Trailwalker and the related Trailtrekker are fundraising endurance events conducted across the world by Oxfam, in which teams of four competitors must complete a course of 100km (100miles) 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.
The event was established in 1981 by Brigadier Mervyn Lee in Hong Kong as a training exercise by the Queen's Gurkha Signals, part of the 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 was invited to co-organise the event.[1]
In 1997, with the handover of Hong Kong to China, the Gurkha regiments were relocated to the United Kingdom. The Trailwalker event followed the Gurkhas' relocation and was organised over the South Downs in Sussex, with Oxfam in the UK acting as partner since 2002, alongside the 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 withdrew from organising Trailwalker UK. It is now solely organised by The Gurkha Welfare Trust in partnership with The Queen's Gurkha Signals.
| Country | Location | Start | Finish | Time Limit | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 48 hours | 1981 | ||||
| United Kingdom Trailwalker | 30 hours | 1997 | |||
| United Kingdom Trailtrekker | 30 hours | 2009 | |||
| Ireland Trailtrekker | 30 hours | 2009 | |||
| 48 hours | 1999 | ||||
| 48 hours | 2003 | ||||
| 48 hours | 2011 | ||||
| 48 hours | 2013 | ||||
| Whakatāne | Edgecumbe | Whakatāne | 48 hours | 2019 | |
| 48 hours | 2007 | ||||
| 30 hours | 2008 | ||||
| 30 hours | 2010 | ||||
| Vallee d'Abondance in the Haut-Savoie, [] | 30 hours | 2014 | |||
| Bad Orb | 30 hours | 2010 | |||
| Sant Feliu de Guíxols (Costa Brava) | 32 hours | 2011 | |||
| 32 hours | |||||
| 48 hours | 2012 | ||||
| Lonavala | 48 hours | 2012 | |||
| Vitoria Mountains | Vitoria Mountains | 32 hours | 2017 | ||
| Guyre Natural Dream Park | Guyre Natural Dream Park | 38 hours | 2017 | ||
There are some common rules across all the Trailwalker and Trailtrekker events.
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, 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 and consisted of a 30 km category and a 12 km category.
Prior to the event, 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]