Dale Marshall checks a small hole on the bottom of his 1,723 pound pumpkin that kept him from winning or setting a record at the Alaska State Fair grounds in Palmer, Alaska on Wednesday, Aug. 31. The giant gourd was grown by Marshall in his backyard greenhouse. Puncture or not, the pumpkin is in rare company. The world record weight for a pumpkin is 1,810 pounds. The winner was a 1,287-pound pumpkin that is the biggest pumpkin ever grown for the annual Giant Pumpkin competition at the state fair.

Dale Marshall is dwarfed by an Atlantic Giant Pumpkin that he estimates to be around 1,780-pounds inside a greenhouse in Anchorage on Aug. 29. The giant pumpkin was started by seed on April 1 and has a 202-inch circumference. He plans to enter the pumpkin in the Alaska State Fair during the weigh-off on Wednesday in Palmer. Marshall holds the state record with a 1,101 pound pumpkin that he entered in the state fair last year.

Dale Marshall of Anchorage closes the door to the 500-square-foot greenhouse where he's growing an Atlantic Giant Pumpkin that he estimates to be around 1,780-pounds on Aug. 29.