Under a cacophony of sound, colour and excitement, 70 teams from 20 countries were flagged off from Fort Cochin driving three-wheeled auto-rickshaws on the 4000 kilometre Cochin to Gangtok Rickshaw Rally. With each team comprising anything from 1 to 4 members, the event drew 170 amateur adventurists from around the world to participate in the charity rally. The teams have no set route, no professional drivers, no back up or support of any kind and will face some of the toughest driving conditions in the world. Organised by the UK based company, The Adventurists, the Rickshaw Run is an extreme fortnight of mud, sweat, mountains, jungles and possibly the most difficult roads in the world. The participants range in age from 18 - 66 years and come from all walks of life including students, stock brokers, and retirees. For many, the run provides a wonderful opportunity to mix fun, excitement and fulfill a personal challenge. It is also designed to raise money for 2 charities in India, the Frank Water Projects and the Mercy Corps charity.
Tom Morgan, the founder of The Adventurists and Rickshaw Run said so far at least £70,000 has been raised by the teams for the official charities."Cochin is a favourite place to kick-off or finish the rally and we will have Cochin as a fixed destination as we consider it the home of the Rickshaw Run. We hope to make it bigger and raise more money for the next run in January 2011," he added. Adventure tourism is still a relatively new segment for Kerala, but it is fast catching the fancy of in-bound tourists. Dr Venu, Secretary Kerala Tourism said that the Rickshaw Run clearly demonstrates that Kerala is becoming a base for adventure tourism. "We already have bicycle rallies, trekking tours and a paragliding fest and the rickshaw run is an added product to attract soft adventure tourists".
The Director of Kerala Tourism said that a non mainstream event like this opens up a new audience, namely the youth market which is a segment the organisation is keep to tap. "The youth market is also very active in the social media space and we are keen to capitalise on this" he added. Around 10,000 people are said to view the official website www.rickshawrun.com each day during the rally. The 70 teams are expected to finish in Gangtok, Sikkim on Saturday, April 10. The Adventurists hold other adventure and cross country rallies in Mongolia, South America and Africa, but the Rickshaw Run in India is said to be the most popular. The demand for 2 weeks of cross continent adventure in a three wheeler is so high that three Rickshaw Runs a year will be held from now on.