Overview
- NHS England confirmed on Friday that it will launch a national “marathon a month” challenge in early 2027 that asks people to walk roughly 30 minutes a day and aims to recruit more than 100,000 participants.
- Participants will log daily walks on a phone or smartwatch so time spent walking and monthly totals can be automatically verified.
- Completing the monthly target will make users eligible for rewards such as vouchers, discounts and prizes but full details of participating retailers and reward values will be published in the coming months.
- NHS will pay initial setup and launch costs for the tracking platform but plans to seek corporate sponsorship and philanthropic backing to sustain long‑term rewards.
- The scheme is part of England’s 10‑year health plan and responds to Sport England data showing about 12 million adults were physically inactive to November 2025 and to the NHS link between inactivity and one in six deaths.