It’s all very well making a commitment to get fitter, but sometimes, you need a little something else to spur you on. If that something is raising cash for a good cause while you hone your muscles by running up stairs, taking up boxing or training overnight with commandos in the British wilderness, then these charitable events might help you reach your fitness goals.
Run up some stairs
Stair-running has its own champions and training groups, but more importantly it’s also a lung-searing workout that’s over in minutes. There were 14 events in the UK in 2015 and more are expected next year. Portsmouth’s Spinnaker Tower, with its relatively manageable 507 steps, is an entry-level favourite, but the jewel in the crown is the London 3 Peaks, where you’ll run up the stairs of the Gherkin, Salesforce Tower and 200 Aldersgate before abseiling down the Aldersgate building. The event is organised by Stand Up To Cancer, a charity that raises money for cancer research. If the 3 Peaks challenge sounds a bit much, you can enter as a relay team of three and take on a tower each.
Sign up at standuptocancer.org.uk/london3peaks
Sign up for a fight
When you’re gearing up for a 10K or even a marathon, a missed training session or a night in the pub isn’t the end of the world. Agree to fight another man, though, and the difference is stark: every time you’re tempted to have a night off with Netflix or open the biscuit tin, you’ll be wondering if your unseen nemesis is doing the same – or if he’s in some darkened gym somewhere, pounding a bag like Rocky III’s Clubber Lang. To put it another way, sign up for a fight and you’ll never have a problem with motivation. Tell people you’re training for a fight and donating the money from ticket sales to charity, and heads will turn. Bonus: people who don’t like you can still be persuaded to pay in the hope they’ll get to see you lose. If you’ve never stepped into a ring or cage before, Fighting For Charity offers entry-level white-collar bouts and events, and the proceeds are donated to charity.
Sign up at fightingforcharity.com
Race from London to Brighton
You’ve got three choices here. The well-known road version is the easiest, but there’s also the 119km off-road edition run by the British Heart Foundation, which is 50% longer and the biggest off-road event in Europe. Given the varied terrain, it’s a far more interesting and challenging test of your fitness too, with stunning views of the South Downs thrown in for good measure. If you don’t fancy doing it on wheels, you could run or even walk the route.
Sign up at bhf.org.uk/get-involved/events/bike-rides/london-to-brighton-off-road-bike-ride
Become a survivalist
The Commando Series obstacle course event – created to raise money for the Royal Marines’ Charitable Trust Fund – is a new event that takes place over a purpose-built 6km route at Hever Castle in Kent. Where it differs from other events is that before you tackle the obstacles, you get the opportunity to camp overnight and take a survival training course, learning everything from hunting and shelter-building to fire-making and navigation.
Sign up at commandoseries.co.uk
Train alone
If you’re not into group participation, don’t worry: technology has removed the need to actually enter a race to do good. New app Charity Miles lets you turn hard-won cyber points into currency, which you can then donate to nine charities including Autism Speaks, Stand Up to Cancer and Habitat for Humanity. Walking and running earn 25 cents (around 16p) per mile, cycling earns 10 cents per mile and corporate sponsors will donate what you’ve earned.
Sign up at charitymiles.org
Ride a bike to France
London to Paris is one option but there are more picturesque – and harder – alternatives for the gent in need of a stiffer test. The Roubaix Challenge, for instance, is a 250km charity bike ride that takes two days to cycle from London to the beautiful city of Lille in northern France. Near your destination is the town of Roubaix (famous for the epic Paris-Roubaix pro cycle race) and after the two-day run to Lille, you have the option of taking part in a Paris-Roubaix Challenge on day three. Amateur cyclists can sign up to ride the route the elite Paris-Roubaix cyclists will tackle a day later in the professional race, taking in some classic cobbled sections to really make you feel like a professional. Pick one of three distances depending on how knackered you are.
Beginners sign up at londonparisbikeride.co.uk. Advanced cyclists sign up at globaladventurechallenges.com/uk/the-roubaix-challenge/#open
One-up a classic
If you’re running a well-known distance like a marathon for charity, people might expect you do it in a decent time for their money. Side-step the issue entirely by running a different race. The Royal Parks 50km sounds like a dramatic distance to cover, but at only 8km further than a marathon it’s not much harder (and you probably won’t face sniffy looks if you take six hours to finish).
Sign up at royalparksultra.com
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