Saints Legend Jimmy Graham Sets World Record in the Arctic Ocean

It was less than 12 years ago when multi-time All-Pro tight end Jimmy Graham set the New Orleans Saints single-season record for receiving touchdowns. Nobody else in Saints franchise history has come within four touchdowns of Graham’s total of 16 scores during the 2013 NFL season. But as of today, this is no longer the most impressive record that the Goldsboro, North Carolina holds.

According to Andrew Lang of NewOrleansSaints.com, Jimmy Graham is now part of a four-person rowing team that holds the world record for fastest time completing The Arctic Challenge, a 584 nautical mile trip from Tromsø, Norway to Longyearbyen, Svalbard. Graham’s team also included Andrew Tropp, John Huppi and Hannah Huppi, who became the first woman to complete the trip.

“After 18 months of training, the team came in at the low end of their 10-20 day estimate on how long it would take. For crews of all sizes, the average south to north Arctic crossing is 16.5 days, according to the Arctic Challenge,” Lang wrote.

Six days into the trip, Graham sent a message out on social media chronicling the progress that he and his team had made.

“It’s been raining nonstop for 24 hours. No sun for 72. We’re officially in battery conservation mode,” Graham said in an Instagram update on July 10. “Everything’s wet. Everything’s cold. But the mission? Still fully charged. We are so thankful for everyone’s continued support through this journey. Let’s go!”