Aussie couple head to India for rickshaw race

Never one to shy away from an adventure, former ABC Rural Reporter Alice Plate is about to embark on her next challenge. Alice and partner Alistair Stewart will drive a 145cc, seven horsepower, three-wheeled, giraffe-print Rickshaw named Felix, 2500 kilometres from the north to the south of India, taking part in the infamous Rickshaw Run.

“We’re basically jumping in a glorified lawnmower,” Alice said. “It’s going to be chaotic, smelly and busy so I think the traffic will be one of the biggest challenges, the potholes and things like that.” While it probably seems like a mad idea to most, it ticks a lot of boxes for the adventure-loving couple. “I think we just want to mix it up a bit – challenge life, it gets a bit boring sometimes and we get stuck in ruts,” Alice said.

“On a personal note, my Dad died last year and he was pretty unorthodox and very adventurous and loved cars so this is really a tribute to him, doing something a bit silly – he’d probably call it stupid.”

Alistair says he had little choice but to come along for the ride. “I got dragged into it by Alice – she said, I’m going and you have to fix the car as it breaks down… which it will,” he said. “I’m expecting an uncomfortable ride, a poky little vehicle that’s not weather-proof at all and a whole lot of other fun stuff around us.” The 70-odd participants in the Rickshaw Run will start in freezing conditions south west of Delhi at Jaisalmer on new year’s day and end at tropical Cochin in the south about two weeks later.