Team of seven ladies from Northamptonshire village complete 100km hike across the South Downs in 25 hours
A team of seven ladies from Great Doddington have completed the Trailwalker 2026 challenge in support of the Gurkha Welfare Trust.
The team took on the 100km hike over the South Downs last weekend.
Kathryn Brant told the Northants Telegraph: "It started as a military event in Hong Kong by the Gurkha Signals regiment and opened to the public in 1986, making this the 40th year.
“They completed this incredible feat in just over 25 hours with all crossing the line at Brighton Racecourse to the pipes and drums of the Gurkha regiment.”
The team – Leanne Odell, Jo Chapman, Priti Patel, Jade Hynes, Niky Chisholm, Sally Kerlin and Simonne Harris – was made up of three primary school teachers, a paramedic, an optician, a jeweller and a business owner.
They were supported on their endeavour by four of their friends and family as a support crew, keeping them topped up with hot tea, blister plasters, flapjack and ‘a bit of fancy dress along the way’.
Kathryn added: “They trained for a few months prior to the event, including the Waendel Walk, and they really had to dig deep for the legs on the course that took them from sunset to sunrise.
"They had to battle tiredness, blisters, herds of cows, darkness and a distance none of them could have imagined possible.”
Trailwalker teams fundraise for The Gurkha Welfare Trust, which provides vital support to Gurkha veterans, their families and communities.
For more information about the Trailwalker challenge, visit the website.
More details about the Gurkha Welfare Trust are available online.