The Hampshire competitors were among 34 teams and 75 people from 7 countries who took up the challenge and raised the money to buy their auto-Rickshaws for the grueling trek. The Rickshaw Run began in Cochin in Southern India on 28 December. Following a game of cricket, the teams set off on their own routes to Darjeeling in the North East - some 2,000 miles away. The streets of Darjeeling came to a standstill when the successful teams held a parade through the heart of the hill station to celebrate completing the marathon just three weeks later.
 | | The Rickshaw Run routes |
The 150cc vehicles are notoriously uncomfortable, noisy and wouldn't be the first choice of transport to get through jungles and mountain ranges in searing heat. No accommodation or support was organised for the teams, they had minimal mechanical knowledge and had never driven the motorised three-wheelers before a test-drive in Southampton just before Christmas. All the teams commented that it would not have been possible without the help of countless local people along the way. It was all organised by Tom Morgan from Chichester who created a similar 'Mongol Run' last year - a 9,000 mile drive in domestic cars from London to Mongolia which was won by two women in a Fiat Panda. Tom explained that there is a charity element to the adventure - the rickshaws are being given to Mercy Corps, who will lease them to local families: "The normal life of a rickshaw driver can be quite hard. They don't have the capital to buy a rickshaw in the first place so they end up with a difficult loan which they have to pay off or they rent one which takes a large percentage of their daily income. So hopefully this will go some way to alleviating poverty." Overall the event hopes to raise between £35,000 and £45,000 for charity. | 
