Walking a Marathon a Month: A Beginner's Guide
A marathon a month is 26.2 miles (42.2 km), about 0.87 miles a day if spread evenly, roughly 18 minutes of easy walking at 3 mph. The NHS's Movement 26.2 scheme is expected to count only your monthly total rather than a daily quota. Full details are due in the coming months. If you can walk to the shops, you can build up to this.
Part of our Movement 26.2 guide to the NHS's new walking rewards scheme.
This page is the practical one. It covers how far a marathon a month works out to each day, a gentle four-week build-up, and what to do when a week goes sideways. If you want to know what's confirmed about joining once the scheme opens, see our Movement 26.2 sign-up guide.
- A marathon a month (42.2 km)
- 26.2 mi
- Daily average if you walk every day
- 0.87 mi
- At an easy, brisk pace
- ~18 min
- Adults in England already inactive
- 11.8 million
How far is a marathon a month, really?
A marathon a month means walking 26.2 miles, or 42.2 km, over 30 or 31 days. Spread evenly, that works out to 0.87 miles a day. NHS advice on walking for health describes an easy, brisk pace, about 3 mph, as one where you can still talk but couldn't sing. At that pace, 0.87 miles takes about 17 to 18 minutes.
That's roughly a walk to a bus stop a few streets away and back. That's similar to what we cover on our walking one mile a day page, if you want a deeper look at what a single daily mile does for your health.
Nobody walks exactly the same distance every day. Reports so far suggest the scheme is designed around a monthly total rather than a daily quota, so here's how the daily target could shift depending on how you spread the miles across the month.
| Pattern | Days walked | Distance per walking day | Time per walking day | Steps per walking day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Every day | 30 days | 0.87 mi (1.41 km) | ~18 min | ~1,750–1,970 |
| Weekdays only | 22 days | 1.19 mi (1.92 km) | ~24 min | ~2,380–2,680 |
| Every other day | 15 days | 1.75 mi (2.81 km) | ~35 min | ~3,500–3,930 |
Workings: 26.2 miles ÷ number of walking days = distance per day, at the 3 mph pace above. Steps assume roughly 2,000–2,250 steps per mile: about 2,000 for most people (Harvard Health), rising with your height, stride and pace (Hoeger et al., 2008).
Want the numbers for your own pace? Try our free walking calculator, or see how many steps is a marathon for the full step-by-step breakdown.
For a full pace-by-pace breakdown of the timings above, see how long a marathon takes to walk.
Can you walk a marathon a month if you haven't exercised in years?
Yes. And you're not the exception this scheme has to work around. You're exactly who it was built for.
In England, 11.8 million adults, nearly a quarter of all adults, are currently classed as inactive. That means less than 30 minutes of moderate activity a week, according to Sport England's Active Lives survey. If that's you, you're in good company, not falling behind everyone else. The BBC reports that the scheme's designers hope streak culture, the same habit-forming mechanic behind Snapchat and Duolingo, will help people stick with the challenge.
Sir Brendan Foster, the Great North Run founder who helped design the scheme, explained the thinking to LBC: "The challenge became very simple: can you do a marathon? Not in one day, but over the course of a month."
That's the whole idea. Nobody who hasn't walked further than the corner shop in a year is expected to do 26.2 miles in one go. You're doing it in 20 to 30-minute stretches, spread across four weeks, and reports so far suggest there's no daily minimum. Missing a day, or several, doesn't undo what came before. It's designed to be forgiving from the start, if that reported flexibility holds.
If you have a health condition, or you get chest pain or dizziness when you're active, have a quick word with your GP before starting. Walking is safe for almost everyone, but it's worth checking, per NHS advice on walking for health.
Starting this in your 40s or 50s, or mid-menopause? We wrote a guide specifically for you.
What does a 4-week build-up plan look like?
You don't need to hit 0.87 miles a day from day one. A gentle build-up gets you there without your legs, or your motivation, giving out in week two.
| Week | Daily walk | Distance per day | Weekly total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | 10–12 min, easy pace | ~0.5–0.6 mi | ~4 mi |
| Week 2 | 15 min | ~0.75 mi | ~5.25 mi |
| Week 3 | 18 min | ~0.9 mi | ~6.3 mi |
| Week 4 | 18–20 min, on target | ~0.9–1.0 mi | ~6.3–7 mi |
Workings: distance per day = minutes ÷ 20, at the 3 mph pace used throughout this page. Weekly total = distance per day × 7.
Be honest about what this plan adds up to. Four weeks like this comes to around 22 miles, not the full 26.2. That's fine. Nobody goes from zero to marathon pace in a straight line over a single month. By month two, once 18 to 20 minutes a day feels ordinary rather than effortful, you're covering the full monthly distance without having to think about it.
If a week goes better than planned, let those days do some of the lifting: a brisk trip to the shops, a longer dog walk, or a weekend stroll. If a week goes worse, the table above is a floor to come back to, not a target you've failed.
Curious what a month of this actually burns? See what a marathon-month burns.
See exactly what your pace means in miles and minutes
Enter your usual walking speed and our free calculator works out how long 26.2 miles actually takes you, and what a realistic daily target looks like.
What if you miss a few days of your marathon-a-month walk?
Missing days is normal, not failure. Early coverage suggests the scheme is built around one monthly total rather than a daily quota, though that detail hasn't been confirmed. HuffPost reports that "so far, it looks like Movement 26.2 is about your overall monthly walking distance." Sir Brendan Foster told LBC the challenge is a marathon "not in one day, but over the course of a month." The BBC says full scheme details will be released in the coming months. Treat the monthly-total design as reported rather than confirmed.
If that reported flexibility holds, a bad week wouldn't sink the whole month. Say illness, work, or a stretch of miserable weather costs you some days. Here's what the daily target would look like if you had to catch up over the days left in the month.
| Days missed | Days left in month | Daily distance to catch up | Daily time at 3 mph |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 days | 27 days | 0.97 mi | ~20 min |
| 7 days (a full week) | 23 days | 1.14 mi | ~23 min |
Workings: 26.2 miles ÷ days remaining = distance per day, at the same 3 mph pace used throughout this page.
Even the worse case here, missing a full week, only asks for 1.14 miles a day rather than the original 0.87. That's more, but still well within reach for most people. It's nowhere near as daunting as it might feel the morning after a bad week, if the reported monthly-total design holds.
How do streaks and habits help you walk a marathon a month?
Movement 26.2 wasn't built around willpower. It was built around habit design borrowed from apps millions of people already use every day. As mentioned above, the BBC reports that Foster is leaning on that same streak-culture mechanic to help people stick with the challenge.
A streak works because it turns a vague good intention, "I should walk more", into a small, visible thing you don't want to lose. Missing one day feels like a shame. Missing two starts to feel like giving up. That nudge is doing real work, and you can borrow it before the scheme's own tracking even launches.
The easiest streaks attach to something you already do, rather than something new to remember.
- Walk part of the school run instead of driving it
- Add a loop around the block to a dog walk you're already doing
- Take a 15-minute walk at the start of your lunch break instead of staying at your desk
- Get off the bus one stop early on the way home
Motion works alongside the NHS Movement 26.2 challenge by building the same streak mechanics into a goal that flexes with your week rather than punishing an off day. A missed Tuesday doesn't reset your progress. It just adjusts what the rest of the week needs to look like.
Is a marathon a month enough exercise to matter?
Honestly, yes, as a starting point, though it's not the finish line.
26.2 miles at an easy 3 mph pace works out to about 8 hours and 45 minutes of walking across the month. Spread over roughly 4.3 weeks, that's close to 120 minutes a week.
| Marathon-a-month weekly average | WHO recommended minimum |
|---|---|
| ~120 minutes | 150 minutes |
That's most of the way to the 150 minutes of moderate activity the World Health Organization recommends adults get every week.
That's a strong start from doing nothing, not a token gesture. Foster told the BBC that walking 30 minutes, five times a week, could add up to four extra years of healthy life. A marathon a month gets most people close to that habit without asking for a single big leap.
It doesn't need to happen in one dedicated block, either. The NHS notes that a brisk 10-minute walk already counts towards your weekly activity, so short walks stacked through the day add up just as well as one longer one. For more on whether do short walks count, and the evidence for 20 to 30 minutes a day, we cover both in full elsewhere.
Think of a marathon a month as the on-ramp, not the destination. Once it feels easy, the natural next step is the full 150-minute guideline. A step challenge with friends or family can help you get there without changing the daily walking itself.
Continue your Movement 26.2 plan
Motion app: build the walking habit
Automatic step tracking, streaks, and a goal that flexes with your week. Free for iOS and Android.
Read moreMovement 26.2: what it is and how it works
The full picture of the NHS's new walking rewards scheme, what's confirmed, what's still to be decided, and how it works.
Read moreHow to sign up for Movement 26.2
What's confirmed so far about joining when the scheme opens, and how to get ready before it does.
Read moreWalking a marathon a month: frequently asked questions
If you have anything else you want to ask, reach out to us.
How far do I need to walk each day?
If you walk every day, that's about 0.87 miles, roughly 18 minutes at an easy 3 mph pace. But reports so far say there's no daily minimum. Only the monthly total of 26.2 miles is expected to count, with details still to be confirmed, so you can spread it however suits your week.
What counts as a brisk walking pace?
About 3 mph, the pace where you can still hold a conversation but couldn't sing along to a song. NHS guidance on walking for health uses this pace as the benchmark for the timings on this page.
What if I miss a whole week?
You've still got 23 days left in the month and the same 26.2-mile target. 26.2 ÷ 23 = 1.14 miles a day, about 23 minutes at an easy pace. That's more than the original 0.87 miles a day, but still very doable, and missing days is the norm rather than the exception.
Do short walks count towards the total?
Yes. A brisk 10-minute walk already counts towards your weekly activity, so two or three shorter walks through the day add up the same as one longer one.
Do I need special shoes or kit?
No. Comfortable shoes you already own are enough to get started. This is a walking challenge, not a running one, so there's no kit list to buy your way through before you begin.
Is walking 26.2 miles a month enough to get fit?
It's a genuinely strong start, not the finish line. Spread across the month, it works out to roughly 120 minutes a week, most of the way to the 150 minutes of moderate activity the World Health Organization recommends for adults. From doing nothing, that's real progress. From there, the natural next step is edging towards the full 150 minutes.
Start your marathon this month - free
Motion works alongside the NHS Movement 26.2 challenge, turning your daily walk into streaks, fair goals, and a bit of friendly competition. See the full Movement 26.2 guide.
