Seven days on the river.

The wear and tear on Jay Thurston’s body wasn’t evident, Friday, although he had just finished a 436-mile canoe trip. In the final two full days, Thurston, 75, Viroqua, and his canoeing partner, Mike Kinziger, 60, Moscow, Idaho, paddled an astounding 164 miles. They finished paddling the length of the Wisconsin River in seven days, three hours and 27 minutes.

The pair didn’t finish on their itinerary. That would have had them setting a new speed record by canoeing the river in six days and just over 10 hours. Yet, their finish, was about a full day ahead of the time they posted when setting a then-record for canoeing the river in 1983. Thurston’s also set a time record in 1958, canoeing the Wisconsin with Gary Kitzman in 12 days.

Thurston said he was surprised at how well his body handled the trip, especially after having to deal with high winds on the northern portion of the river. Kinziger said the winds were the difference that put them behind on their itinerary. Still, he said the planning and training he did had him fit and physically strong throughout his trip.

As they put the last few miles in the books on Friday morning, Thurston and Kinziger were paddling 62 strokes per minute, 10 more than they had done for most of the trip.

Thurston credited his strength at the end of the journey with preparation.

“My exercise program was so effective,” Thurston said. “A person shouldn’t be able to do that at age 75. I worked hard — harder than I thought I had to work. But I did it and when it came time to paddle, I amazed myself.”

Thurston said his trip with Kinziger also says something about lifelong health.

“Having two guys, one 75 and the other 60, do what we did, should show people that if they take care of their bodies, they can do more in life longer than they ever thought they could,” Thurston said.

Thurston said it would take him at least two days to wind down from the trip. While they were on their journey, Thurston was sleeping about five hours per night. It will take him a while to get used to eight hours of sleep, he said.

“At night, when you’ve been on the water, you still feel like you’re in the canoe for a bit,” he said. “It takes me about a half-hour to adjust.”

Thurston was thankful for the support he received during the trip, especially from his wife, Diana, who stayed in touch with the canoeists, fed them, made sure they were supplied and scouted portages and places to land.

Thurston was also appreciative of all the well-wishers and people who tracked his trip, either through the Vernon County Broadcaster, La Crosse Tribune, Wisconsin Dells Events or Portage Daily Register newspapers. This is the final week of the Broadcaster’s six-week series “The Old Men and the River.” The Broadcaster’s website has had 35 stories and updates about the trip. There have been about 100 reader comments in the chain of stories, most from family members and friends of Thurston and Kinziger offering encouragement and congratulations. Kinziger left the landing spot on Friday to head to Niagara, Wis., with his wife Deanna to visit his family.

Thurston, meanwhile, returned to Viroqua, Friday morning, with Diana and other family members.

Thurston canoed down the Wisconsin River at age 25, 50 and 75. He said he has no wish to canoe it again, he’s already had his fun on the water.

“This morning, when we were canoeing to the finish, it was just a great morning,” Thurston said. “It was the best morning I had the whole trip.”

The old men might not have beat the record, but they beat the river on Friday.

Jay Thurston, 75, and Mike Kinziger, 60, canoed the Wisconsin River in seven days, three hours and 27 minutes. The story behind their journey has been part of a six-week series in the Broadcaster. This is the final installment in our series, “The Old Men and the River.” All of the stories and additional content can be found online at www.vernonbroadcaster.com