The plan behind the story · Pub to pub from John o'Groats to Land's End: Gary McKee's 900-mile run for hospitality workers
Six weeks to your own team mileage challenge
In six weeks you and a small team will have covered a distance you chose, for a cause you chose, and finished it together. If you are new to this, the target is a walk most days. If you are already fit, it ends with a point-to-point day of 15 to 20 miles and a back-to-back weekend.
Why this works
Gary McKee ran about 900 miles from John o’Groats to Land’s End in 30 days for the Licensed Trade Charity, and more than 83,000 people took part in the virtual version on Strava, Caterer Licensee reported. A shared target is easier to keep: others are counting on your miles.
The NHS (the UK health service) recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate activity a week, or 75 minutes of vigorous activity, spread over four or five days or every day, plus strengthening on two days. And in NCVO’s Time Well Spent survey, published in 2023, 89 per cent of recent volunteers said they enjoyed it, 88 per cent said it gave them a sense of achievement, and 75 per cent said it improved their mental health and wellbeing. The survey was about volunteering in general, not fundraising runs, so take it as a reason to try rather than a promise.
Before you start
- Check with your GP (family doctor) if you have not been active for a while, or have a heart condition, chest pain, dizziness or a joint problem.
- Choose the cause. Ask its fundraising team how they like supporters to collect sponsorship, and set up the page before week 1 so the first miles count.
- Choose the team. Two to six people is plenty. Nobody has to be at the same level: everyone adds their own miles to one total.
- Set the target. Getting going: 30 to 50 miles (48 to 80 km) between you each over six weeks, walking. Already fit: 100 to 150 miles (160 to 240 km) each, running or walking, with one long point-to-point day in week 6.
- Agree how you count: a shared spreadsheet or group chat with date, name, miles.
The plan
| Week | Do this | How often | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (getting going) | Walk 15 to 20 minutes at a pace that warms you up. Post your miles to the team. | 4 days | One outing this week together, finishing somewhere you can sit down. |
| 1 (already fit) | Easy runs or brisk walks of 4 to 6 miles (6 to 10 km). | 4 days | Note how you feel the morning after. That is your baseline. |
| 2 (getting going) | Walks of 20 to 25 minutes. | 4–5 days | Add two short strength sessions: sit-to-stands and wall press-ups. |
| 2 (already fit) | First back-to-back weekend: 8 miles Saturday, 5 miles Sunday, easy pace. | 3 weekday sessions plus the weekend | Keep the second day slow enough to talk. |
| 3 (getting going) | One walk a week of 40 minutes. The others stay at 20 to 25. | 4–5 days | A new route keeps it interesting. |
| 3 (already fit) | Back-to-back: 9 miles and 6 miles. | As week 2 | Eat and drink properly the evening between. |
| 4 (getting going) | Walk part of the way somewhere with a teammate: a station, a cafe, a friend’s house. | 4–5 days | You are now near 150 minutes a week. |
| 4 (already fit) | Lighter week. Cut every session by a third. | 4 days | Lighter weeks are when the training takes hold. |
| 5 (getting going) | One walk of 50 to 60 minutes. Try jogging between two lamp posts if you like. | 4–5 days | Check the team total against the target. |
| 5 (already fit) | Back-to-back: 10 miles and 8 miles. | As week 3 | Rehearse the kit and food for the long day. |
| 6 (both) | The finish. Getting going: a group walk to a cafe or pub. Already fit: a point-to-point day of 15 to 20 miles (24 to 32 km) between two towns, friends joining for a few miles each. | Once | Tell your sponsors the total the same day. |
If it goes wrong
- Sore shins, knees or heels: halve the next week and walk it. Sharp or lasting pain needs a GP or physiotherapist, not persistence.
- The second day of a weekend feels terrible: shorten it, slow it, or make it a walk. Back-to-back days are hard for everyone.
- A teammate drops out: the total still counts. Invite one more person to add a few miles.
- Chest pain that spreads or does not ease, severe breathlessness or fainting: stop and call 999 (911 in the US).
Track it
Keep three things in one place: the team total against the target, your own miles each week, and one line per outing (date, distance, who came, one thing you noticed).
What next
The usual next step is a second challenge with one more person on the team. For a project built around a map rather than a cause, see how Nigel Beecroft ran every street in Birmingham, and if you would like to give time as well as miles, our guide to volunteering shows where to start.
General information, not medical advice. Check with your GP before starting a new exercise programme.