When Greg Atkins talks about his upcoming adventure, he almost sounds like he’s trying to talk himself out of it. He’s committed to do it, but openly questions himself for the decision to try.
Even organizers of the global fundraiser are quite frank about the sensibility of the Rickshaw Run, India, that Atkins and his friend Gary Clark are going to be a part of in January. The website describes the run as “easily the least sensible thing to do with two weeks.”
The Rickshaw Run is a 3,500-kilometer race across India, in a seven-horsepower, two-stroke engine vehicle. The race is essentially like racing from Los Alamitos to Chicago on a riding lawnmower. There is no set route and no backup for the vehicles, just two people per rickshaw, trying to traverse the subcontinent by whatever means possible.
“It seemed like fun, it looked dangerous, it looked stupid, so it looked like something that I’d like to do,” Atkins said.
Atkins, 59, is a lifelong Rossmoor resident, who grew up in the Los Alamitos Unified School District before going into a career as a filmmaker and acting coach. One of his businesses is using trained actors to help doctors improve their bedside manner. He also teaches improve at South Coast Repertory.
Atkins’ daughter found out about the run on line and showed it to her dad. Atkins had been looking for something to get involved in and admits that he signed up a little blindly. He recruited Clark to join him and the two began researching and looking for sponsors and local support.
The event is fundraiser for Cool Earth, a charity geared toward preserving the Amazon Rainforest. But individual teams can earmark part of their funds for any charity they wish. Atkins and Clark have added Hilarity for Charity as their second cause. Hilarity is the organization founded by actor Seth Rogan to raise money for Alzheimer’s research.
The two racers will leave for India on Dec. 26 for Kochi, South India. They will be provided with a used rickshaw and the run will begin on Jan. 1.
Teams can take whatever route they think will work best, but weather in India can often result in roads getting washed out and impassible. Also, with no mechanical backup, teams are on their own, with vehicle maintenance. That doesn’t bode well for Atkins and Clark, neither of which, have much mechanical inclination.
“This will be a real challenge for me,” Atkins said.
So far, the only strategies they have set, are to avoid major cities (traffic tie-ups) and avoid driving at night. Aside from travel costs, the pair will have to get $1,000 worth of shots. They have been reaching out to local businesses to collaborate on fundraisers that will help them reach their goal and possibly help the businesses.
They have set up a Facebook page, called Wanderlust – Hollywood to Bollywood. They also have a fundraising page on crowdrise.com, under the same Wanderlust title. The website for the run is on the theadventurists.com website.
The description of the run is written in a tongue-in-cheek manner, but there is also a disclaimer about the serious danger in which participants are placing themselves. It notes that serious injury or even death, are possible, if not likely. It’s not a run Atkins is trying to win, just survive. But even he questions his commitment.
“Basically, I’m an idiot,” Atkins said.
Click the link below to get to Atkins’ Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Wanderlust-Hollywood-to-Bollywood/743465822380530?ref=br_tf
Click the link below to get to Atkins’ crowdrise fundraiser page:
https://www.crowdrise.com/Wanderlusth2b
