Shortly after Christmas 2014, team members of Deep Search will rise from turkey-induced comas, kiss goodbye to loved ones and board a plane to India to join the Rickshaw Run. Starting in the Southern city of Cochin, we will take our place alongside teams from across the globe in a two week, 3500km race to Jaisalmer in the North with no pre-planned route, no support team and, quite frankly, absolutely no hope of reaching the destination in one piece. The Indian road will be tough and fraught with danger: tigers, cobras, masked bandits, cliff edges, American frat boys and perhaps even the elusive Jaguar Shark all pose a threat to life, limb and our quest for glory. Plainly put: our chances are slim, but our stupidity knows no bounds.

The decision to take on this challenge was made because we’ve always wanted an excuse to dress up like Steve Zissou from The Life Aquatic, but there are other reasons too. Deep Search is raising money to support the work of Mind, which supports sufferers of mental health issues and Cool Earth, which strives to protect our rainforests. All trip costs, including flights, accommodation and Rickshaw Run entry fees will come directly out of the team’s individual bank accounts, so 100% of the money we take in donations and sponsorship will go directly to the two charities. If you’d like to sponsor us, we’d really appreciate it.