H Team wins Ruta Maya

When we last left the flotilla of canoes, they were pulling up to Banana Bank to spend the first of three nights en route to the finish line in Belize City. And it is at the Belcan Bridge where cameraman George Tillett found them on Monday morning.

Janelle Chanona, Reporting

After four days of aching backs, tired buts and sore arms, the sight of the Haulover Bridge signalled the end of a long, arduous journey for the participants in La Ruta Maya Belize River Challenge 2003. But these brave souls were determined to finish in record time.

On Friday, eighty-two boats left the Hawkesworth Bridge in San Ignacio, but on Monday morning, it was the men from the “H” team and the crew from Pine Lumber Company, who battled for top honours. The crowd on the Belcan bridge greeted Pine Lumber first…but the clock gave the H team, sponsored by Brothers Habet the big W.

Alex Lisbey, H-Team

“I feel great again because for four years now I am holding it as the champ, so I feel great about that…I haven’t made up my mind whether I’ll stay with the H team or with Koop, I don’t know who I’ll run with next, year but there’s a whole year to decide yet…I enjoy it a lot.”

Caesar Bedran, Team Manager, H-Team

“We really feel good this year. Something right must come along some time or the other so I waited six years for this and it feel really, really good.”

And just to prove to the crowd, just how good they felt, to the victors went the spoils…and the grease…greasy pole that is.

(H Team climbing the greasy pole)

Finishing behind the H Team were the boats of Pine Lumber, Koop Sheet Metal, Programme for Belize and Belize Bank. The young ladies of Auxillou Suites won the female division, Neon Plastics took the mixed category, Chaa Creek topped the Masters class, Western Diesel won in the dory competition, Sacred Heart beat out the rest of the intramural division, while IMMARBE finished on top of the pleasure craft category.