Ruta Maya Launches as Paddles Drown Out the Controversy

After weeks of controversy, and even talk of a boycott, the paddles are finally in the water. The annual La Ruta Maya Belize River Challenge pushed off this morning from the Hawkesworth Bridge, where dozens of canoe teams launched into the Macal River. Tension over changes to the traditional finish line had dominated the buildup, but today, all eyes were back on the competition. News Five’s Shane Williams was on the riverbank in Santa Elena as the four‑day adventure officially got underway.

 

Shane Williams, Reporting

With one sharp blast, all the noise and controversy around this year’s Ruta Maya Challenge suddenly gave way to something far more familiar, the splash of paddles hitting the water and the cheers rising from the riverbank. The shadow cast over the prestigious event is being luminated by the surge of brightly colored canoes. For the next few days, participants and fans get to focus on just the race. For the organizers, it was a moment that brought both excitement and relief. Vice-Chair of the Ruta Maya Committee Roberto Harrison is pleased the event is finally happening, even if the number of teams at the starting line was lower than expected.

 

Roberto Harrison, Vice-Chairman, La Ruta Maya Committee

“It’s always exciting to be out here in, in a morning like this. You start to see people coming in paddlers coming in. And we registered fifty-eight pad – team, sorry. So we are quite excited with that number. We had hoped that we have had at least sixty-five teams registering, but nonetheless, I think a good show by the teams. It’s always exciting. It chills you up. It, you know that after six, seven months of work. Planning it, that is finally started. And again we were hoping for a bit little better participation from teams, but we’re still, we are still supportive and have done everything to make the road this the water, a safe one for the four days.”

 

Spectators packed the riverbank for the start, but the field on the water is clearly thinner than in past years. The race hit its peak back in 2010 with one hundred and one teams; this year, only fifty-eight showed up. According to Mayor Earl Trapp, the dispute leading up to the event likely discouraged both paddlers and supporters from turning out for the launch.

 

Earl Trapp, Mayor, San Ignacio and Santa Elena

“I welcome it because of the main reason that this is a tourism destination and when we can invite visitors from home and abroad to come and do an overnight stay here in San Ignacio. I’m sure that will have trickle down effect that they will have a nice experience. And in turn they will encourage friends and families to come and visit. But as well I am very much grateful for the awareness that this is creating in terms of our environment, and we must do all we can to keep our natural resources clean and preserve it for our future generations. When I looked at the crowd while walking across the bridge this morning, the Lion Bridge on, I was about almost six-thirty and the crowd for sure have been a. Cut down from what I saw last year.”

 

Still, once the starting horn sounded the focus quickly shifted to the intense battle on the water. Teams paddled through the winding Macal and Belize Rivers, racing toward the initial finish line at Banana Bank. However, this leg of the race was over pretty early with team PACT On Track opening a two-minute plus gap at the Georgeville service point on the way to a dominant day one victory. Team organizer Francis Usher says the early lead reflects months of preparation, discipline and leadership of Olympian Amado Cruz.

 

Francis Usher, Manager, PACT On Track

“Let’s start with  PACT On Track led by who I would say and is widely considered the best paddler in Belize’s history, Amado Cruz, Belize’s only canoeing and kayaking Olympian. He’s paddling with his cousin and his nephew, Christian Lopez and Enrique Cruz. They’ve been training together since November of last year. They are ready. They’re in really good shape. And you notice typically when you get past branch mouth and get to Esperanza. You still have a lot of teams together. We had a forty second gap there. And I only look for the gap to increase, but I don’t want jinx it too early. But I have the utmost confidence that team PACT On Track will continue to do well.”

 

With three more demanding days ahead and almost a hundred and thirty miles of river still to navigate, teams will now set their sights on maintaining pace and organizers are hoping for better turnout as the race draws closer to Haulover bridge. Shane Williams for News Five.

 

Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.

 

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