La Ruta Maya

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]

Competitors at the 2016 La Ruta Maya

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
YearWinning teamTotal timeReferences
1998Snooty Fox20:50:58[5]
1999Cheers22:01:15[5]
2000Black Rock22:31:56[5]
2001Koop Sheet Metal20:13:56[6]
2002Koop Sheet Metal18:17:37[6]
2003The H Team19:15:23[6]
2004Quality Poultry[7]
2005Com Get Mi (Big H)19:19:10[6]
2006Belize Bank17:50:23[8]
2007Belize Bank17:55:34[8]
2008CPBL Caribbean Pride17:22:33[8]
2009Belize Bank – Tek it Back17:54:05[8]
2010Ziprider18:41:07[8]
2011Ziprider18:00:04[9][10]
2012Belize Bank Bulldogs16:36:03[9][11]
2013Belize Bank Bulldogs18:31:21[9][12]
2014Belize Bank Bulldogs17:25:13[9][13]
2015BTL Cobb's Arm17:35:27[9][14]
2016Koop Sheet Metal17:08:46[15]
2017NICH17:50:40[16]
2018Koop Sheet Metal17:08:50[4][17]
2019NICH18:22:11[18][19]
2020CORE18:10:19[20]

References
  1. 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. "Belikin La Ruta Maya Statistics for Days 1-4". Facebook. Belikin La Ruta Maya. 14 March 2018. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
  5. "Winner's Circle: 1998 – 2000". La Ruta Maya Belize River Challenge. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  6. "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. "Winner's Circle: 2006 – 2010". La Ruta Maya Belize River Challenge. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  9. "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.
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