Imagine driving a pimped rickshaw from Nepal all the way to Cochin in 12 days. Sounds tough! Tell it to the teams that took part in The Rickshaw Run Winter 2009. These guys from various parts of the world fly in with very minimum luggage to scale the subcontinent on 150cc Indian autorickshaws. According the officials this is adventure in the purest form. They are more than proud to say they WILL NOT follow you in a truck with spare parts and a comfy bed. The route changes with every race to make sure it’s a challenge. The routes are vaguely designed to make sure you are not on a guided tour and it takes at least 2 weeks to complete the race. Don’t be surprised if you take 2 years to finish the stretch.
The various teams also need to raise £1000 as charity through the race. The race ends when you reach the finish line. The finish line for the 2009 winter race was at Fort Kochi. There is no huge cheque that would be waiting for you. Just some tea and handshakes and maybe even a game of cricket!
The team that won the winter race calls themselves The Rickshaw RuNZ, a team from New Zealand. Some of the other teams that raced for glory are
- Bollywood Bad Boys – United Kingdom
- Cochin It Home – United Kingdom
- Popadom Express – United Kingdom
- Pappu Can Dance – Sweden
- Rickshaw Knightriders – United Kingdom
- Rickshank Redemption – New Zealand
awesome