The Oxfam Intermón Trailwalker, the largest solidarity and sporting challenge in the world, will take place on April 5 and 6 in Girona
The solidarity march that fights poverty celebrates its fourteenth edition with the aim of guaranteeing access to drinking water to vulnerable communities in Africa, Asia and Latin America
HeOxfam Intermón Trailwalker, the world's largest team-based sporting and solidarity challenge to combat poverty, is starting to warm up for its fourteenth edition, which will be held on April 5 and 6 on the Girona Greenway. This year, the goal is to guarantee access to drinking water for 100,000 people from vulnerable communities in Africa, Asia and Latin America, who are deprived of it due to the climate crisis. The event, established as a benchmark team-based sporting and solidarity challenge in our country, is designed for all types of athletes and will consist of four modalities: 10, 25, 55 and 100 kilometers.
A challenge for all types of athletes
The 100-kilometre distance will start on Saturday 5 April and will run between Olot and Sant Feliu de Guíxols. The 55-kilometre race, also starting on Saturday 5 April in Olot, will go to Salt, Girona. As a novelty this year, the charity walk will have a new distance of 25 kilometres that will start in Olot and have the finish line located in Les Planes d'Hostoles. And finally, the 10-kilometre route will be on Sunday 6 April between Santa Cristina d'Aro and Sant Feliu de Guíxols.
The participants, grouped into teams of six people - four walkers and two support team members for the 55 or 100-kilometre distances and four to six walkers for the 25-kilometre distance - must have previously raised a minimum of 1,500 euros per team or 500 euros in the case of 0,000 euros. And they must have done so through fundraising activities, selling charity materials or finding sponsors.
Once again this year, the event has a luxury ambassador: the mountaineer Edurne Pasaban, a witness on the ground of the situation experienced by many vulnerable people due to climate change. Her experience with Oxfam Intermón in Guatemala, one of the countries most affected by the climate emergency and which suffers more drought, floods and natural disasters every year, has been captured in the documentary The end of eternal spring.
Turn your miles into water
In the Oxfam Intermón Trailwalker solidarity march, teams walk against poverty and the climate crisis. The money raised is allocated to new projects that allow a dignified life to the people most affected by the effects of climate change. In thirty years, climate-related disasters have tripled. Droughts, floods, tornadoes and hurricanes are changing the lives of millions of people, making it difficult for them to access drinking water. This situation condemns millions of people to poverty, to leave their homes and become climate refugees, and causes thousands of women and girls to have to walk many kilometers every day to fetch water.
Thus, the money raised in this edition of theOxfam Intermón Trailwalker will serve to facilitate kits family hygiene, emergency latrines and drinking water sources in vulnerable communities in Africa, Asia and Latin America.