Russell, Mass.

Over 280 people took on the Westfield River Wildwater Races in western Massachusetts over the weekend. Hundreds more were cheering them on as theypaddled canoes and kayaks or tried to keep their balance on stand-up paddle boards, known as “SUPs.”Organizers tell WAMC that, no matter how they took on the waters, all took part in a long-flowing tradition on a river that’s only been getting cleaner and healthier over the years.

In less than two weeks, a couple hundred paddlers of all kinds will take on one of the country’s oldest whitewater races, found right in western Massachusetts.But before that, some of them are dusting off their watercraft and hitting the Westfield River early.