The brave teams currently thundering forth across India are very likely mopping their brows a little more often than previous Runners on the hottest ever Rickshaw Run.
Wobbling across India on three wheels with an engine fit for a lawnmower is always a tricky affair. The route of the adventure changes each time and weather conditions have always ranged from rather urgent attempts to stay just ahead of the impending monsoon, to the heat of the jungles and plains and milder misty mornings of the hillstations.
This time round though, there's no doubting the prevailing weather for the Spring teams. Some are calling it a heat wave out here, with temperatures in some parts reaching a very sweaty 46 degrees Celsius. One report from the road put it simply: “Today is HOT!”
The teams that headed further north via Varanasi are seeing the highest temperatures. One team described sitting in the back of the rickshaw like having a hair dryer on full force in your face. After checking the records of the previous runs, The Adventurists India Branch reports that this is by far the hottest Rickshaw Run since the adventure opened its doors in December 2006.
As these mighty iconic three wheeled machines were built for short urban hops and are air cooled (meaning they don't have a radiator like a car) the amount of breakdowns is likely to set an all time record as the tiny engines carry the perspiring teams towards the finish.
So the scale of adventurism is as high as the temperature as teams battle to keep their Rickshaws going and maintain morale in what is not only the hottest but the hardest Rickshaw Run so far. To increase the pickle the adventurists find themselves in, the Indian elections have meant for some that just when a major repair is needed everyone is rather more concerned about casting their vote. But the teams are marching onward, chins up and heading west towards the probably very enticing coastal breeze on the coast of Goa at the finish line!
To see team photos from the road click here.