Photos: MN Man's Giant Pumpkin Breaks World Record

ANOKA, MN — A Minnesota man set the world record Monday with his pumpkin that might weigh as much as your car.

Travis Gienger, 43, of Anoka, won the 50th annual World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off in Half Moon Bay, California. His gourd weighed in at 2,749 pounds and could make an estimated 687 pies.

The previous world record was set by an Italian who grew a 2,702-pound squash in 2021, according to Guinness World Records.

Gienger has grown pumpkins since he was a teenager and named this year's gourd after NBA legend Michael Jordan.

"It was quite the feeling," Gienger told The Associated Press about the win. "I put in the work so that I can put a smile on people’s faces and it’s just so nice coming out here to see everyone in this town."

Gienger is a landscape and horticulture teacher at Anoka Technical College. Since 2020, he has won three of Half Moon Bay's last four giant pumpkin contests.

Gienger can claim a $30,000 prize with Monday's victory.