TUALATIN, Ore. — Hoisting his kayak paddle in the air triumphantly, Gary Kristensen celebrated as he crossed the finish line, victorious in his giant, floating pumpkin.

Dressed up as the character Buddy from Will Ferrell’s holiday movie “Elf,” Kristensen won the first race in the annual event over the weekend in Tualatin, Oregon. The Portland suburb has hosted the West Coast Giant Pumpkin Regatta since 2004, drawing large crowds who cheer on costumed participants as they race around a small human-made lake in humongous pumpkins that have been carved out, allowing them to float.

“You’ve got an exciting activity that crowds love, you’ve got the costumes, cheering people, spectacle, pumpkins sinking, it has everything,” Kristensen said after emerging victorious in the first race of Sunday's

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