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This Sunday should have marked the fortieth edition of the London marathon. The postponement will have come as a blow for runners who’ve been training for months – but it’ll also leave thousands of UK charities down on donations.
The 26.2 mile race raised more than £66m for charity last year, making it the world’s biggest one-day annual fundraising event. And, with other fundraising events having to cancel or postpone in the coming weeks, the UK charity sector is facing a £4bn loss in income as a result of the pandemic.
To raise vital funds, the organisers of some of the nation’s biggest fundraisers have joined forces to create a lockdown-friendly event, The 2.6 Challenge.
The idea is to encourage the public to complete a challenge by creatively using the numbers 2.6 or 26, then fundraising or donating to their chosen charity. It could be anything – from running 2.6 miles to batting a cricket ball up and down 26 times – as long as it abides by c rules.
The aim is to get active, but you could also make like nine-year-old Melissa, who’ll be sitting in a tub of cornflakes for 2.6 hours to raise money for the hospice her mum works at. Celebrities including Ellie Goulding, Stephen Fry, Ross Kemp, Gareth Bale, Piers Morgan, Davina McCall and Fearne Cotton have already pledged their plans to take part on April 24.
So what are you waiting for? Here are 26 ideas to help you get involved, whatever your age or the equipment you have at home:
1. Walk 2.6 kilometres or 2.6 miles (in fancy dress!).
2. Have a 26-minute dance party in your kitchen.
3. Encourage 26 friends, family and neighbours to do a Zoom fitness class.
4. Cycle 2.6 miles – or 26 miles if you’re feeling brave.
5. Stretch with 26 minutes of pilates or yoga.
6. Shoot 26 netball/basketball hoops.
7. Hula hoop with 26 consecutive spins.
8. Learn a Tik Tok dance challenge in just 2.6 minutes – post the evidence no matter how bad it is.
9. Skip for 26 laps of your garden.
10. Have a water fight – winner is the driest housemate after 26 minutes.
11. Draw a chalk hopscotch for your neighbours to enjoy – up to number 26.
12. Run a marathon in your garden or on your balcony.
13. Plank for 2.6 minutes (156 seconds).
14. Juggle for 2.6 minutes.
15. Do 26 keepy uppies.
16. Jump for 26 minutes on a trampoline.
17. Set a timer and do a burpie every 2.6 minutes. See how long you can go for.
18. Roller blade around your street for 26 laps.
19. Climb up and down a local hill 26 times.
20. Complete 26 star jumps. Repeat 2, 6 or 26 times throughout the day.
21. Enjoy some gardening for 26 minutes.
22. Create a circuits challenge and complete it 26 times.
23. Walk up and down the stairs 26 times (even better if you’re in a flat).
24. Have a three-legged race (that’s almost 2.6 legs, right?)
25. Complete 26 squats.
26. Have an epic sports day and complete all 26 challenges.