# Trailwalker

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World fundraising event

Oxfam Trailwalker (Hong Kong) logo.

End point of 2011 [HK](/source/Hong_Kong) Trailwalker 2011

**Trailwalker** and the related **Trailtrekker** are fundraising endurance events conducted across the world by [Oxfam](/source/Oxfam) and [The Gurkha Welfare Trust](https://www.gwt.org.uk/) (Trailwalker UK). Teams of four competitors must complete a course of 100 kilometres (62 mi) in a set time limit - typically between 24 and 48 hours. The routes may be point-to-point or follow a circular route returning to the start.

## History

The event was established in 1981 by Brigadier Mervyn Lee in [Hong Kong](/source/Hong_Kong) as a training exercise by the [Queen's Gurkha Signals](/source/Queen's_Gurkha_Signals), part of the [Brigade of Gurkhas](/source/Brigade_of_Gurkhas) of the British Army, which was at the time based in the British colony. In 1986, teams of civilians were allowed to take part and [Oxfam Hong Kong](/source/Oxfam_Hong_Kong) was invited to co-organise the event.[1]

In 1997, with the handover of Hong Kong to [China](/source/China), the Gurkha regiments were relocated to the United Kingdom. The Trailwalker event followed the Gurkhas' relocation and was organised over the [South Downs](/source/South_Downs) in [Sussex](/source/Sussex), with [Oxfam](/source/Oxfam) in the UK acting as partner since 2002, alongside the [Gurkha Welfare Trust](/source/Gurkha_Welfare_Trust). Oxfam Hong Kong continued to organise the original event without the Gurkhas and the event has grown with 17 events now taking place across 10 countries worldwide.[2]

In 2017, Ian Crawford of Petersfield, Hampshire, continuing his support of the Gurkha Welfare Trust and aged 74 years old, completed a record 19th UK Trailwalker in a time of 29hrs 34mins.[3]

In late 2022, [Oxfam](/source/Oxfam) withdrew from organising Trailwalker UK. It is now solely organised by [The Gurkha Welfare Trust](/source/The_Gurkha_Welfare_Trust) in partnership with The Queen's Gurkha Signals.

The Trailwalker UK course record was set in 2024 when team Gurkha ARRC finished in an incredible 9 hours 23 minutes, smashing the previous record set in 2004 by the Queen's Own Gurkha Logistic Regiment.

## Events

Country Location Start Finish Time Limit Year Hong Kong Maclehose Trail Pak Tam Chung, Sai Kung Tai Tong, Yuen Long 48 hours 1981 United Kingdom Trailwalker South Downs Petersfield Brighton Racecourse 30 hours 1997 United Kingdom Trailtrekker Yorkshire Dales Skipton Skipton 30 hours 2009 Ireland Trailtrekker Newcastle, County Down Donark Park Carlingford 30 hours 2009 Australia Sydney Hawkesbury River Seaforth 48 hours 1999 Australia Melbourne Jells Park, Wheelers Hill Wesburn Park, Yarra Valley 48 hours 2003 Australia Brisbane Mt Glorious Mt Coot-tha 48 hours 2011 Australia Perth Darlington Lesmurdie 48 hours 2013 New Zealand Whakatāne Edgecumbe Whakatāne 48 hours 2019 Japan Odawara City Lake Yamanaka 48 hours 2007 Belgium High Fens Bütgenbach Eupen 30 hours 2008 France Parc du Morvan, Bourgogne 30 hours 2010 France Vallee d'Abondance in the Haut-Savoie, [] 30 hours 2014 Germany Spessart Bad Orb Bad Orb 30 hours 2010 Spain Girona Olot Sant Feliu de Guíxols (Costa Brava) 32 hours 2011 Spain Madrid Valle de Lozoya 32 hours India Bengaluru Anekal or Mekedaatu Eagelton-Bidadi 48 hours 2012 India Mumbai Mulshi Lake Lonavala 48 hours 2012 Spain Euskadi Vitoria Mountains Vitoria Mountains 32 hours 2017 Korea Gurye and Jiri MT. in Jeollanam Guyre Natural Dream Park Guyre Natural Dream Park 38 hours 2017

## Common rules

There are some common rules across all the Trailwalker and Trailtrekker events.

- Each team must have four members, who are required to cross all checkpoints and finish line together, although teams may continue with only three members if one has to retire.

- The Trailwalker event course, referred to as 'the trail,' is 100 kilometres long.

- Participants should also organise a support team, plan and start their training schedule at least three months before the event.

- All teams must raise a minimum sponsorship amount. Failure to raise the stated amount could mean teams do not take part in the scheduled event. Teams failing to meet the required amount approx $1600 are given an opportunity in the next years event with no refunds on entry fees and fund already raised. Teams raising over the threshold will take priority in registering for Oxfam Trailwalker next year.

## Macau TrailWalker

In mid-2010, Upward Bound Unlimited (UBU),[4] a Macau-based company which organizes sports tourism events in the Pearl River Delta region, and Macau's main English-language daily newspaper, the [Macau Daily Times](/source/Macau_Daily_Times), announced that a cross-country hiking event called "Macau TrailWalker"[5] would be held later in the year with the support of the local Macau authorities.[6] The event was held on 9 October 2010[7] on the outer island of [Coloane](/source/Coloane) and consisted of a 30 km category and a 12 km category.

Prior to the event, [Oxfam](/source/Oxfam) Hong Kong issued a press release stating among other things that it was not associated with the event or any of its organizers (nor had it been contacted by them), that it did not approve nor endorse the event, that no sponsorship money from the event would be used in any Oxfam aid work, and that it "reserved the right to take appropriate legal action to protect the Trailwalker name".[8]

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["What We do - Oxfam Hong Kong"](http://www.oxfam.org.hk/en/history.aspx).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["Oxfam Trailwalker | Oxfam International"](https://www.oxfam.org/en/oxfam-trailwalker). *www.oxfam.org*. Retrieved 5 June 2019.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** ["Petersfield man is hiking the trail for the 19th time"](http://www.petersfieldpost.co.uk/article.cfm?id=112814&headline=Petersfield%20man%20is%20hiking%20the%20trail%20for%20the%2019th%20time&sectionIs=news&searchyear=2017). *Petersfield Post*. 28 July 2017. Retrieved 5 June 2019.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["Upward Bound Unlimited"](https://web.archive.org/web/20110201114612/http://upwardbound-unlimited.com/). Archived from [the original](http://www.upwardbound-unlimited.com/) on 1 February 2011. Retrieved 21 November 2010.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** [http://www.macau-trailwalker.com/](http://www.macau-trailwalker.com/) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20101026003106/http://www.macau-trailwalker.com/) October 26, 2010, at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["'TrailWalker to discover Coloane', Macau Daily Times, 28 June 2010"](http://www.macaudailytimes.com.mo/macau/13838-TrailWalker-discover-Coloane.html). Macaudailytimes.com.mo. 27 June 2010. Retrieved 10 September 2013.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** ["1st Macau Trailwalker, October 9, 2010 - Part 1"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0ITgANxpAY). YouTube. 9 October 2010. [Archived](https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211220/L0ITgANxpAY) from the original on 20 December 2021. Retrieved 10 September 2013.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** ["Oxfam Hong Kong's Statement Regarding "Macau TrailWalker" 2010-09-02"](http://www.oxfam.org.hk/en/news_1272.aspx). Oxfam.org.hk. 2 September 2010. Retrieved 10 September 2013.

## External links

- [The Gurkha Welfare Trust Trailwalker UK](https://trailwalker.gwt.org.uk/)

- [Oxfam Trailwalker Hong Kong](http://www.oxfamtrailwalker.org.hk)

- [Oxfam Trailwalker Japan](https://web.archive.org/web/20101126094839/http://www.trailwalker.jp/en/index.html)

- [Oxfam Trailwalker Melbourne](http://www.oxfam.org.au/trailwalker/melbourne/)

- [Oxfam Trailwalker Sydney](http://www.oxfam.org.au/trailwalker/sydney/)

- [Oxfam Trailwalker Brisbane](http://www.oxfam.org.au/trailwalker/brisbane/)

- [New Zealand Oxfam Trailwalker](http://www.oxfamtrailwalker.org.nz)

- [Oxfam Trailwalker France](http://www.oxfamtrailwalker.fr)

- [Oxfam Trailwalker Canada](https://web.archive.org/web/20100121075549/http://www.oxfam.ca/what-you-can-do/oxfam-trailwalker-is-coming-to-canada/)

- [Oxfam Novib Trailwalker Netherlands](https://web.archive.org/web/20101126081005/http://www.trailwalker.nl/)

- [Oxfam Trailwalker Germany](http://www.oxfamtrailwalker.de)

- [Oxfam Trailwalker Belgium](http://www.oxfamtrailwalker.be)

- [Spain - Intermon Oxfam Trailwalker](http://trailwalker.intermonoxfam.org/en)

- [Oxfam Trailwalker India](http://trailwalker.oxfamindia.org)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Trailwalker](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trailwalker) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trailwalker?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.