CapitalTrails - 2025 Year in Review
- divya jindal
- Jun 21
- 5 min read
Updated: Jun 23
2025 was a year of meaningful expansion for CapitalTrails. While working on the programming and new activities, we focused on growing our community engagement and scaling our contribution to outdoor access in the NCR region.
Following is a structured account of the year’s activities, key learnings, and our shared ongoing commitment to the community and the outdoors.
CapitalTrails 2025 Annual Activities
In 2025, we took on more challenges, both on and off the trail. Starting the year with 12 monthly meets and 3 races, we added online events and another race to our portfolio, along with building an operations backbone that will pave as the way for the responsible growth of the community.
Races by CapitalTrails
In 2025, CapitalTrails expanded its race portfolio to 4 races in a year. The inaugural edition of Sohna by CapitalTrails was introduced, marking the first ultra-distance race format alongside a 2-person relay format, celebrating the famous Ekiden format. The races represent CapitalTrails most significant community gatherings, drawing participants, volunteers, and supporters together to engage with the Aravalli landscape. More details on race formats and participation trends are available on the Races By CapitalTrails page.
Women's Trail Day
On June 1, 2025, the International Trail Running Association (ITRA) celebrated the inaugural Women’s Trail Day as an initiative to increase women’s participation and encourage them to take to the trails. The event saw one of the largest community gatherings of the year. It was entirely led by the women from the CapitalTrails Community, where members’ friends and family also joined in, which felt like a true community outing. The day also served as the official launch of CapitalTrails branded merchandise and apparel.
Wilderness First Aid Training
From 12-15 September 2025, a few community members completed the internationally certified Wilderness First Aid course over three days at the Hanifl Centre, Mussoorie. During the three-day course, they learnt about patient assessment and extended care, injury assessment and management, CPR, and emergency response procedures. At CapitalTrails, we encourage more folks to take these courses as these competencies directly strengthen the individual’s capacity to have safe outdoor experiences. The group also explored the mountain trails surrounding the centre.
Monthly Outdoor Meet-Ups
2025 represented one of the most active calendar years for CapitalTrails with regard to monthly meet-ups. Over the year, we shared multiple trails across the NCR region and interacted with many like-minded folks. The feedback and learnings from these meet-ups have directly informed a lot of internal operations.
Community Webinars
Through a monthly webinar series, we have tried to build an online community by bringing leading athletes, everyday runners, mountaineers, and experienced coaches to interactive conversations with the community. These sessions are designed to broaden access to outdoor experience - offering community members change to engage with practitioners whose experience spans competitive sport, adventure, and coaching. The webinar programme has grown into a consistent and well-attended event, with guests including prominent athletes, outdoor leaders, coaches and community members like Kieren D'Souza, Sannat Sachdev, Aparna Tyagi, Kamakshi Pal, Lipi Kalita, Chetan Sehgal and many more.
Outdoor Hikes and Forest Walks
As part of our monthly meet-ups, a dedicated hike group complements our existing trail run offerings. Led by subject-matter experts, these guided walks are intentionally shorter, more accessible, and structured around learning - with a focus on regional ecology, indigenous flora and fauna, and the natural heritage of the Aravalli range. These continue to bring many first-timers to monthly meet-ups, ensuring that outdoor participation is genuinely inclusive, regardless of fitness level or prior experience.
Nilgai Forest Trail - Fastest Known Time Project
In April, community members took on a big project to attempt the Nilgai Forest Trail. The Nilgai Forest Trail is a continuous 95-kilometre-long single-loop route with an elevation gain of approximately 700 meters. 75+% of the route runs on forest trails, unpaved roads, and dirt tracks in the urban and suburban areas of New Delhi, Faridabad, and Gurugram. Spanning biodiverse areas, the Nilgai Forest Trail offers a glimpse of the wild character of the ancient Aravalli mountain range today. The project brought the community together across running, crewing, pacing, and documentation - making it a genuine collective effort that highlighted the scale and ecological value of the Aravalli trail network.
Brand Collaborations
Maintaining a deliberate approach to brand partnerships in 2025, we prioritised collaborations with organisations that share our values around environmental responsibility and outdoor safety. The team collaborated with various brands over the course of the year and received continued support from brands like Tripole Gears, Trekk Nutrition, Shyft, and other partners across its race calendar.
Learnings from 2025
While the initiatives have been met with a lot of excitement and success from the community, the year has also brought a tremendous amount of learning. Our experience has shown time and again that active participation is the single most important ingredient of community growth.
Stronger Community Engagement
Our most significant asset remains our community, and in 2025, the CapitalTrails team made structured engagement a higher operational priority. Active consultation with members through meet-ups, feedback channels, and direct conversations has shaped improvements to how we plan and deliver our programmes. As we move forward, this ongoing dialogue is treated as essential input that will shape the path our community takes forward.
Trails are for Everyone
The principle that trails belong to all people continues to shape our decisions. In 2025, this commitment translated into direct outreach with women, hikers, and first-time outdoor participants to better access barriers they face and ways to overcome those. To support this, Races by CapitalTrails is now accredited by SheRACES, ensuring the race environment meets established standards for gender equity and a positive, inclusive experience for all participants.
Safe Access to Trails
Ensuring safe access to trails in the NCR, where safety considerations are varied and sometimes complex, remains a priority for us. CapitalTrails has continued to provide structured safety guidance, encourage members to pursue Wilderness First Aid and other outdoor skills training, and maintain a consistent feedback loop to refine its protocols. These are ongoing commitments, not one-time initiatives.
Contributions Summary - FY 2025–26
Over the past seven years, CapitalTrails has directed contributions to a range of individuals and non-profit organisations working at the intersection of environment, community, and outdoor access. The cumulative impact of this giving reflects the sustained commitment of the community that makes it possible.
The table below reflects the total contributions made by CapitalTrails to partner organisations and individuals during FY 2025–26. These contributions are made possible by the active participation and membership support of the CapitalTrails community.
Organisation / Individual Supported | Contribution (INR) |
₹4,000 | |
₹4,500 | |
₹6,000 | |
₹6,000 | |
₹11,000 | |
₹13,500 | |
₹20,000 | |
Total | ₹65,000 |
Moving Forward
The initiatives and the contributions listed above are continued by the active participation of the CapitalTrails membership. If you would like to support this work and contribute to the organisations listed here, membership through the Annual Trail Pass is the most direct way to do so.
The Annual Trail Pass (₹4,000) includes access to 12 monthly outdoor meets. Full details are available on the CapitalTrails website.
We look forward to seeing you on the trails.
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