Movement 26.2: What It Is and How It Works
Walk 26.2 miles a month and get rewarded for it. Here's everything that's confirmed so far, what's still unknown, and how to get ready before it launches. Motion is an independent app - this is our working explainer of the NHS scheme.
Movement 26.2 in 60 seconds
Last updated: 4 July 2026
Movement 26.2 is an NHS England-backed walking challenge announced on 3 July 2026. It asks people to walk 26.2 miles (42.2 km) a month, about 20 to 30 minutes a day (Eastern Eye), logged via phone, smartwatch or an online platform (BBC News). It's free to join and due to launch by January 2027. Rewards start digital, then add vouchers and discounts (LBC).
This page is our working explainer. We're keeping it updated as the NHS and Great Run Company confirm more detail, so bookmark it rather than a news story that will go stale.
What is Movement 26.2?
It's a walking scheme developed for NHS England by Sir Brendan Foster, founder of the Great North Run. He worked with Sir Keith Mills, who created the Air Miles loyalty scheme (BBC News).
The story was first reported on 3 July 2026 (BBC News), with the Telegraph carrying the original interviews with Foster and Mills. Other outlets confirmed the details the same day.
Movement 26.2 delivers two commitments from the government's 10 Year Health Plan for England, published in July 2025. The plan promises "a new health reward scheme to incentivise healthier choices," and a campaign with the Great Run Company to "motivate millions to move more on a regular basis" (GOV.UK). Movement 26.2 turns both of those promises into something people can actually take part in.
The name comes from the distance of a marathon, 26.2 miles. Walk that far in a month, at your own pace, and you've done the challenge.
How does the marathon-a-month challenge work?
The challenge itself is simple. Walk 26.2 miles, about 42.2 km, within a month. TechRadar's reporting confirms the design is flexible: there's no daily minimum, and only the monthly total counts. A big Saturday walk can make up for a quiet Tuesday, and a rest day won't cost you the challenge.
Here's what that looks like in practice, based on our own maths.
Marathon-a-month at a glance
| Measure | Roughly | How we worked it out |
|---|---|---|
| Total distance | 26.2 miles (42.2 km) | The challenge's monthly target |
| Daily average | About 0.87 miles (1.4 km) a day | 26.2 miles ÷ 30 days |
| Daily time at a brisk pace | About 18 minutes a day | 0.87 miles ÷ a brisk 3mph pace (NHS), × 60 |
| Total walking time | About 8 hours 45 minutes across the month | 26.2 miles ÷ 3mph |
| Total steps | Roughly 52,000 to 59,000 | 26.2 miles × roughly 2,000 steps per mile (Harvard Health); step counts vary by height and pace (Hoeger et al., 2008), so we use 2,000 to 2,250 as a working range |
| Daily steps | Roughly 1,750 to 1,970 a day | Total steps ÷ 30 days |
These are estimates to help you picture the challenge, not a fixed plan. For the full step-count breakdown by height and stride length, see how many steps is a marathon. Want numbers based on your own weight and pace? Try our Walking Calculator.
For the time maths in full, see how long it takes to walk a marathon, and for what it burns, calories walking a marathon.
When does Movement 26.2 start?
The BBC reports that Movement 26.2 will launch "early next year," without naming a month. Other outlets have gone further. Eastern Eye and TechRadar both report a launch by January 2027.
No sign-up date has been announced yet. When one is, we'll cover it on our sign-up page and update this page the same day.
Is Movement 26.2 free to join?
Yes. LBC confirms there's no entry fee to take part. You won't need to buy anything to get started, though a phone or smartwatch makes logging your walks easier (BBC News).
That matches the funding model behind the scheme. The NHS pays for the initial set-up, and the rewards themselves come from partnerships outside the NHS budget rather than from health spending (Eastern Eye). More on that below.
What rewards can you earn?
The scheme uses what's being called an "NHS Points Scheme," modelled on supermarket-style loyalty programmes rather than a single one-off prize.
LBC reports the rewards will roll out in two phases. Early rewards are digital: streaks and badges, in the same streak-culture style as habit apps like Snapchat and Duolingo (BBC News). Sir Brendan Foster has talked about a three-month streak as a milestone worth marking (LBC).
Later rewards move into the physical world: medals, t-shirts, shopping vouchers and retailer discounts. Talks with retailers are still ongoing, so which brands take part, and what the vouchers will be worth, is not yet confirmed.
Every reward detail we can source, and everything still to be confirmed, lives on our NHS points and rewards guide.
Organisers hope for more than 100,000 people to take part in a single month during 2027, which Foster has called an attempt at "the biggest marathon in history" (Eastern Eye).
How will you track your walks?
The BBC reports that walks will be logged through an online platform, a phone, or a smartwatch. That much is confirmed. The exact method, whether that's a dedicated app, the existing NHS App, or links to platforms like Apple Health, Fitbit or Garmin, is not yet confirmed. Full details are expected later in 2026, and we'll update this page as soon as they land.
Until then, most walkers already track their steps with something. Motion is one option. It's an independent app that works alongside the NHS Movement 26.2 challenge, not a part of it. There's no data link between Motion and the scheme. What it can do today is help you build the daily walking habit the challenge is built on. Our guide to the best apps for tracking a marathon a month looks at how Motion and other trackers compare.
- UK deaths are linked to physical inactivity (NHS England)
- 1 in 6
- adults in England are classed as inactive (Sport England, year to Nov 2025)
- 11.8 million
- of extra healthy life possible from walking 30 minutes, five days a week, says scheme founder Sir Brendan Foster
- Up to 4 years
Why is the NHS doing this?
Inactivity carries a real cost, in health and in money. Physical inactivity is linked to one in six deaths in the UK, and it's estimated to cost the NHS around £0.9 billion a year (GOV.UK).
It's also common. In the year to November 2025, 11.8 million adults in England did less than 30 minutes of activity a week. That's nearly a quarter of adults, and it's the official definition of "inactive" (Sport England).
Foster's argument is that small, regular walks can shift that. "If someone walks 30 minutes five times a week, they could gain up to four extra years of healthy life," he told the BBC (BBC News). The World Health Organization recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate activity a week, which works out to about 21 minutes a day, in the same ballpark as the challenge's pace (WHO).
For a fuller look at the research behind that recommendation, see the evidence for walking 20 to 30 minutes a day.
Who is behind the scheme, and who pays for it?
Sir Brendan Foster, founder of the Great North Run, developed Movement 26.2 with Sir Keith Mills, who created the Air Miles scheme (BBC News). NHS England's chief executive, Sir Jim Mackey, has backed the idea publicly, saying it's about "making movement part of everyday life again in a way that feels simple and achievable" (Eastern Eye).
On funding, Eastern Eye notes that the NHS pays for the initial set-up, while the rewards themselves are funded through partnerships with businesses rather than NHS money. That raises a fair question: is this a sensible use of NHS money? Inactivity is estimated to cost the NHS around £0.9 billion a year (GOV.UK). A scheme that gets more people walking, funded mostly outside the NHS budget, looks a reasonable bet, even if it only works for some people.
What do we know so far, and what's still to be confirmed?
Confirmed so far
| What | Source |
|---|---|
| Walk 26.2 miles a month, no daily minimum | TechRadar |
| Free to join, no entry fee | LBC |
| Due to launch by January 2027 | Eastern Eye, TechRadar |
| Log walks via an online platform, phone or smartwatch | BBC News |
| Rewards start digital (streaks, badges), then add vouchers, discounts and medals | LBC |
| NHS funds the set-up. Rewards come from outside partnerships, not NHS money | Eastern Eye |
| Organisers hope for 100,000+ people in a single month during 2027 | LBC, Eastern Eye |
Still to be confirmed
- The exact sign-up process
- Who's eligible to take part
- Whether there's a dedicated app or platform
- Which retailers and brands are involved
- What the rewards are actually worth
The reward rows above are tracked in more detail on our rewards guide, which we update the same day anything is announced.
We'll update every row on this page as soon as there's a confirmed source. As of 4 July 2026, no official Movement 26.2 page exists on the NHS England or Great Run Company websites. When one appears, we'll link to it here within 24 hours and make it our main source for this page.
How can you get ready before launch?
You don't need to wait for sign-up details to start. About 0.87 miles a day, roughly 18 minutes of brisk walking (NHS), is a realistic target to build towards now, so it feels normal by the time the challenge opens.
A good place to start is our beginner's guide to walking a marathon a month, which breaks the target into a four-week build-up. If 0.87 miles a day sounds like a lot right now, our guide to walking one mile a day covers almost the same distance and is a gentler way in. Our wider walking hub has guides for every distance in between.
Motion can help with the habit side of things. It sets a personalised daily step goal from what you actually do, then tracks it automatically once your phone or watch is linked. It uses streaks to keep you going, the same approach Foster wants Movement 26.2 to use (BBC News). It works alongside the NHS Movement 26.2 challenge rather than being part of it, but the walking habit it builds is exactly what the challenge rewards.
Wondering if shorter walks still help? Here's whether short walks count. And if you're in your 40s or 50s and starting from further back, our marathon-a-month over 40 guide is written for you.
Latest updates
We'll add to this list every time there's genuine news about Movement 26.2.
- 4 July 2026. NHS announces Movement 26.2: what we know so far. Our first look at the announcement and what it means for everyday walkers.
Explore the Movement 26.2 guide
How to sign up for Movement 26.2
What's confirmed about joining, what's still TBC, and how to get ready before sign-up opens.
Read moreBest apps to track a marathon a month
How Motion, Apple Health, Fitbit, Garmin and others compare for logging your walks.
Read moreWalking a marathon a month: beginner's guide
A four-week build-up plan to reach 26.2 miles without burning out.
Read moreMovement 26.2 FAQs
If you have anything else you want to ask, reach out to us.
Is Movement 26.2 free to join?
Yes. LBC reports there's no entry fee. You'll want a phone or smartwatch to log your walks easily, but joining the challenge itself won't cost you anything.
When does Movement 26.2 start?
It's due to launch by January 2027, according to Eastern Eye and TechRadar. The BBC says only that it's coming 'early next year.' Sign-up details haven't been announced yet.
Do you have to walk every day?
No. According to TechRadar, the challenge has no daily minimum. Only your monthly total of 26.2 miles counts, so you can walk further on some days and rest on others. Some coverage frames it as 20 to 30 minutes of walking a day, but that's a suggested pace rather than a rule, so we're sticking to the confirmed detail: it's the monthly total that matters.
Is Movement 26.2 the same as the CrossFit Open 26.2?
No. The number 26.2 is simply the marathon distance in miles, so other events, including CrossFit Open workouts, use similar names. Movement 26.2 is the NHS England-backed walking challenge covered on this page: walk 26.2 miles a month, no gym or running required.
Is there an official Movement 26.2 website yet?
Not as of 4 July 2026. We checked the NHS England and Great Run Company websites and found no dedicated Movement 26.2 page. When one appears, we'll link to it here within 24 hours and it will become our main source for this page.
Is Motion part of the NHS scheme?
No. Motion is an independent walking and fitness app. It works alongside the NHS Movement 26.2 challenge by helping you build a daily walking habit, but there's no data link between Motion and the scheme, and Motion is not an official or endorsed Movement 26.2 app.
Start your marathon this month - free
Motion is an independent walking and fitness app that works alongside the NHS Movement 26.2 challenge. It won't officially log your steps for the scheme, but it will help you build the daily walking habit the challenge is built on, with adaptive goals and streaks that keep you going. Download Motion free.
