2023 BTB Love Belize Sea Challenge: A Race Rooted in History

Tomorrow marks the start of the 2023 BTB Love Belize Sea Challenge kayaking competition. The competition kicks off at seven a.m. from Thrillz at Haynes Beach in Punta Gorda. The event will see six teams competing for cash prizes and the glory of being the victor in one of the most intense sporting challenges in Belize. The route for the six-day race spans from Punta Gorda Town, Toledo to Corozal Town, Corozal, covering a total of two hundred eighteen miles. Dr. Rene Villanueva Senior, Chairman of the Board of the BTB Love Belize Sea Challenge, said that the competition is rooted in love for Belize and an appreciation of the country’s History. He explained that some time ago in Belize, boats were the major means of travel and that the route for the race goes along the same path many of those boats took.

The competition is on its third installment. It started in 2018 and continued in 2019 but had to pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Belize Tourism Board, the major sponsor in the competition says that with sports tourism being an emerging trend, the race has increased potential for growth. Josue Carballo, Director of Industry Development for the BTB, said that one of the major goals of the event is to attract international paddlers to the event, which will give Belize even greater exposure as a prime destination within the region.