this journey is the Holy Grail for the senior set. Thurston is 75 and Kinziger is 60. Their support team consists of Thurston's wife, Diana, who will pull a camper they can sleep in when they're not paddling or portaging.

"The Wisconsin is an awe-inspiring river and there are a lot of factors that play into actually being able to set a record," Thurston, a former school administrator in La Crosse who has retired in Viroqua, said. "When you look at what it actually means doing, I don't know if it can be done. This will prove something to me and a lot of other 75-year-olds if we can complete this task.

"It is probably impossible to do this trip, physically," Thurston, who is also a trout fishing columnist and an author, continued. "Mentally you have to convince yourself that you can do it."

Thurston and Kinziger are no strangers to the picturesque and mysterious Wisconsin River.

In 1983, the two set the record for speed, canoeing the Wisconsin in eight days, three hours and 13 minutes. That eclipsed the previous record Thurston had set in 1958 with then partner Gary Kitzman. They had canoed the river's length in 12 days.

In 1958, an aluminum canoe was used. In 1983, a Kevlar canoe was used. During both of those trips, the canoeists camped out in tents they took with them. This time around, they are fixed on straight speed. They'll carry with them just the necessities of food and water each day in a new carbon-fiber canoe each day. Their schedule calls for 16 hours of canoeing each day of the trip with Kinziger setting the pace.

Kinziger, who has a doctoral degree in philosophy, is the coordinator of the University of Idaho's outdoor leadership program and an instructor in the university's school of health, physical education and recreation. He teaches courses in canoeing at the school located in Moscow, Idaho.

"When I think about college students paddling five minutes around a pond and being winded I just have to laugh," Kinziger said. "They paddle five minutes and are exhausted. We're 135 years combined and planning on paddling 16 hours a day."

Kinziger was on the staff at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse 17 years ago when he made a life choice and moved to join the staff at the University of Idaho. When he left he and Thurston promised to come together on the 25th anniversary of their record-setting trip and do it all over again.

Since that time Kinziger has grown much academically, earning his doctorate in 1992. He raised three daughters as a single father and has since remarried. His wife, Deanna, has three daughters of her own and between the two of them, they have six daughters all in their 20s.

"They've all become friends, so you can just imagine what our family get-togethers are like," Kinziger said. "Lots of talk and shared experiences."

Kinziger remembers his handshake and promise to Thurston to canoe the Wisconsin again.

"We both love to be on the water," Kinziger said. "We're both hooked on the sport of canoeing. It's been a big part of our lives.

"Although we're doing this for us and I know the record means a lot to Jay," Kinziger continued. "More than that, for both of us, is the future of the sport. Getting kids interested and giving them the same opportunities we've had — Maybe putting a spotlight on what can be done."

This is the first part in a series of stories that will tell the journey of canoeists Jay Thurston and Mike Kinziger as they plan to canoe the Wisconsin River starting June 13.