Trailwalker - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Trailwalker or Oxfam Trailwalker and the related Trailtrekker are endurance walking events run across the world by Oxfam

Oxfam

Oxfam is an international confederation of 15 organizations working in 98 countries worldwide to find lasting solutions to poverty and related injustice around the world. In all Oxfam’s actions, the ultimate goal is to enable people to exercise their rights and manage their own lives...

, in which teams of 4 competitors must complete a course of 100 kilometres (62.1 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.

The event began in 1981 in Hong Kong

Hong Kong

Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...

as a training exercise by the Queen's Gurkha Signals

Queen's Gurkha Signals

The Queen's Gurkha Signals is a regular unit of Royal Corps of Signals, one of the combat support arms of British Army. Together with the Queen's Gurkha Engineers, the Queen's Own Gurkha Logistic Regiment and the Royal Gurkha Rifles they form part of the Brigade of Gurkhas...

, part of the Brigade of Gurkhas

Brigade of Gurkhas

The Brigade of Gurkhas is the collective term for units of the current British Army that are composed of Nepalese soldiers. The brigade, which is 3,640 strong, draws its heritage from Gurkha units that originally served in the British Indian Army prior to Indian independence, and prior to that of...

of the British Army, which was at the time based in the British colony. After five years, in 1986, teams of civilians were allowed to take part and Oxfam Hong Kong was brought in as a charity partner.

In 1997, with the handover of Hong Kong to China

China

Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

, the Gurkha regiments were relocated to the United Kingdom, and brought Trailwalker with them, organising it over the South Downs

South Downs

The South Downs is a range of chalk hills that extends for about across the south-eastern coastal counties of England from the Itchen Valley of Hampshire in the west to Beachy Head, near Eastbourne, East Sussex, in the east. It is bounded on its northern side by a steep escarpment, from whose...

in Sussex

Sussex

Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...

, with Oxfam

Oxfam

in the UK acting as partner since 2002, alongside the Gurkha Welfare Trust

Gurkha Welfare Trust

The Gurkha Welfare Trust is a British charity, established in 1969. It is the principal UK charity dedicated to the provision of aid to Gurkha ex-servicemen and their dependents in their homeland of Nepal....

. Oxfam Hong Kong continued to organise the original event without the Gurkhas and the event has grown with 15 events now taking place in 12 countries worldwide.

Since 1986, more than 65,000 participants in the Hong Kong event alone have raised over HK$323 million to support Oxfam's various poverty alleviation and emergency relief projects.

Events

Country	Location	Start	Finish	Time Limit	Year Started
Hong Kong Hong Kong Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...	Maclehose Trail MacLehose Trail The MacLehose Trail , opened on 26 October 1979, is a hiking trail that crosses much of the New Territories, starting from Pak Tam Chung, Sai Kung, in the east to Tuen Mun in the west in the territory of Hong Kong. The whole trail is 100 kilometres long, marked by distance posts at 500m intervals...	Pak Tam Chung, Sai Kung Pak Tam Chung Pak Tam Chung is an area in the southern part of the Sai Kung Peninsula in the New Territories of Hong Kong. It is administratively under the Sai Kung District....	Yuen Long Yuen Long Yuen Long , formerly Un Long, is an area and town located in the northwest of Hong Kong, on the Yuen Long Plain. To its west lie Hung Shui Kiu and Ha Tsuen, to the south Shap Pat Heung and Tai Tong, to the east Au Tau and Kam Tin, and to the north Nam Sang Wai.-Name:The Cantonese name Yuen Long 元朗...	48 hours	1981
United Kingdom United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages... Trailwalker	South Downs South Downs The South Downs is a range of chalk hills that extends for about across the south-eastern coastal counties of England from the Itchen Valley of Hampshire in the west to Beachy Head, near Eastbourne, East Sussex, in the east. It is bounded on its northern side by a steep escarpment, from whose...	Petersfield Petersfield Petersfield can refer to any of the following places:Petersfield, Hampshire, a market town in EnglandPetersfield, Jamaica, a small town in the parish of WestmorelandPetersfield, Manitoba, in CanadaPetersfield, an area of Cambridge, England...	Brighton Racecourse Brighton Racecourse Brighton Racecourse is a horse racing course at Brighton, East Sussex in England, for flat races of up to about one and a half miles. The course is one of three courses in Britain which is not a circuit and forms a figure like three sides of a square, sloping, with wide left-hand turns and an...	30 hours	1997
United Kingdom Trailtrekker	Yorkshire Dales Yorkshire Dales The Yorkshire Dales is the name given to an upland area in Northern England.The area lies within the historic county boundaries of Yorkshire, though it spans the ceremonial counties of North Yorkshire, West Yorkshire and Cumbria...	Skipton Skipton Skipton is a market town and civil parish within the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. It is located along the course of both the Leeds and Liverpool Canal and the River Aire, on the south side of the Yorkshire Dales, northwest of Bradford and west of York...	Skipton Skipton Skipton is a market town and civil parish within the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. It is located along the course of both the Leeds and Liverpool Canal and the River Aire, on the south side of the Yorkshire Dales, northwest of Bradford and west of York...	30 hours	2009
Australia Australia Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...	Sydney Sydney Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...	Hawkesbury River Hawkesbury River The Hawkesbury River, also known as Deerubbun, is one of the major rivers of the coastal region of New South Wales, Australia. The Hawkesbury River and its tributaries virtually encircle the metropolitan region of Sydney.-Geography:-Course:...	Seaforth Seaforth, New South Wales Seaforth is a suburb of northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Seaforth is located 12 kilometres north-east of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of Manly Council and is part of the Northern Beaches region....	48 hours	1999
Australia	Melbourne Melbourne Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...	Jells Park Jells Park Jells Park is a public park in Wheelers Hill, a suburb to the south-east of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Opening on 30 April 1976, the park attracts in excess of 700,000 visitors a year. The park is in excess of 127 hectares and contains 9 kilometres of bike paths. The Dandenong Creek Trail runs... , Wheelers Hill Wheelers Hill, Victoria Wheelers Hill is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 22 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Monash. At the 2006 Census, Wheelers Hill had a population of 21,029.-History:...	Wesburn Park, Yarra Valley Yarra Valley The Yarra Valley is the name given to the region surrounding the Yarra River in Victoria, Australia. The river originates approximately 90 kilometres east of the City of Melbourne and flows towards it and out into Port Phillip Bay...	48 hours	2002
Australia	Brisbane Brisbane Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...	Mt Glorious	Mt Coot-tha	48 hours	2011
New Zealand New Zealand New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...	Lake Taupo Lake Taupo Lake Taupo is a lake situated in the North Island of New Zealand. With a surface area of , it is the largest lake by surface area in New Zealand, and the second largest freshwater lake by surface area in geopolitical Oceania after Lake Murray ....	Kinloch Kinloch, New Zealand Kinloch is a small but growing town on the most northerly bay of Lake Taupo, northwest of Taupo on the North Island Volcanic Plateau of New Zealand. It is in the Waikato Region....	Taupo Taupo Taupo is a town on the shore of Lake Taupo in the centre of the North Island of New Zealand. It is the seat of the Taupo District Council and lies in the southern Waikato Region....	36 hours	2006
Japan Japan Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...		Odawara City Odawara, Kanagawa is a city located in western Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. As of 2010, the city had an estimated population of 198,466 with a population density of 1,740 persons per km² . The total area was .-Geography:...	Lake Yamanaka Lake Yamanaka is the biggest of the Fuji Five Lakes. Located in Yamanashi Prefecture near Mount Fuji, Japan, the lake is used for boating, fishing, water-skiing, windsurfing, sightseeing and swimming. If the wind comes from the west, the lake provides a smooth lift for paragliding at Mount Myouyama. There are...	48 hours	2007
Belgium Belgium Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...	High Fens High Fens The High Fens , which were declared a nature reserve in 1957, are an upland area, a plateau region in the province of Liège, in the east of Belgium and nearby parts of Germany, lying between the Ardennes and the Eifel highlands. It is the largest nature reserve or park in Belgium, with an area of ;...	Eupen Eupen Eupen is a municipality in the Belgian province of Liège, from the German border , from the Dutch border and from the "High Fens" nature reserve...	Eupen	30 hours	2008
Netherlands Netherlands The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...	Ede Ede, Netherlands ' is a municipality and a town in the center of the Netherlands, in the province of Gelderland.- Population centres :Community :* Bennekom: 14.749* De Klomp: 508* Deelen: 50* Ede : 67.812* Ederveen: 3.167* Harskamp: 3.464...	Veluwe Veluwe The Veluwe is a forest-rich ridge of hills in the province of Gelderland in the Netherlands. The Veluwe features many different landscapes including woodland, heath, some small lakes and Europe's largest sand drifts....	Veluwe	30 hours	2009
France France The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...	Parc du Morvan, Bourgogne Bourgogne Burgundy is one of the 27 regions of France.The name comes from the Burgundians, an ancient Germanic people who settled in the area in early Middle-age. The region of Burgundy is both larger than the old Duchy of Burgundy and smaller than the area ruled by the Dukes of Burgundy, from the modern...			30 hours	2010
Canada Canada Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...	Ganaraska Trail, Ontario Ontario Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....	Springwater Springwater, Ontario Springwater is a township in central Ontario, Canada, in Simcoe County near Barrie. It includes the former townships of Flos and Vespra. Springwater is the County seat of Simcoe.-Communities:...	Wasaga Beach Wasaga Beach, Ontario Wasaga Beach is a town in Simcoe County, Ontario, Canada. It is a popular four-season tourist destination situated on Nottawasaga Bay at the southern end of Georgian Bay approximately two hours north of Toronto, and abuts, to the west, the town of Collingwood...	48 hours	2009
Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...	Harz Harz The Harz is the highest mountain range in northern Germany and its rugged terrain extends across parts of Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia. The name Harz derives from the Middle High German word Hardt or Hart , latinized as Hercynia. The legendary Brocken is the highest summit in the Harz...	Osterode am Harz Osterode am Harz For the town in East Prussia formerly called Osterode, see Ostróda.Osterode am Harz often simply called Osterode, is a town in south-eastern Niedersachsen on the south-western edge of the Harz mountains. It is the seat of government of the district of Osterode. The town is twinned with Scarborough,...	Osterode am Harz	30 hours	2010
Ireland Ireland Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...	Mourne Mountains			36 hours	2009
Spain Spain Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...	Girona Girona Girona is a city in the northeast of Catalonia, Spain at the confluence of the rivers Ter, Onyar, Galligants and Güell, with an official population of 96,236 in January 2009. It is the capital of the province of the same name and of the comarca of the Gironès...	Olot Olot Olot is the capital of the comarca of the Garrotxa, in the province of Girona, Catalonia, Spain.- Etymology :The etymology of Olot is not clear and there are several hypotheses...	St. Feliu G. (Costa Brava)	32 hours	2011

Common rules

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

Each team must have 4 members, who are required to cross all check points and finishing line together, although teams may continue with only 3 members if one has to retire.
Participants should also organise a support team, plan and start their training schedule at least 3 months before the event.
All teams must raise a minimum sponsorship amount and those teams raising over the threshold will take priority in registering for Oxfam Trailwalker next year.

Macau TrailWalker

In mid-2010, Upward Bound Unlimited (UBU), 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

Macau Daily Times

The Macau Daily Times is one of the two daily English-language newspapers published in Macau, Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, launched on June 1, 2007.- Overview :...

, announced that a cross-country hiking event called "Macau TrailWalker" would be held later in the year with the support of the local Macau authorities. The event was held on 9 October 2010 on the outer island of Coloane

Coloane

Coloane is one of the two main islands of the Macau Special Administrative Region, located directly south of Macau's other main island, Taipa , and east of Hengqin Island of Zhuhai in Guangdong province....

and consisted of a 30km category and a 12km category.

Prior to the event, Oxfam

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".

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.