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Joined: Oct 1999
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Marty Offline OP
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Preparations are underway for the thirteenth annual La Ruta Maya Belize River Challenge. The race will begin on Friday in San Ignacio under the Hawksworth Bridge. Participants will row for four days down the Macal and Belize rivers before crossing the finish line on Monday under the Belcan Bridge in Belize City. Orlando Harrison is the Chairman of the Organizing Committee.

Orlando Harrison; Chairman, Organizing Committee, La Ruta Maya Belize River Challenge

"The race is scheduled to start seven am sharp because BATSUB will be doing refereeing and time keeping again and they are very punctual when it comes to that. The race takes off the first day from here and ends at Banana Bank as the first leg. On the second day, we take off from Banana Bank at 6:30a.m en route to Bermudan Landing. On the third day we take off at 8:00 o'clock to Burrell Boom and on the last day from Burrell Boom at 9:00a.m to Belize City."

Harrison says that up to Friday they already had 49 teams registered.

Orlando Harrison

"I am very happy to report that out of that 49 team we have had 13 foreign teams so far. We expect to have at least about 80 to 90 teams registering in this year. I am also thrilled by the fact that he amount of phone calls and queries we have been getting to show the sport is of high interest from participants and viewers alike. We encourage that and we are pleased to know that the sport is alive. We had initially placed the 26th of February for the deadline, however, because of the tremendous demand we have extended that to the pre-race meeting here which will take place on the 4th. So, teams do have yet an opportunity to get registered at the pre-race meeting in San Ignacio. However, there will be a cut off time because we don't want the registration to get in the way of the meeting. We are asking the teams to place registrations prior to the start of that meeting."

The prizes for this year's competition add up to about 40 thousand dollars and according to Harrison there will be first, second and third prize winners in all seven categories of the race and from first to tenth place for those who arrive at the Belcan Bridge.

Orlando Harrison

"We have a host of other station prizes along the route over the four days. So, that is a significant amount of money to talk about and that does not include the in kind prizes which we still canvassing business for. We want to encourage paddlers to participate. This is not an event only for the money. It is more than just the race. There are seven divisions teams can sign up in. you have the male division normally made up of the more competitive teams. We have the mixed division that is comprised of male and female. We have the intramurals which you must be a registered student in a learning institution. We have the masters made up of members forty years and older. We also have the pleasure craft which is where the bulk of team participates because they are made up of people who do not know to paddle and are in it for the fun and just for the adventure of having to do the race itself. I must commend all participants in fact for their bravery because this is none of the most extreme sports we know of in Belize."

The La Ruta Maya Belize RiverRiver Challenge is a 179 miles long race that started back in 1998.

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Marty Offline OP
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La Ruta Maya heads to Belize City

The 13th Annual La Ruta Maya Belize River Challenge is underway. It takes place between the dates of March 5 - 8, 2010. The picture above is of the start of the race. The race started in San Ignacio with three stops along the way. The stops are: Camp 1 in Orange Walk - Camp 2 is at Bermudan Landing - Camp 3 is at Burrel Boom). The race finalizes in Belize City at the Haulover Bridge. (Picture provided by Leslie Kearns at Belize Affordable Web Design)Who will be this year's winner? Find out on Monday!

Video footage of the 2009 La Ruta Maya Belize

Joined: Jun 2009
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Hello Marty, Was wondering when you are going to post the results/winners for the La Ruta Maya, that just wrapped up today?...(Mar.8th) Have been fishing for the last 6 days in Guatemala, and just got back to A.C. Thanks.



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Marty Offline OP
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Fierce Sprint in La Ruta Maya Finish

The 13th La Ruta Maya Belize River Challenge left from Cayo on Friday morning and finished in Belize City on Monday around noon. It came right down to the wire and we were there.

Jules Vasquez Reporting,
Less than a mile from the finish as the race passed Belama the lead teams were marking each other with the Belize Bank Team in front. It was a furious finish at the line with an extremely tight sprint between Caves Branch Outpost and the Belize Bank Team – each waiting for the other to make that dramatic last move.

Jerry Rhaburn, Caves Branch Outpost – First Place
“This was a crucial sprint, those guys are very fast and coming on to the finish, at a couple of minutes the canoe was sticking together because everybody was tired, everybody was trying their best, and couple of time we collapsed together.”

Shane Williams, Guardian Newspaper
“What made you guys win the sprint?”

Jerry Rhaburn,
“Well like I said everybody wanted to win and coming down to the end we didn’t ease up and they didn’t ease up but we got a little bit of an upper hand we used that.”

Daniel Cruz, Belize Bank - Second Place
“We tried our best to sprint but those guys are very fast and they beat us by like 5 seconds, I don’t know how much they beat us by. We did all we could but those guys are fast and they in shape just like us.”

Chris Guydis, CPBL – Third Place
“Over the last mile of the race I just sit in and tried to save for the last finish but they outsprint me on the sprint so what can I say.”

Shane Williams,
“Did you save a little for the sprint?”

Chris Guydis,
“I saved a little for the sprint but those guys are stronger than me at the end of the race so no excuses.”

Shane Williams,
“What is it like coming into the home stretch ad seeing the break?”

Sheldon Segura, Reagan International – Fourth Place
“Well I good and glad the race is finishing and everything. I was so glad.”

Shane Williams,
“So what are you going to do now to celebrate?”

Sheldon Segura,
“I am not going to celebrate, no. I will just have a two beers and that’s it.”

Jerry Rhaburn,
“The most important thing is to see the fans and hear the people on the banks cheeerig on for all their teams. It is like a big family going out there for the past four days and I just hope the race doesn’t die down. I’ve been paddling this race like for 11 years now and we keeping up."

Channel 7

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Thanks Marty for posting the race results!....much appreciated..and to Amanda ....for giving me the link to all the great photos your friend took...excellent!!


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"I only fish on days that end in "Y" smile


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