Dawn Buehler can remember canoeing down the Kansas River and camping on its banks during her childhood.

The river, also known as the Kaw, is public property, and people tend to forget that, Buehler said. It also used to be less, well, dirty.

Dawn Buehler, Kansas Riverkeeper, paddles her kayak on the Kansas River near the De Soto boat ramp Thursday, Aug. 27, 2015. Buehler is helping organize a new race along with the Eudora Conventions and Visitors Bureau, city of Eudora and the city of De Soto. They are working together to develop an adventure race event called The Great Kaw Adventure Race. This event will be held annually on the last Saturday of September and will include three components: running, canoeing/kayaking, and biking with intermittent physical and mental challenges throughout the course.

In late September, Friends of the Kaw, for which Buehler acts as riverkeeper, and the cities of DeSoto and Eudora are partnering for a canoe, bicycle and foot race.

The event, aptly called the Great Kaw Adventure, is meant to teach participants about the river, encourage them to use it and to care for it, Buehler said.

“As the riverkeeper it’s my job to be the voice of the Kansas River and to hold the community accountable for it,” Buehler said. “We’re hoping to be able to teach folks a bit more about the Kansas River, show them what a great place it is and try to promote recreation on the river.”

Kelli Szrot, chair of the committee for the Great Kaw Adventure, said the race is the first of its kind and partnering organizations hope to make it an annual institution.

A portion of the proceeds from the race will go toward Friends of the Kaw, Szrot said.

“We’d like to see this race become something that’s regionally recognized if not nationally recognized,” she said. “And I think that translates into more help for the river.”

For the race’s first year, 15 two-person teams will dash from Eudora’s CPA Park to Pella Park, then head 11 miles down river to De Soto, facing mystery challenges along the way, Szrot said. After a bit more running and a few more challenges, the teams will hop on their bicycles and head back to the finish line in Eudora.

Canoes, kayaks and life jackets will all be provided by Friends of the Kaw, Buehler said — along with educational opportunities along the way.

“We hope to teach more about watershed protection and how to protect the river,” Buehler said. “By being involved in events like this we can let people see who we are. It really is a great educational opportunity.”

Because this will be the Great Kaw Adventure’s debut, Szrot said organizers invited area athletes, politicians, public safety officials and new residents to participate.

With a healthy mix of participants, Szrot said, organizers hope team members will help them to work out the kinks in the system and ensure that the event will be welcoming to everybody in the future.

“This year it’s an invitational because we wanted to have a trial run before we opened it up,” she said.