Namaste to all who are reading this 🙏

Who are the Gurkhas?

'Gurkha' is a term referring to Gurkha soldiers. These brave soldiers are men from Nepal, a landlocked country between North India and South China. A beautiful country well-known for being the home of Mount Everest (Earth's highest mountain above sea level) and the birthplace of Buddha. 

Gurkhas have served with the British and Indian armies for over two centuries. They have been a part of the British Army since 1815 after the Gurkha War which ended with a mutual respect and admiration between both parties. Upon creating a peace treaty (The Treaty of Sugauli), Gurkha's were able to serve in the East Indian Company which, after a while became part of the British Army. Since then, the Gurkha soldiers of Nepal have served all across the globe, fighting in both World Wars, the Falklands, Kosovo, Malayasia, Borneo, Cyprus, Hong Kong, Sierra Leone, Iraq and Afghanistan. 

Gurkha motto - "It is better to die than to  be a coward"

What is the 'Doko' race?

In Nepal, the traditional Gurkha Recruitment ‘Doko’ Race is a gruelling uphill sprint in the foothills of the Himalayas while carrying a traditional Nepali ‘Doko’ basket on their back. The traditional Nepalese wicker basket is held by a head strap with 25kg of sand in the basket. 

Every British Army Gurkha soldier will be very familiar with the fearsome ‘Doko’ race as they will have undergone it during their Gurkha Recruitment process. It is one of the most important and toughest moments of their selection process. Potential recruits are expected to complete the 5km course in under 46 minutes. Failure to do so will result in an instant failure. 

Who are The Gurkha Welfare Trust (GWT)?

The GWT are a charity organisation who ensure that Gurkha veterans, their widows and their wider communities have financial, medical and community aid in Nepal. 

In the late 1960s, after several Eastern conflicts, there was a massive reduction in the amount of Gurkhas who were serving in the British Army. During this redundancy period many Gurkha soldiers and their dependants or widows in Nepal faced destitution at an old age. Many of these soldiers had fought alongside the British Army in both the World Wars but some soldiers had not served the minimum required 15 years to be entitled for an Army pension. The Nepali Gurkha soldiers had no safety net compared to their British counterparts who had the welfare state to fall upon once they hit an old age. 

Why are we doing the Doko Challenge?

Being the son, cousin and nephew of  brave, proud and diligent Gurkha soldiers, it pains me knowing that men who have served alongside the British Army could experience situations such as this. In order to honour Gurkha veterans, me and Tash will raise £600 (or more) between us to raise money and awareness for these brave soldiers and their families. 

Event Details

Start Line Address: Richardson Evans Memorial Playing Fields, Roehampton Vale, London, SW15 3PQ

Date: Sunday 6th June, 2021

Key Timings:

11:00 - Registration Open

11:30 - Start area open for Doko basket fitting

12:00 - Welcome

12:15 - Warm-up

12:30 - Race begins!

We will both be grateful for your generous donation, no matter how big or small it may be 🙏