There is a quiet assumption in endurance events that walking is the fallback option, the thing you do when the running goes wrong. At Running Mad it is simply one of the ways people take part, and a large share of our participants choose it deliberately. Completion is what earns the medal, not speed.
Walking is genuinely good training
Brisk walking raises your heart rate, builds the tendons and joints that running punishes, and is far easier to recover from. If you are returning from injury, carrying extra weight, managing a long-term condition or simply new to exercise, walking gets you the same distance with a fraction of the impact.
It is also sustainable. People abandon running plans because they hurt. Very few people abandon walking.
How long does a walking challenge actually take?
A comfortable walking pace is roughly 3 miles per hour, and a brisk one is closer to 4. That gives you a rough planning guide:
- 1.5 miles: around 25 to 30 minutes. A single walk.
- 5K (3.1 miles): around 45 to 60 minutes. Still a single walk for most people.
- 10K (6.2 miles): around 1 hour 45 minutes, or two shorter walks.
- Half marathon (13.1 miles): a long day out, or four to five walks across a fortnight.
- 50 or 100 miles: a cumulative challenge spread across weeks. This is where most walkers thrive.
The cumulative approach
The longer distances are not designed to be done in one go. A 100 mile challenge across two months is a little over 1.6 miles a day, which is a walk to the shops and back for a lot of people. Breaking the total down is not cheating, it is how the challenge is meant to work.
A simple method: divide the total distance by the number of days you have, round up, and treat that as your daily minimum. Bank extra miles on good days so a wet Tuesday does not derail you.
Making the miles easier
- Sort your footwear first. Walking long distances in unsupportive shoes causes blisters and shin pain. You do not need expensive kit, you need shoes that fit properly.
- Walk with someone. Conversation makes the distance disappear. It is also the single best predictor of whether people stick with it.
- Use the time. Podcasts, audiobooks and phone calls turn a chore into the best part of the day.
- Log it. Any free phone app will track distance. Watching a total climb towards the target is unexpectedly motivating.
Getting the family involved
Walking challenges work well for children, grandparents and anyone in between, because everyone can go at the same pace. If you are looking for something the whole household can finish together, the shorter distances are the obvious starting point.
Pick your distance
Every Running Mad challenge lets you choose Walk as your activity, and every distance from 1.5 miles to 100 miles is available. Have a look through the virtual challenges and choose the one that appeals, then set your own deadline. The medal and certificate arrive either way.