The Birmingham 2026 Miles Challenge, a free, interactive initiative for primary schools inspired by the Birmingham 2026 European Athletics Championships (10-16 August), is launching on Wednesday 6 May and is open for registration now.
Hosted on the Run:Ed platform, the challenge will allow schools to track their pupils' collective miles so they can travel virtually to cities across Europe and learn along the way. At each stop, pupils will access information sheets linked to that destination with a variety of useful facts, including athlete biographies and potential ‘ones to watch’ this summer.
From Classroom Miles to Championship Tickets
All schools that participate in the challenge and track their miles each week from 6th May to 3rd June will also be entered into a prize draw where three classes will be selected to win tickets to attend the UK National Championships. The National Champs take place on 20-21 June in Birmingham and will see many athletes competing to qualify for the European Athletic Championships in Birmingham this August.
Building on the positive momentum already generated by Birmingham 2026’s impact plan ‘Beyond’ – a programme created to inspire positive, lasting change across the region linked to the European Athletics Championships – the Birmingham 2026 Miles Challenge has been made possible thanks to funding from the London Marathon Foundation and with support from Aspire Active Education Group and mmtm.
“We hope that this free, inclusive challenge will inspire primary school children to get active and bring them together around a shared goal,” said James Grinsted, London Marathon Foundation’s Children and Young People Engagement Lead for the West Midlands.
“We know teachers are busy, but the challenge is designed to keep things simple. It gives schools an easy way to build more movement into the day by engaging pupils in everyday activities such as walking, jogging or running, and it can create a shared sense of engagement and energy which gives everyone a boost.
“Following on from the recent ‘TCS Mini London Marathon in Schools’, it also provides another fantastic opportunity for young people to get active linked to a major sporting event.”
Beyond 2026: Creating Lasting Impact
The Beyond framework, which has been built to connect partners, create new opportunities and amplify existing initiatives, is shaped by three central pillars: providing community benefit through athletics and running; delivering an environmentally conscious championships; and improving accessibility and inclusion for all.
In addition to the Birmingham 2026 Miles Challenge, activities aligned with Beyond include support for The Daily Mile in schools, diversifying junior parkruns, creating new apprenticeship and volunteering pathways, and encouraging sustainable travel for fans and participants.
The Birmingham 2026 Miles Challenge will run for the remainder of the academic year and will encourage regular participation from schools – who will track their progress through the interactive platform – across the summer term.
Schools are encouraged to register their involvement as soon as possible so that they can be set up and ready to start on 6 May.
The Birmingham 2026 European Athletics Championships take place from 10-16 August. Tickets are on sale now.
For more about the Beyond programme, click here.