My friends at Pau Hana Surf Supply are in San Ignacio, Belize for the race of their lives – La 
Ruta Maya River Challenge! La Ruta Maya Belize River Challenge is a grueling multi-day canoe race traveling a perilous river route across Belize. The route runs West to East along the Macal and Belize Rivers, in the foothills of the Maya Mountains, and the bustling port of Belize City. With 170 miles of river racing, it is more than just a race!
The Pau Hana crew, Todd Caranto and Royce Hanamaikai, are already in Belize with trainer, Nick Troutman and racer, Shane Perrin for prerace preparations in San Ignacio. Shane is currently training on a stand-up paddleboard, PauHana Big EZ, in Class 2/3 rapids for the race. He was asked in late January to take on this race so it only gave him five weeks of training. The race is 170 miles spread out over four days. Day one is 50 miles; day two is 60 miles; day three is 35 miles, and day four is 25 miles. While racing, Shane will not have ground support, which means that he’ll be carrying everything he needs for the entire day on the board.
After each day’s mileage is complete, they are going to get the people of Belize out on paddleboards so they can experience it for the first time. Todd, co-owner of Pau Hana Surf Supply, is the mastermind behind the entire trip. He set everything up and contracted a film crew to capture the whole experience in a documentary. They’re helping others complete their bucket list while living their own bucket list dreams.
Pau Hana Surf Supply are really breaking new ground with this expedition. In the race’s 15 year history, there have only been three man canoes allowed to enter. Shane is the first stand-up paddle boarder allowed to race.
Stay tuned for the results of Shane’s first race, La Ruta Maya!
Check out the prerace preparation photos in San Ignacio
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