The Return Of The La Ruta Maya River Challenge
The last La Ruta Maya River Challenge was back in 2020 but with last year's hiatus due to COVID 19, a more than two decade old tradition was broken. But after all the lockdowns, curfews, and social distancing, this one-of-a-kind river race is back. This year's challenge is less than two weeks away and it will center around four days of intense paddling, starting at the Macal River in San Ignacio. The town's council as well as this year's participants are gearing up for perhaps the most anticipated La Ruta Maya Challenge ever. Courtney Menzies spoke with them and has this story.
This is what the Macal River looks like now, with tree limbs littering the water and sand mounds that need clearing. But by this time next week, the council for the Twin Towns would have already started making a clear path for the La Ruta Maya canoers.
Earl Trapp, Mayor of San Ignacio/Santa Elena
"As per normal, every year, we do the basic cleaning up of the river, lately, you are right, we have not been doing as much but we are ready and prepared to being taking out the limbs, the branches, that basically came down with the rains and the storm and we have some mounds just ahead of us and we intend to work on these next week. As well, we are prepared to work on the riverbank where we will be white lining the base and the stem of all the trees that brings out the green and the white which is very beautiful and people look forward to those."
It's been two years since the last La Ruta Maya River Challenge, a March tradition that was started 25 years ago. The pandemic had put a pause on it, but this year, it's back. And even though there will be COVID restrictions in place, there is a buzz of excitement among the Cayo residents.
Earl Trapp, Mayor of San Ignacio/Santa Elena
"As I have been moving around, driving around, I've been hearing the people and their excitement about the La Ruta Maya race and even so you have vividly seen the canoers with the canoe on the back of the pickup trucks driving towards the river and I've seen some canoes paddling and preparing for the race so the excitement is on and I can tell you that globally, people are tired of being locked up, you know even though we have to bear into consideration that the pandemic has not gone away, it's here to stay, so we just have to find ways to adapt."
And the participating teams are even more amped up. They've been practicing over the past month, preparing for the grueling weekend ahead of them. The Westrac Team have been paddling to Banana Bank almost every day - trying to jam in as much training as possible in a shorter amount of time.
Julissa Rodriguez, Marketing, Westrac Team
"It's a good feeling, we have been trusting this team for quite some years and they've always been doing their best so practice has been really good, this last Sunday they have been out there again and they have our support as always and we're just working as a team to make sure everything goes well and we're super excited really."
Courtney Menzies:
"Are you a bit nervous considering you don't have that mount of time to practice like you usually have?"
Julissa Rodriguez, Marketing, Westrac Team
"Nervous, maybe a little bit, but I think mostly it's excitement that we know we can do it, we trust the team, and the team knows they can do it so we already know what they bring to the table so that's the exciting part to see how far they will go and what prizes they will win this time."
"One of the main aspects that the company focuses on is doing charity work, looking out for Belizeans. A lot of people probably don't know this but a lot of times, one of the main things the directors focus on is how they can give back to the community and so being able to sponsor a team along with Lucas Oil, that is something that brings joy to the directors because they feel like it's a way of giving back."
And the Searle Family is also taking a chance on the river. --- year old Thomas Searle, his dad, Mike and his uncle, John, have been training a couple times a week to get ready for the challenge. The race is family tradition and young Thomas wanted to be a part of that.
Courtney Menzies:
"What made you want to join the La Ruta Maya Race?"
Thomas Searle, Paddler
"Cause it's been in my family for like 20 years."
Courtney Menzies:
"And does it look like fun to you?"
Thomas Searle, Paddler
"Yes."
Courtney Menzies:
"How has the practicing and training been so far?"
Thomas Searle, Paddler
"Good."
Courtney Menzies:
"Do you get tired or frustrated?"
Thomas Searle, Paddler
"No... Kinda."
Courtney Menzies:
"What's the hardest part?"
Thomas Searle, Paddler
"The hardest part? It's… just paddling!"
Courtney Menzies:
"But are you confident that you guys will do a good job when the race comes?"
Thomas Searle, Paddler
"Yes."
Courtney Menzies:
"Who's on your team?"
Thomas Searle, Paddler
"My dad Mike and my uncle Johnny."
Courtney Menzies:
"And what advice have they given you?"
Thomas Searle, Paddler
"They've given me, never quit and always have fun. Thanks to my support team that have follow me like my mom, my aunty and my grandma and my sister."
And the Belize Coast Guard will also be trading in their usual whalers for canoes. The commandant, Elton Bennett, is confident that their team will take the grand prize.
Admiral Elton Bennet, Commandant, Belize Coast Guard
"It certainly feels good to be back on the water, to have the team together, and not only the paddlers, the support mechanism. It's a big deal for us in the Belize Coast Guard, you know we have participated in every La Ruta Maya since the Coast Guard started so we do look forward to events like these where the organizations can move away from the routine of operations and do something different in a competitive environment as well."
"That's the winning team that you're looking at, these guys are certainly putting in the effort, we've invested significantly in terms of getting chemistry together, in terms of matching individual paddlers, skill, talent, and ensuring that we have the right canoe. And what we've been doing over the past couple days was to ensure we have the right fit, the right positioning, and then looking at the techniques to top off the training."
The race will start on March 4th and end on March 7th.
The race ends in Belize City on the mid-morning of March 7th.
Channel 7