The Rickshaw Run is pretty simple. With no preparation and less luggage you fly to India and do your damndest to force an old 150cc rickshaw over 3000 kilometres of questionable terrain in around two weeks, on a vehicle that has a tendency to break down every 3 hours.
A group of friends Gavin McKew, 26 from Whitehaven Paul Seager, 26 from Whitehaven & Justin McMahon, 28 from Leicester are travelling across India on the Rickshaw Run, not such a big story, however travelling on a Rickshaw (7bh, 3 wheeled motorised golf cart with a top speed of 35mph) is a little bit more than temperamental.
Gavin says “I am a little nervous about the trip and at the same time, very excited. It will be a physically demanding 2 weeks but we will get to see India in the raw, and help people less fortunate than ourselves.”
The friends with the team name “In-dia Straits” will start in Cochin southern India on the 28 March 2010, taking their three wheeled treasure up the west coast through overgrown jungle onto Goa and Mumbai (formally Bombay) then continuing north through desert towards the Taj Mahal ending up at the Jaisalmer (nicknamed the golden city) on the 11 April, well hopefully. With no backup support or a definitive route, who knows what could happen.
The reasoning behind this crazy idea is to raise money for three charities which are close to the lads’ hearts, Annie Mawsons Sunbeams music trust - which is an award winning charity that provides Music for Life to people with special needs throughout the North of England. They provide over 100 live music workshops per month to people who are disadvantaged. The service is available to children and adults with a wide variety of special needs including physical disabilities and mental health problems, Alzheimers and senile dementia, cerebral palsy, autism, Down's Syndrome, sensory impairments, emotional and behavioural disturbance and profound multiple disabilities. The most important achievements, however, are those that they share with their clients and musicians.
