India's endurance athlete Preeti Maske will set off on a 3,676km cycling expedition from Kashmir to Kanyakumari on Sunday in an attempt to set a Guinness world record for women.
Besides setting the record for being the first woman to undertake this journey on a bicycle, Maske's aim is to create awareness about organ donation in the country.
"I will be covering 3,676km from Kashmir to Kanyakumari and aim to achieve this distance in 10-11 days.
"I want to spread awareness about organ donation from north to south and why organ donation is important," Maske told PTI ahead of the journey.
The 46-year-old, mother of two, claims to be the first woman to set three world records in a span of six months. This will be her fourth.
"In the men's category, Adil Teli has set the record of cycling from Kashmir to Kanyakumari in eight days and one hour. No woman has tried it yet," she said.
Maske had earlier set the record of cycling from Leh to Manali, covering a distance of 430km in 55 hours.
She also set a record of running from Leh to Manali -- 410km -- in four days, 22 hours.
Her other record is cycling from Koteshwar in Gujarat to Kibithoo in Arunachal Pradesh, covering a distance of 3,955km in 13 days and 18 hours.
Maske has been training in Kashmir for the past three days to increase her endurance.
She will be cycling almost 19-20 hours a day, with minimal breaks and short power naps of not more than three hours in a day.
Anand Kansal, the crew head of the expedition, said Maske will, on average, ride 400km every day to complete this journey.
"We are a crew of 10 people. We are starting with a crew of five from Srinagar who will take care of her nutrition, hydration and her stretching and keep her morale up so that she only focuses on cycling," Kansal said.
He said that as the journey proceeds, the crew will change to avoid fatigue.
"If the crew gets fatigued, it will affect her performance and she will not be able to complete the journey on time. We want to ensure a hassle-free journey," he added.
Maske has set her sights on the Dubai-Abu Dhabi expedition after completing the present task.
"After this, we are planning a UAE trip -- from Dubai to Abu Dhabi -- because we have a lot of Indians there," he said.
Kansal feels it is time for Maske to hit the international circuit.
"If everything goes well, probably in 2024, she will be racing across America and she will be the first woman from India to attempt that," he added.
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