Parkrun partners with The Nation’s 5K Challenge to get one million people moving
Howard Lake | 23 June 2026 | News
Parkrun has joined The Nation’s 5K Challenge, a nationwide initiative aiming to inspire one million people to complete a 5k run across the UK and Ireland while raising funds for charity.
Founded by endurance athlete and fitness coach Esmée Gummer, the challenge launches on 27 June and runs until 3 October 2026. To drive participation, Esmée will run 5,000km through 77 cities across the UK and Ireland, visiting 13 local parkrun events along the way to join their free weekly 5k events and “help bring communities together”.
Over 1,300 people registered for the challenge within the first 24 hours.
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Partnerships supporting The Nation’s 5k
The initiative is managed by realbuzz, which is handling participant registrations and charity partnerships. Participants are given the option to donate when signing up, with fundraising powered by GoFundMe. Funds raised will be split between official charity partners Wings for Life (25%) and Sport in Mind (25%), with a portion going to parkrun and the remainder distributed to charities selected through a public vote during the challenge.
Esmée told she’d “never walk again” at 18
Esmée’s own connection to the cause adds personal significance to the campaign. After being paralysed at 18 and told she would never walk again, she made a full recovery and is now passionate about making movement accessible to all.
Ali McArthur, Global Head of Event Delivery & Volunteering at parkrun, said: “Helping one million people move is an ambitious goal, but it’s one that reflects our shared belief that physical activity should be free, welcoming and accessible.”
Nina Sethi, Head of Brand and Marketing at realbuzz, added: “parkrun has built one of the most inclusive and inspiring community participation movements in the world, making them a natural partner for The Nation’s 5K Challenge.”
Parkrun events taking part in the tour run from Inverness on 27 June through to Hereford on 26 September, visiting cities including Edinburgh, Dublin, Wolverhampton, Plymouth and Cardiff along the route.
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.