Scilly Swim Challenge, Cornwall
SwimQuest’s annual Isles of Scilly challenge is a 15km island-hopping swim, broken into five sessions with walks in between. The longest swim is the 6km leg from St Agnes to Bryher; the shortest is 600 metres from Bryher to Tresco; and the island walks in between are no longer than 45 minutes. Swimmers can opt to complete the challenge in one tough day, or space it out over two – there is a party after both events.
Entry is £299 for the one-day challenge on 20 September or £379 for two days (17 and 18 September), no minimum fundraising, scillyswimchallenge.co.uk
Ultra Challenge, across the UK
With 18 annual events, Ultra Challenge is one of the UK’s biggest series of treks and trail runs. Fundraising is optional but popular – there are 600-plus charities to choose from and the events raise more than £12m a year for good causes. Despite the name, it doesn’t have to be ultra-challenging; beginners can try a 10km taster trek, and build up to 25km, 50km or even 100km, and participants walk or run at their own pace. There’s lots of support, too, from a training app to shuttle buses to the events, plus a medal, massage and meal at the end. Locations include coastlines and countryside in England and Wales; new this year is Scarborough to Whitby.
Registration and recommended fundraising varies; next events are London Winter Walk, 24 and 25 January and the Bath 50, 28 March, ultrachallenge.com
Ride the Route, London loop
Railway Children is a charity that helps young people living on the street, or at risk of it, in the UK, India and Tanzania. Its annual Ride the Route event is a three-day group cycle ride covering more than 200 miles, requiring a “moderate to good” level of fitness and enough training to withstand six to eight hours a day in the saddle. The route changes every year and always follows a railway line. This year it is a circular route following the High Speed 1 line from London to Folkestone, continuing along the coast to Brighton, then back to London.
£50 for one day’s cycling with £150 fundraising pledge, or £75 for all three days, with a £350 fundraising pledge, 3-6 September, railwaychildren.org.uk
Race the Sun, England
This is a team challenge for two to four people across three disciplines: cycling, hiking and canoeing/ kayaking. It’s not a relay – all team members must cycle 23-34 miles, hike 6-10 miles and paddle 2 miles. The fastest teams race around the course in five hours; others take from dawn to dusk. There are five races: a new one on the South Downs (25 April), plus Cheddar Gorge (11 July), the Jurassic Coast (27 June) and two in the Lake District (13 June and 15 September). All events are in aid of Action Medical Research.
£120 for two, £240 for four, minimum fundraising £1,000/£2,000, action.org.uk
Lake 24 Peaks Challenge, Cumbria
This Hatt Adventures event is a tough challenge that requires a high level of fitness: climbing 24 Lake District peaks in 24 hours, all of them over 700 metres (2,400ft). Groups tackle 10 mountains on the 14-hour first day (including Scafell Pike, England’s highest) and 14 mountains over 10 hours on the second day. The cost includes a 12-week fitness plan; transport from Manchester, Birmingham, London or Brighton; two nights’ bunkhouse stay; two buffet breakfasts, packed lunches and pub dinners; and a qualified mountain leader. The company also runs Yorkshire and UK Three Peaks Challenges.
£5,600 for groups of eight to 12, April to October, fundraise what you can for a charity of your choice, thehatt.co.uk
SupBikeRun, England and Wales
This is a triathlon with a difference: instead of open-water swimming, it starts with paddleboarding, followed by either mountain biking or road cycling, then a trail run. The shorter race is a 3k paddleboarding, 15k mountain biking (or 21k on road) and a 5k run; the longer one is double and there is also a three-person team relay. The events take place at lakeside locations in mid-Wales (16-17 May), Devon (11-12 July) and the Lake District (12-13 September) – camping and family and friends welcome.
From £65pp (team) or £123 (individual), board hire £16, camping extra, fundraise what you can for a charity of your choice, supbikerun.co.uk
Great River Race, London
London’s “river marathon” is an annual 21.6-mile boat race from Millwall in the east to Ham, Richmond, in the south-west, passing under 28 of the city’s famous bridges. It is for fixed-seat rowing boats only, and the 2,500 competitors range from record-breaking athletes to friends in fancy dress. Crews can camp at the Thames Young Mariners campsite, a few minutes’ walk from the end of the race, from Thursday to Sunday (the race is on Saturday). There is a barbecue and bar on the Friday night, breakfast on Saturday and Sunday mornings, and a transfer bus to the starting point.
Entry £80 adults/£60 under 18s, fundraise for a charity of your choice, entries open on 1 April, race on 12 September, greatriverrace.org.uk
SuperHalfs, Europe
If one half marathon isn’t enough of a challenge, how about six? The SuperHalfs series rewards runners who complete the Cardiff, Lisbon, Prague, Berlin, Copenhagen and Valencia half marathons with a SuperMedal. More than the medal, the series is “For the fun of running. For the thrill of travel. And for the joy of saying ‘I did it!’” In return for a minimum fundraising target, entrants can pick a charity from an extensive list for guaranteed entry into their chosen race or the entire series.
£175 refundable deposit for entry into all six races, minimum fundraising target £1,950; 8 March Lisbon; 28 March Prague; 29 March Berlin; 20 September Copenhagen; 4 October Cardiff; 25 October Valencia; superhalfs.com
24-hour skiing relay, French Alps
The ski resort of Le Grand-Bornand in the French Alps hosts an annual 24-hour nonstop skiing challenge in aid of children’s charities. Teams of eight to 10 ski relay laps of an easy intermediate slope, which is suitable for anyone just above beginner level, from 2pm on Saturday to 2pm on Sunday. Each team must complete between four and 12 laps every hour. In 2025, 158 teams took part, and since it began in 2008, Glisse en Coeur has raised almost €5.5m for four charities. There is a carnival atmosphere, with a concert on the slopes, celebrity appearances and lots of cheering spectators.
€690 for a team of 10, plus €500 minimum fundraising, 20-22 March, legrandbornand.com
Hyrox fitness races, worldwide
Hyrox has taken in off in popularity – 550,000 keep-fitters competed in around 85 indoor races in more than 30 countries around the world last year. The format is the same globally, comprising a 1km run followed by a “functional workout station” (various pushes, pulls, jumps, carries, etc), repeated eight times. It is open to “everyday fitness enthusiasts”, with no entry qualifications or time limits.
The UK events are in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support; £64 entry plus £400 minimum fundraising; 21-25 January in Manchester, 11-15 March in Glasgow, 24-29 March in London and 29 April to 4 May in Cardiff; hyrox.com