Two men will travel through thousands of miles of Indian terrain in a three-wheeled buggy.

They will battle with mechanical problems, dodgy cuisine and unpredictable road conditions until they reach a finish line in Shillong, north-east India.

They don't know where they are going to sleep, who they will meet or what kinds of problems they will encounter, but in the end that's all part of the fun of the Rickshaw Run.

Maxwell Tomlinson, 26, and Troy Farnsworth, 30, make up the group Nip and Tuk Tuk and will be the first to represent Bermuda in the event.

"Anything can happen, which is why they call it an adventure and don't give you many rules," Mr. Tomlinson told The Royal Gazette.

"They say donate, but they don't say you have to (go to) certain spots along the way, that takes away from the adventure of getting lost, which is all part of the fun."

The Rickshaw Run, operated by The League of Adventurists, has two concrete rules; all participants must start in Puducherry, in the south of India and end in Shillong, close to the Himalayas. Participants are also required to raise 1000 pounds, close to $2,000, for Indian charities: the MercyCorps and Frank Water Projects.

Everything else is up to the participants. They must choose how they get to their destination- through cities, jungles or mountains- and how long the journey will take.

The rickshaws only add to the excitement. Mr. Farnsworth said: "Typically they are not designed to go from one end of India to the other, they are more for around villages and that."

The 150cc vehicles can reach a maximum speed of 60 kilometres per hour (though they can go a lot faster down steep hills and mountains) and have been known to break down throughout the race.

The adventurous twosome met two and a half years ago while trying to start up an Australian-rules football game on the Island and have been friends ever since.

Mr. Tomlinson from Canada and Mr. Farnsworth from Australia have never been to India and have had to find out about all that could go wrong from the Internet.

"Some guys spent a couple of nights in jail because of a traffic accident," Mr. Farnsworth said.

Others have been targeted by local Police and given some unusual fines, like for having the steering wheel on the wrong side of the vehicle or failing to salute the President.

With 64 teams and between 160 to 180 people participating from all over the world- something is bound to happen at this winter's event- still both men admit they are up for the challenge.

Mr. Farnsworth is looking forward to the food and interacting with the local people along the way.

"The fact that it will be a totally unique experience is what attracted me- and also a fantastic adventure which will allow us to get off the beaten track and explore some amazing parts of the world," he said.

"Also the fact that all money raised is going to a very worthwhile cause made it all the more reason to participate."

At the finish line there is a cricket game and tea and cake for participants- there are also small prizes handed out to winners. Still the men have no intention of rushing to get to the end.

"You kind of want to enjoy the ride, because you are going to be seeing such a wide variety of India you don't want to just speed through it," said Mr. Tomlinson.

"You obviously want it done with in a reasonable time, but you wouldn't pressure yourself into trying to be first.

"I think the benefits wouldn't be there, you want to enjoy yourself along the way, absorb what's happening around you as much as you can."

The men are currently looking for a third person to come along on the adventure with them- "an adventure minded person, stupid enough to do something like this," said Mr. Farnsworth.

They are also hoping to get local businesses on board to help them raise $5,000 for the charities.

Anyone interested in joining or supporting the adventurous twosome in the Rickshaw Run is encouraged to go to niptuktuk@gmail.com.

The event will take place in January of 2009.