Day 9: Monkey Business

 

 
Leaving Tirunelveli, the route quickly became quite a challenge, with the many hills to climb. There were plenty stunning views to admire, but participants had to concentrate on keeping their rickshaws (and their weak engines!). Narrow roads and tight turns tested the teams to the limit, and some of the vehicles couldn’t handle the pressure. However, the breakdowns were quickly fixed by the ever-reliable Chennai Garage boys.
The teams were heading to India’s Southern tip at Kanyakumari. On the way they stopped at Sorumutthu, where participants were instructed to take a photo; not the easiest task, when the place was filled with pilgrims. After this everyone headed to the Papanasam Dam and then on to Manumuthar Falls, a traditional spot where locals bathe. Teams had to be careful though; leaving their rickshaws unattended to even a brief moment meant risking the chance of hijack by monkey! These tricky characters seemed very keen on the team’s brightly coloured vehicles, searching for food and even trying to snatch a first aid kit!
And finally they reached Kanyakumari, famous for its “Sunset Point”, where it’s possible to watch the setting sun or rising moon behind three seas at once: the Indian Ocean, the Arabian Sea, and the Bay of Bengal. Reaching the tip of a continent is always a special moment, but the teams couldn’t relax yet: they still had one day left to go.
 

Day 10: Superman to the rescue

 

 
And so on Day 10 the Classic Run teams headed North-West towards Trivandrum (officially named Thiruvananthapuram) the capital of the beautiful state of Kerala. However, the state unfortunately has recently banned all alcohol, meaning no champagne at the finish line, and thorough checks at the border. The day’s journey, a rather short 90km, was mainly along stunning beach road. There were several breakdowns along the way, but all were swiftly dealt with, including the miraculous arrival (pictured above) of “Cooperman”, ready to save the day at the last moment! When teams arrived they were surprisingly confronted with a pack of journalists. However, the Classic Run wasn’t the reason for the media frenzy, it turned out Kerala’s Chief Minister was holding a meeting nearby.
 
And so the Classic Run was over: congratulations to all the teams! We hope you had an incredible time, and maybe we’ll see you on a Travel Scientists adventure some time in the future. But first, the results from the final award ceremony…
 
 

Classic Run Winners: Magic Bird

 

 
Throughout the Classic Run teams were set many tasks to earn points, as well as being rewarded for inventive and extravagant costumes. The winners of the overall prize where Team Magic Bird, a newly-wed couple from the United States, who continually impressed with their various outfits and commitment to the challenges! Their title of Rickshaw Challenge Classic Run 2017 champions was well deserved.
 

Bonkers Award Winners: Cock & Pullet

 

 
However, that wasn’t the only award given out. Equally cherished is the Bonkers Award, for the team who are just that little bit crazier than the rest. There was tough competition, but nobody can doubt that the Cock and Pullet team, from Australia, livened up each day with their very recognizable costumes! If travelling 1000 km in Southern India dressed as a cock isn’t bonkers… what is?!
 

Charity Winners: World Teacher Aid

 

 
The final prize of the Rickshaw Challenge Classic Run was the Charity Award which was deservedly run by Team World Teacher Aid. Amy, Carey, and Irene (from Canada, the US, and Kenya) raised an astonishing $12,0000 for charity. Amy is the founder of World Teacher Aid (a Canadian charity dedicated to improving education in the developing world), Carey is the charity’s Operations Manager, while Irene is the founder and director of World Teacher Aid’s Kenyan partner organisation VICDA. Many congratulations to their team, and everyone else on the challenge who raised money for charity. It’s great that the Rickshaw Challenge was not only a fun adventure, but will help the lives of children in India and elsewhere!
 
 

The Participants

The route

 

 
Though a challenging distance, the rally travels down the beautiful and varied Malabar Coast, which also features on the Malabar Rampage and Mumbai Xpress Rickshaw Challenges. The route passes the famous beaches of Goa and through Kerala, with its delicious cuisine, as the event heads towards its final destination of Kanyakumari in Southern Tamilnadu. It’s not just a race: along the way participants are required to carry out weird and wonderful challenges.
 
 

 
If the FFLV tuk tuk challenge has inspired you, why not participate in a Rickshaw Challenge yourself. On the Malabar Rampage and Mumbai Xpress you’ll see the same incredible Malabar Coast. However, if you can’t wait till next year, the Classic Run, a ten-day rickshaw adventure from Chennai to Trivandrum, is scheduled for December 28th. You’ll race 1000km through magical Tamilnadu, ending up in the deep South of India. Alternatively, if you want to organise a private event yourself, the Travel Scientists are always available to help!
 

Day 3

 
On the morning of the 17th when I reached hotel around 7 am, Team 8, 9 and 10 were already waiting at the hotel lobby. As usual the luggage tags were distributed and they tagged their bags and went for breakfast. All the teams had arrived by 7.30 am. The roundtable members joined us at 7.45 am to do the flag off. The briefing was given at 8 am and all the teams were briefed about the road condition, day’s activity and about the base hotel. Then the Roundtablers introduced themselves and spoke about their projects. Finally the teams were flagged off at 8.30 am. Whaav! Most of the teams had nice costumes and some of the teams had done nice makeovers for the vehicle. A special mention to Team 4 (Neruppu Da) for their makeover in honour of recent hit Tamil movie Kabali. The Luggage truck left immediately and the support waited for an hour before they left. I managed to start around the same time when the support team started. When I closed in for the first activity challenge at Sadras Dutch fort I could see 4 to 5 teams either leaving plus some on their way to the fort.
 

 
When I was closing in for the second activity challenge, I received a call from Team 5 who had run out of petrol.  I helped them organize and they got back on road.  The rest of the day went by without any calls and all the teams arrived in the hotel well on time. Team 8 came and told us about the their experience of flat tires and how locals had helped them. Most of the teams planned their own evenings and I met few of them in the beach walking. The day was almost full moon and the moon was rising on the horizon at around 7.30 pm: it was a beautiful sight for an enjoyable walk in the beach side.
 

 

Day 4

 
The early birds of team 10 – the Contemporary nomads – were there before I came to lobby at 7 am. Well within half an hour all the teams dropped their bags and went for breakfast. Being a long day with narrow roads, I had warned the teams to keep up their time on an activity packed day. The first call came from Team 10 at around 12.30 am and they were closing in on the Vaitheeswaran Koil activity. The service team took no time as they were close and the problem was sorted out. At Vaitheeswaran Koil I met Team 7 and Team 5. The rest of the day went without any problem. All teams came to Tanjavur right on time and most of them jumped in to the pool of the base hotel Parisutham. Team 6 Rayan went on a drinking spree and had to sleep out of their room as it got locked. This he told me when I met him the next morning…
 

 

Day 5

 
Driving to a small hill station, Yercaud, was the agenda for the day. The teams were tasked with a photo challenge. Team 4 and Team 10 left early to avoid excess heat and traffic. But things did not go according to the plan. Team 4 had a break down just before Tiruchi. They lost lot of time but got back on road before the service team could reach them. Rest was all smooth until I got the call from the luggage truck. We realised we had given a wrong address for the hotel. They we took some correction measure through message and facebook.  Team 2 had some break down before a place called Musuri and it was set right by our service team.  The first team to arrive in the base hotel was Team 4 and one by one all of them came with the last team arriving at 6.30 pm.  Few of them claimed the different road (Google mistake). Team 11 missed the hotel and went to the wrong address, but came back to the right address eventually. This meant everyone was accounted for and ready to continue the Tamilnadu Run the next morning!