Lanka Challenge takes participants to Jaffna

By Cheranka Mendis

The fourth edition of Lanka Challenge is now underway with 45 foreign participants making their way to Jaffna in three wheelers.

Organized by Large Minority, in the challenge popularly known as the ‘tuk’ or ‘three wheeler’ challenge, it is the first time that participants are taken to the northern quarter of the island. Having started the race on Friday from Minuwangoda, the participants had stops at Kalpitiya and Giant Tank, Mannar while travelling to Jaffna where they stopped last evening.

Organizer of Large Minority Juan Goicochea speaking to the Daily FT stated that the journey so far has been a successful one with participants having to overcome badly maintained roads on top of driving and navigating in three wheelers which they not accustomed to. “They have all made friends with each other and have faced the challenges so far successfully.”

For the first time six celebrities from Denmark also joins the challenge which will be filmed for a reality show of eight episodes to be telecasted in TV2 Zulu in Denmark to Scandinavian audiences such as Norway and Sweden. Goicochea acknowledged that the six celebrities, split into three groups have also faired well so far. “Everyone is loving it and it has gone according to plan so far.”

Covering approximately 120 km a day, the total area kilo meters to be covered this time is 1,390 km. Participants will face various cultural and social challenges during the course of the event. The participants will be travelling to Nilaveli today and will have the first day of rest the day after in the east coast. They will then travel to Sigiriya, Wasgamuwa, Kandy and Nuwara Eliya before heading back to Minuwangoda for the conclusion of the 12 day challenge.

Pix by Kumarasiri Prasad