What's all this talk of a Rickshaw Run?

Imagine the fastest, safest, earth-munching all-terrain vehicle in the world. Then imagine the opposite. Three wheels, half a horse power and more fun than any other vehicle on planet earth the humble Rickshaw is undoubtedly the ultimate long distance, off road machine, despite being designed for short distances on road. Now imagine trying to get the resultant engineering question mark over the Himalayas or the Rajasthan desert.

The Rickshaw Run is pretty simple. With no preparation and less luggage you fly to the Indian Subcontinent and do your damndest to force 150cc glorified lawnmower over thousands of miles of questionable terrain in around two weeks with no support at all. Fools gather from all the corners of the earth to hurt themselves on one of three Rickshaw Runs thundering through India each year. Find out when the next one is here.

The un-route is a wonderful concept which ensures you are free to get into trouble anywhere on the Subcontinent. We give you a beginning and an end roughly 5000km apart but all the mess that goes on in the middle is entirely up to you. The Himalayas, dirt tracks, tropical jungle, monsoons, massive deserts and many other wondrous things await. Have a gander at the un-route page for details. Each Rickshaw Run is kicked off and closed off with a massive party and ceremony followed by a game of cricket against the locals which we lose.

The Rickshaw Run is also about raising huge amounts of wedge for a great cause or two, so to take part you need to raise £1000 for the official charity. Have a peak here for more details.

The rules of the game

1. The on your own rule.

This is exactly what it says on the tin. If you take part in this mother of all Indian adventures you are actually on an adventure, not some poncy guided tour. That means no support trucks taking all the fun out of it. So when you get stuck you have to get yourself unstuck. Simple.

2. The please give us our rickshaw back at some point rule.

We love our rickshaws, probably slightly too much. That means we weep a bit if they go missing. So if you really can't go on you just need to tell us where you are leaving the rickshaw. Also if you completely mangle the beast we will charge you the cost price for us to fix it. We are not talking about scratches and little dents, but if you roll it off a ravine and burn it to a cinder we will need to charge a bit to put her back together.

3. The save part of the world rule.

Since we like planet earth we ask all our teams to raise at least 1000 bits of English gold to give to some amazing charities in India.

4. The not a race rule.

Probably doesn't need explaining.

5. The don't come if you are a wimp rule.

Sometimes people get the wrong idea and find themselves with wet pants and a furious rage on when they discover the Rickshaw Run is not a Thompson beach holiday. This is boring for us to deal with so do think about the reality of putting your life in danger and being smelly and uncomfortable for two weeks. Bliss for some, less so for others.