La Ruta Maya

Competitors at the 2016 La Ruta Maya

The Belikin La Ruta Maya Belize River Challenge is an annual 4-day canoe marathon held in Belize. It is considered the biggest sporting event in the country, and typically attracts thousands of spectators.[1] The course runs from the Hawkesworth Bridge in San Ignacio to the Belcan Bridge in Belize City, a distance of 180 miles (290 km).[1] It is held each year in March and is scheduled to coincide with the weekend of Baron Bliss Day.[2]

History

The event was first proposed by Richard Harrison, a Belizean investor, as a way to promote a new brand of bottled water. Harrison put together a committee to organize the event and found additional sponsors for services and prizes. Although the original purpose of the race was commercial, Harrison also saw it as an opportunity to raise awareness about the environment and the history and culture of the Belize River. The first race included 31 teams and was won by the Hobb brothers from Bullet Tree Falls.[3] About 50 teams now compete each year.[4]

Results

Year Winning team Total time References
1998 Snooty Fox 20:50:58 [5]
1999 Cheers 22:01:15 [5]
2000 Black Rock 22:31:56 [5]
2001 Koop Sheet Metal 20:13:56 [6]
2002 Koop Sheet Metal 18:17:37 [6]
2003 The H Team 19:15:23 [6]
2004 Quality Poultry [7]
2005 Com Get Mi (Big H) 19:19:10 [6]
2006 Belize Bank 17:50:23 [8]
2007 Belize Bank 17:55:34 [8]
2008 CPBL Caribbean Pride 17:22:33 [8]
2009 Belize Bank – Tek it Back 17:54:05 [8]
2010 Ziprider 18:41:07 [8]
2011 Ziprider 18:00:04 [9][10]
2012 Belize Bank Bulldogs 16:36:03 [9][11]
2013 Belize Bank Bulldogs 18:31:21 [9][12]
2014 Belize Bank Bulldogs 17:25:13 [9][13]
2015 BTL Cobb's Arm 17:35:27 [9][14]
2016 Koop Sheet Metal 17:08:46 [15]
2017 NICH 17:50:40 [16]
2018 Koop Sheet Metal 17:08:50 [4][17]
2019 NICH 18:22:11 [18][19]
2020 CORE 18:10:19 [20]
2021 NO RACE
2022 Team PACT 18:14:39 [21]
2023 Slim and Trim Like Guava Limb 18:18;36 [1]

References

  1. ^ a b Peddicord, Kathleen (February 11, 2015). "La Ruta Maya – One of the World's Toughest and Most Historic River Races". The Huffington Post. Retrieved March 4, 2016.
  2. ^ "La Ruta Maya begins on traditional Baron Bliss Day". Amadala. March 9, 2012. Retrieved March 9, 2016.
  3. ^ Harrison, Richard. "The History of La Ruta Maya Belize River Challenge". Belize Hub. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
  4. ^ a b "Belikin La Ruta Maya Statistics for Days 1-4". Facebook. Belikin La Ruta Maya. 14 March 2018. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
  5. ^ a b c "Winner's Circle: 1998 – 2000". La Ruta Maya Belize River Challenge. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  6. ^ a b c d "Winner's Circle: 2001 – 2005". La Ruta Maya Belize River Challenge. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  7. ^ "Quality Poultry wins 7th annual La Ruta Maya River Race". The San Pedro Sun. March 11, 2004. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  8. ^ a b c d e "Winner's Circle: 2006 – 2010". La Ruta Maya Belize River Challenge. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  9. ^ a b c d e "Winner's Circle: 2011 – 2015". La Ruta Maya Belize River Challenge. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  10. ^ "Team Ziprider wins 14th Annual La Ruta Maya River Challenge". The Guardian. Belize. March 10, 2011. Archived from the original on March 9, 2016. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  11. ^ "Belize Bank Bulldogs win the 15th La Ruta Maya River Challenge". The San Pedro Sun. March 14, 2012. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  12. ^ "Belize Bank Bulldogs defend title at the 15th annual La Ruta Maya River Challenge". The San Pedro Sun. March 12, 2013. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  13. ^ "View The Results of The 2014 Belikin La Ruta Maya". Breaking Belize News. Belize Media Group. March 11, 2014. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  14. ^ "BTL Cobb's Arm Takes the 2015 La Ruta Maya River Challenge". The San Pedro Sun. March 12, 2015. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  15. ^ "La Ruta Maya 2016 Overall Results" (PDF). La Ruta Maya Belize River Challenge. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  16. ^ "La Ruta Maya 2017 Final Results". La Ruta Maya Belize River Challenge. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
  17. ^ "Winners 2018". La Ruta Maya Belize River Challenge. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
  18. ^ "La Ruta Maya Belize River Challenge". Facebook. 11 March 2019. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  19. ^ "Team NICH Wins 2019 La Ruta Maya River Challenge!". The San Pedro Sun. 14 March 2019. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  20. ^ "Winners 2020". La Ruta Maya Belize River Challenge. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
  21. ^ "Overall Winners 2022". La Ruta Maya Belize River Challenge. 2022-03-09. Retrieved 2022-03-10.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to La Ruta Maya.
  • Official website
  • Facebook page
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