On January 1st 60 brave teams from 13 different countries will celebrate the New Year by driving a tiny three-wheeled tuk-tuk from a beach in Pondicherry, south India, to the misty hillstation of Shillong in the distant north west over 2000 miles away.
Organised by The Adventurists, the Rickshaw Run Winter 2009 will be an extreme fortnight of mud, sweat, mountains, jungles and possibly the worst roads in the world. The Run is a simple, intentionally ridiculous and hugely popular adventure designed to raise money for charities in India and guarantee the very tallest of tales to bore your grandchildren with.
There is no set route, no professional drivers, little preparation and absolutely no back up. It’s not a race, it’s about getting lost and stuck then getting yourself out of it. The finish line doesn’t have a clock to mark the teams’ arrival times, it has cucumber sandwiches, much back-slapping and a huge party.
Tom Morgan, who was told the Run was impossible but created it anyway, is also running the New Year adventure, and said:
"This is the 5th Rickshaw Run and the start and finish lines change each time to make it slightly harder. This time round it’s a south to north long distance corker, but what happens along the way is entirely down to the teams and their ability to wangle themselves out of all the potential pickles they’ll find themselves in.
"The great thing about the Run is that it’s a proper adventure that forces people to get out into the world, with nobody wiping their backside with the double-velvet tyranny of a boring itinerary!"
The teams are an eclectic bunch including a 21 year old Californian student; a writer from New Zealand living in Papa New Guinea; a 54 year old former Mounted Policeman from Canada; a Singaporean TV Producer and a Maths Teacher from Denmark.
Paul Harold, 38 year old Finance Manager from Newcastle, UK described his adventuring profile as:
"Six foot ten (so should have no trouble at all fitting into a rickshaw, right?) … No practical skills at all, unless you count gardening which is sure to be really useful."
Graham Mattock, also from the UK said:
"I’ve always wanted to travel across India, so this is a great way to do it. It’s going to be way better than a boring beach holiday. Plus we’ll be raising money for charities that work in India so it really ticks all the boxes for us."
Each team has to raise £1000 which is donated directly to the Official Charities, FRANK Water Projects and Mercy Corps. An important part of The Adventurists’ masterplan is that each event brings massive benefits to the countries who make it all possible.
Katie Alcott, founder of FRANK Water Projects said:
"The teams will be raising an amazing £30,000 for FRANK which will provide clean, safe, 5-filtered drinking water for over 25,000 people living in rural India. The enthusiasm of the participants for fundraising has been overwhelming, with many teams hoping to raise much more than expected. Teams will also be offered the opportunity to visit projects that were funded by previous Rickshaw Runs, highlighting the transformation that a clean water facility offers such communities."
You can follow the adventure with live updates from the teams including a position tracking system, SMS messages from the road, photos, videos and blogs. The mighty three-wheeled adventure wobbles into action on New Year’s Day: