Here is some raw footage of 3 days of Chasing La Ruta Maya Canoe Race down the Macal and Belize River.
DAY 1
The following footage begins early morning at the start of the race in San Ignacio and we chased it to Guana Creek Bridge then on to Banana Bank.
DAY 2
Footage of boats arriving at Bermuda Landing
DAY 3
Footage at Burrel Boom
DAY 4
Final, I missed!

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For the past decade, every March hundreds gather in the wee hours of the morning in San Ignacio for the much anticipated start of the Ruta Maya race. This morning it was no different as despite the rains, the crowd swelled to hear the bullhorn sound and the paddlers push off.

Duane Moody, Reporting
The banks of the Mopan River in San Ignacio and Santa Elena was filled with excitement and energy as spectators and competitors of the twelfth annual La Ruta Maya Challenge prepared for its kick off. The event started with entertainment from local artists and the Succotz Marching Band and at seven sharp the race got off. Some ninety plus teams paddled away to complete the first leg of a four-day canoe race.

Orlando Harrison, Chairman, Organizing Comm., La Ruta Maya Challenge
“The race for many years have been increasing in numbers and last year for the first year it fell to the figure of seventy-six canoes and this year we are back up to ninety-four. So we’re pretty excited about that and we feel that it has a lot to do with the race itself. Te interesting part of it is being on the river for the four days of the race. We expect to camp out three nights over four days so tonight we will be in Banana Bank and the following night we stop off at Bermudian Landing and then we will be camping out in Boom for the last night of the race.”

Chairman, Orlando Harrison says spectators along the way provide energy to the competitors.

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In addition to being hailed as Belize's most competitive sporting event, La Ruta Maya River Challenge is also one of the country's largest collaborative conservation efforts. Held in the spirit of preservation and revitalization of Belize's precious waterways, the La Ruta Maya will donate all proceeds to local environmental groups that help sustain and keep the river clean.

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There is a lot of opportunity for outdoor adventure; perhaps the most famous is the La Ruta Maya River Challenge. This is the second longest Canoe Race in the world, lasting four days and 126 miles on the Belize River. The La Ruta Maya is held annually, in March.

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We had first heard about the La Ruta Maya River Challenge from Julian, a friend who was getting established in Belize. "You have to come down here for this race"” he told us. We had a lot of whitewater rafting and kayaking experience, but had never been in a canoe race before. After talking about it for a few months, we finally decided to make the commitment and do it.

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As in 2003, Immarbe are Corporate Sponsors of this is grueling 4-day canoe race traveling 175 miles along the Belize Old River from the historic Hawksworth Bridge in the town of San Ignacio in the foothills of the Maya Mountains to the Belcan Bridge in Belize City.

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This year's race was the first either of us had ever attended and we didn't want to miss any of the action. In our excitement to catch the 6 AM start of La Ruta Maya River Challenge 2003, JC and I made our way to the banks of the Macal River near the Hawkesworth Bridge in San Ignacio at 4 AM.

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"I just wanted to cross the finish line," confides Bob.

"I wanted to try it at least once," agrees Tony who pauses before admitting, "I knew I could complete the race. I was doing it to win."

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The 2001 La Ruta Maya/Belize River Challenge, scheduled for March 8th - 11th, 2001, will feature a San Pedro presence this year. One of two, all-women Peace Corp teams includes local Jill Hepp of Green Reef. Joining her are teammates Katie Meehan and Liz Panessa, Peace Corp volunteers from Belmopan and Dangriga. Their team, "Destiny's Child," is sponsored by Chaa Creek Natural History Center.

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La Ruta Maya was featured in an article in an Austrian magazine!
The article is written in German.

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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.

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