Calgary couple raising funds for youth bicycle programs with rickshaw run across India

A Calgary couple is taking on a chaotic 3,500-kilometre adventure, racing across India in a three-wheeled rickshaw to raise funds for local youth bicycle programs.

Heather Wicksted and Matthew Daw are no strangers to getting out of their comfort zones, having travelled all around the world over the past five years.

The pair started their travel blog, Reason2Roam, as a way to combine their love for exploring new places with raising awareness for causes they care about.

From April 6 to 20, they'll participate in Rickshaw Run India, setting off in a small gas-powered rickshaw.

The race begins in Shillong and finishes in Fort Kochi.

The rickshaw reaches speeds up to 55 kilometres per hour but many of the vehicles are prone to breaking down.

"I read the website, leaped off the couch and said, 'Oh my god, Matt, I found our next adventure!' I think we were the first people to sign up for this year," Wicksted said.

"We were so excited, too, that everybody that participates in this race has to do some fundraising. ... We thought we wanted to really make an impact here, locally."

For Wicksted and Daw, who do most of their travel by bike, it was a no-brainer to raise funds for Two Wheel View, a local non-profit that operates bicycle programs for Calgary youth.

"We do a great deal of riding our own bicycles around the world, so we thought any place that we can support something like that to expand the use of bicycles, anywhere, we're happy to support," Daw said.

Together, they set a $3,000 goal to support upward of 600 young Calgarians in accessing a bicycle and learning valuable mechanical skills, and to offer support to the organization's First Nations youth program.

Laura Istead, executive director of Two Wheel View, is honoured to have her non-profit selected as a beneficiary.

She says the funds will go a long way to empowering young children to collaborate in rich and meaningful ways

"It's really going to go a long way to support young people in programs. It's going to have a big impact on the resources and the tools that we'll be able to afford," she said.

"I think it's just really special when somebody's connected with something in their community and a cause that they really care about, and that they want to take that and give us an opportunity to allow us to be a part of their journey."

Wicksted and Daw have also set a $1,000 goal to raise funds for Cool Earth, a global organization that funds projects to restore the rainforest and fight the climate crisis.

Most recently, the couple visited the giant rugged island of Borneo in Southeast Asia, where they saw firsthand the impact of deforestation and wanted to learn how to better support conservation efforts.

As for this upcoming rickshaw challenge, Wickstead says she can't wait to explore a different part of the world with her best friend.

"Hopefully, two weeks later, we will arrive at the finish line with all the parts still intact, and we're still talking to each other," she joked.

"But honestly, it challenges me to think differently about the world, maybe how I was brought up and what I believe is the norm is not the norm everywhere, and so I learn about what we value and why we value it."

Daw couldn't agree more.

"We don't know where we're going and neither of us knows how to drive a rickshaw, so I suspect the relationship may take the odd challenge while we figure out how to get through the rivers or get over the passes or deal with roads that no longer exist that are supposed to be there," he said.

"I'm expecting lots of mayhem, mostly because we're in India, and that seems to be the norm from the last time we visited there, but I'm also thinking that there's a group of people who are very keen to have some fun and create some adventures."

For more information on how to support the pair's upcoming challenge, you can visit their website at reason2roam.com.