Timeline
1981 EXERCISE TRAILWALKER began in Hong Kong, organised by the Queen’s Gurkha Signals. Taking place along the famous Maclehose Trail, the exercise sought to test the endurance and teamwork of the QGS soldiers.
1986 Trailwalker Hong Kong open to Civilians, co-organised by Oxfam Hong Kong.
1997 The Queen’s Gurkha Signals moved to the UK. Trailwalker took place for the first time on the South Downs Way.
1999 The Gurkha Welfare Trust became involved in Trailwalker UK.
2002 Oxfam UK partnered with The Gurkha Welfare Trust and Queen’s Gurkha Signals to organise Trailwalker UK. All funds raised were split between the two charities.
2004 The Queen’s Own Gurkha Logistic Regiment set a new course record, with their team finishing in an incredible 9 hours and 50 minutes. A record that remained unbroken for 20 years…
2023 Oxfam UK stepped back from Trailwalker, leaving The Gurkha Welfare Trust and the Queen’s Gurkha Signals to co-host the event with all funds benefitting Gurkha veterans, their widows, and their communities in Nepal. Civilian team Nepal Run UK came in 2nd, the first time a civvy team had ever made it into the top three!
2024 Another record-breaking year with over 300 teams signing up to take part. The course record of 20 years was smashed by Gurkha Allied Rapid Reaction Corps who came through the finish in just 9 hours and 23 minutes.
Today, the 100km event takes place across the South Downs, with hundreds of civilian teams taking part every year.
Trailwalker still forms part of the Gurkha’s training exercises, and is also a much-loved cultural event in the UK Gurkha community’s calendar. Teams from the Gurkha regiments and the fastest civilian teams battle it out for the much-coveted first place, typically completing the course in under ten and a half hours.
For more information about the Queen’s Gurkha Signals, please visit their website.