Cross country canoe race kicks off in Cayo
The last time so many people paddled down the Belize River may have been a thousand years ago… when dugout canoes filled with Maya merchants were paddled toward the coast to trade corn, cacao and cotton for jade, obsidian and sting ray spines. But the men and women propelling these narrow craft are in it more for the fun than the money. Patrick Jones reports from Cayo.
Patrick Jones
“It’s dawn on a Friday on the Macal River in Cayo and whatever has got so many people up and about this early must be something big.”
Three weeks of frenzied preparation has all boiled down to this one moment, the start of the first ever “Ruta Maya River Challenge.”
Richard Harrison, Organizer
“As you know the Belize Old River has a very long history. It is not just the recent history of logwood cutting and chicle trading in this river. This river obviously goes back to the time of the Maya civilization here right. And basically what we’re trying to do is to merge those two cultures, right.”
Thirty one teams of three each took off from San Ignacio a little after six o’clock Friday morning. Destination, Belize City.
Richard Merrill, Love FM
“It will retrace the historic highway of Belize between San Ignacio and Belize City. It hasn’t been that long, if there were no highways across the country and this river was the highway.”
Organizers of the Ruta Maya River Challenge are hoping that this once busy highway will spring to life again and do more than just add a bit of adventure to the lives of the participants.
Mike Green, Organizer
“We wanna open up the Belize River to tourism as it hasn’t been utilized in years and years now. We wanna bring out the history of the Old River. We want to look at the environmental conditions along the river and of course bring tourism down that stretch of the river to hopefully help some of the villages along that river: More Tomorrow, Never Delay. These little villages that are so important in the history of Belize.”
Richard Harrison
“Basically what we have done here, we have created a national event a new sport – canoeing in Belize. And we’re taking a 175 mile treck – one of the longest water races in the Central America. We’re building tourism on the Belize River which is a huge natural resource for Belize. We’re also building, within the tourism and the consciousness of the environment and culture and history. So basically what we’re talking about is an eco-cultural development of tourism on the river.”
Although these are no professional canoeists – and no that’s not rumpelstiltskin – the response to the challenge has been surprisingly enthusiastic. For some the decision to enter the race was made at the very last minute, while for others, paddling 175 miles was nothing out of the ordinary.
Julian Sherrard
“Well it’s a bit of a secret so we’re not going to tell what we’ve done so far. Of course on such short notice that we were given by the whole “La Ruta Maya River Challenge” association or whosoever put it together. Next year we already have some ideas for next year, on what we’re going to do to make the canoe a more fine tuned machine and ahm, also for the guys to get more physically ready for the challenge.”
Nicole Gerardo
“Well we’re all archaeologists and ecologists working up at El Pilar and so we’ve been lifting a lot of rocks and we move a lot of dirt around so that’s pretty good preparation.”
Q: “Do you think you’re ready for 175 miles on the Belize River?”
Henry Link
“Well ready or not, here it comes right.”
The race is set out in stages and the various station prizes along the way should keep the energy flowing. Beyond that, the rules are pretty straightforward.
Mike Green
“The stipulations are, you gotta be really tough. This is a three man contest, three people per boat approximately a hundred and seventy five moving fifty to sixty miles per day”
But with little by way of obstacles, perhaps the greatest challenge the teams will experience along the way is mother nature.
Thomas Green, Grand Marshall
“But more down the river change, plenty. You know that is some part wash way with flood and things like that.”
And he should know, having spent the better part of his ninety one years traveling up and down the Belize River. But these adventuring men and women think they’ve got what it takes to overcome anything that the elements throws at them.
Menno Penner
“I think I am not very good at the paddling but I think I have the best boat.”
Q: “And what are your predictions for when the race reaches Belize City?”
Menno Penner
“Well I don’t know. I think we’ll win something.”
Julian Sherrard
“There are many shallow places along the rocks and many, many and even worst down towards Belize City the breeze will be blowing up the river there will be no current at all and that’s when stamina will come in and that will separate the men from the boys.”
Evaristo Avea
“The best preparation with it was a mental one because we did not have the enough time to do all the physical preparations but we believe are still prepared to go on this race today.”
And whatever strategy this young fellow has for winning the four day race, it?s something he definitely preferred to keep to himself. By the look of things, today’s race could very well be the start of something that reap huge benefits not only for the sponsors but also for those who look to the river for their daily survival.
Patrick Jones
“The next 175 miles are going to be exciting, adventurous and challenging for these men and women and even though only one team gets to take home the trophy at the end of the race they can all count themselves winners for they will get to see parts of the country that other people only hear about or see on TV. From the banks of the Macal River in Cayo, Patrick Jones for News Five.”
Organizers say that barring the unexpected, the first finishers should arrive at the Belize City Swing Bridge by around ten on Monday morning.
