The Indian Autorickshaw Challenge (also known as Rickshaw Challenge) is an international autorickshaw rally self-styled as ‘an amazing race for the clinically insane’. The entrants use the ubiquitous Autorickshaw or Tuk-Tuk, workhorse of the urban east, to cross large portions of the Indian sub-continent in a matter of days. The simplicity of the Autorickshaw and the diversity of the landscape requires ingenuity and intrepid spirits from its participants. The Rickshaw Challenge currently has four distinct events. The most popular of them are the Classic Run and the Mumbai Xpress. Each of these two rallies is designed as an escapade to test the entrant’s levels of endurance and perseverance, as well as for humanitarian projects, but are essentially not geared towards racing or competition, maintaining the spirit of the amateur adventurer.
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The Classic Run
This is the shorter and lower impact of the two events, spanning roughly 1000 kilometres, across 12 districts and one Union territory. The daily stretches can be up to 200 kilometres long, and can be strewn with significant natural and human obstacles, ranging from densely packed urban sprawl to monsoon rains to uncooperative cows on the roadways.
The route is within the southern Indian province of Tamil Nadu, and extends down the southern coast of India between the start lines in Besant Nagar Beach, Chennai to the checkered flag in Kanniyakumari at the sub-continent's southern tip.
The championship itself is composed of a series of activities along the route designed to challenge physical and mental agility, with points being awarded for their completion in addition to completing that day's particular route.
Additional Rallies
The Rickshaw Challenge also includes the Tech Raid, an autorickshaw tour that starts in Chennai and ends in Hyderabad as well as the Malabar Rampage, which starts and ends in Chennai.
Humanitarian Focus
One of the most important elements of both the Classic Rally and the Mumbai Xpress Rally is their association with Round Table India. Participants of these events are encouraged to raise funds towards charitable efforts in Tamil Nadu and across India.