The controversy in the canoeing community continues to rage over where the Ruta Maya race will end. But tonight, Bowen & Bowen has somewhat distanced itself from the organizers of the 2026 Belikin La Ruta Maya and is calling for what the company calls a breaking of bread, or, as they put it in branded terms, a "Belikin Meet-Up". They are calling on the Canoe Association, the race organizers, the Harrison family, Search and Rescue and other stakeholders to sit down together "over a Belikin" and have an honest conversation about the race. Well, the paddlers are starting to put options on the table on how they will "protest" against the decision made to end the race at The Grand Resort and Residences at the Haulover bridge. Today we spoke with Vice President of the Belize Canoe Association, Elvin Penner who is sending a threat to Love FM that if they do not change the location for the ending and return it to the Belcan bridge, there will be repercussions:
Elvin Penner, Vice-President - Belize Canoe Association
"It's pretty much a one man show and it has been a one man show for the most part of the La Ruta Maya, they have made a choice too end this year's race at the very unstable, unprepared, dangerous location, hazardous location without consulting any key stakeholders in the race"
"So if I were in the position that Belikin or Bowen and Bowen finds themselves in right now, I would distance myself from the organization and make it known that their goal is definitely to support the race and the paddlers and the entities that make the race. So I applaud them for doing that. I think it's a bit late, even for them, because they have been through Love fm associated with the actual name of the race which I think was very unfair and I've spoken about this before, but I applaud them for at least now implying that they would like to, I think one of their suggestions is that we should sit down over a beer which of course I disagree with having use that particular slogan but it Is name branding that they're doing which all companies have the right to do their own name branding. So I applaud them for having distanced themselves now from the organizers and are willing to listen to us "
"We have a meeting on Saturday where we'll bring this whole situation to our membership and then I'll be able to speak on behalf of the Belize Canoe Association"
"I will applaud Belikin or Bowen and Bowen to have made this distinction cause this gives them a chance to continue being a part of the race even when Love FM is not and I'm saying this, this is not a threat to Love FM, this is a promise that if they do not change back the race finish to Belcan Bridge, if they do not change the race finish back to Belcan Bridge, I anticipate the paddlers to do some serious protesting during this race trying to to hurt the race but to hurt the common enemy, I will say common enemy which is the organizers who obviously have no regards for us "
Penner has been the lead voice since the decision for the change was made and he gave us insight into the options on the table. Penner explained that on Saturday they will be having a meeting and a decision will be made by members of the association after which they will choose how to proceed. Here are some of the options they are considering:
Elvin Penner, Vice-President - Belize Canoe Association
"The suggestions on social media and I've gotten a lot of calls from paddlers and sponsors, and past presidents of the association and past winners of the race uhm, to boycott the race, if the paddlers say well we still want to boycott the race then none of our association paddlers will paddle this race. We can't force them to paddle the race, they tell us what to do, we don't tell them what to do. We represent them, we have a civic duty to represent them because they elect us."
"The other suggestion on the table is to totally boycott Love fm as the promoters of the race, that none of our teams, none of the Belize Canoe Association members give Love fm or any entity of Love fm one interview during the race. Not one."
"The other one of course is do you wanna do more, do we wanna protest even harder, and actually do what you were suggesting that paddlers said to finish the race at Belcan bridge because the Ruta Maya this year is finishing at the Grand Resort. But we don't have to go into that compound, we can do something where we invite our paddlers at Belcan bridge so they just simply have to paddle half an hour longer, to get to the point where we are all going to welcome them, which would totally defy them having wanted to stop it at that dangerous point at the Haulover Bridge."
The race is a week away and we'll see how things unfold in the next few days.
