Friends of the Upper San Juan River present the "Pagosa Paddle" event on Saturday, May 11th at the Pagosa Town Park. Races begin at 9:30 and continue all day, featuring the slalom, sprint, head-to-head and a downriver parade. Friendsoftheuppersanjuanriver.org has registration, tickets and details.

Athletes can compete in one or multiple disciplines: R4 Teams, inflatable or hard-shell kayak, and stand-up paddleboards. Community sponsors have donated cash and prizes to honor the top athletes at an awards ceremony to be held at 5 p.m. at The Springs Resort’s special pint-tasting event tent.

The Pagosa Paddle is sponsored by (FUSJR), a local nonprofit since 2005.

FUSJR’s primary mission is to promote environmentally sound, socially beneficial and economically prosperous management of the Upper San Juan River and Pagosa Springs community parks experience through education, recreation and environmental awareness.