Doko North 2023: Leeds hosts race inspired by world-renowned Gurkha regiment's recruitment test

The Doko North Challenge see participants take on a 5km cross-country course, all while carrying a weighted Doko basket on their back. The traditional Nepalese baskets, which are usually hand-woven from bamboo, are fitted with shoulder straps and head strap to support the load. The conical-shaped baskets are used to carry a whole host of things, from clothing to bricks.

The baskets are familiar to every British Army Gurkha soldier as one of the key components to the Doko Race that is part of the regiment’s annual recruitment drive. It requires aspiring recruits to tackle a course in the foothills of the Himalayas while carrying a Doko loaded with 25kg of sand. They must complete the course within 46 minutes in order to proceed through to the next round of the selection process.

The Gurkha Welfare Trust has used the test as the inspiration for its own fundraising challenge, giving participants the chance to walk, jog or run a 5km cross-country course while carrying 5kg, 10kg or 15kg in a Doko. The northern leg took place on Sunday at Roundhay Park, with the southern event due to be held at London’s Wimbledon Common on June 11.

All those completing the course were presented with a Doko Challenge medal and t-shirt. Funds raised will support the Trust’s work with Gurkha veterans and widows living in Nepal, helping to keep them safe and giving them the means to live with dignity.