Run 30 Miles Challenge - FAQs

Supporters raise money for Cancer Research UK by challenging themselves to run 30 miles across the month of June. 

Once you have signed up, join the Facebook Group dedicated to this challenge: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1391617474990336  

Yes of course! If you don’t have Facebook, you can set up a Giving Page using the link below and collect sponsorship for your miles that way: https://activities.cancerresearchuk.org/run-30-facebook-challenge-2023  

There is no entry fee for this challenge. Participants are required to donate their fundraising to Cancer Research UK through their Giving Page.

Yes, under 18s can take part in this challenge, but we do not market to them and any third-party platform forum (e.g. a Facebook forum) is only available to over 18s. If under 18s are taking part, their parent/guardian must consent to the child’s participation, supervise the challenge and accept responsibility for complying with the challenge rules. Currently we are unable to accept registration for a child, so the child’s parent/guardian must register on the child’s behalf. Similarly, if a child wants to raise money online and/or join a forum, the child’s parent/guardian must register for an online fundraising page and/or join the forum on the child’s behalf. 

Participants register as an individual but can take on the challenge as a team and split the activity up as a group or all complete the 30 miles across the month. They can also set up a Team Giving Page and invite other registrants to join via the Cancer Research UK online fundraising site. 

To set up a team: 

1. All your team will need to sign up to the Run 30 Miles Challenge so they each have their own Online Giving Page 
2. Once everyone has signed up, log into your account 
3. Hit the 'Create new team' button and follow the instructions 
4. Once you've created your team, you can send the team page URL to friends and family so they can join too! 

https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/get-involved/do-your-own-fundraising/practical-fundraising-help/set-up-a-cancer-research-uk-giving-page/cancer-research-uk-giving-pages-help/fundraising-as-a-team

There are people of all levels of fitness doing this challenge. The important thing is that you're doing something that challenges you. This will vary from person to person, so tailor the challenge however you like. It should be tough, but doable. We’d recommend aiming for 1 mile a day to spread the distance throughout the month.  However you choose to break down the 30 miles, you’ll be helping us beat cancer. 

Whilst we encourage everyone to complete this challenge throughout the month of June, this is a personal challenge and you can start and finish your challenge at a time that is convenient for you. 

The only thing that matters is that you challenge yourself so complete as much of the challenge as you can. Whether you complete the distance or not, the money that you fundraise will allow Cancer Research UK to continue to fund life-saving research. 

We trust you! You don’t need to provide evidence that you’ve completed the challenge to us. Updating your friends and family on your Giving page is important! Make sure you keep them posted on your progress and share videos and photos throughout June – the more updates the better. Supporters that post their progress raise on average 40% more. 

Complete the below form to receive your free t-shirt in the post. Once completed, please allow 10 working days for your t-shirt to arrive: https://activities.cancerresearchuk.org/run-30-facebook-challenge-2023  

If you have not received your t-shirt within this time, please contact: supporter.services@cancer.org.uk. 

T-shirts can take up to 10 working days to reach you. If you completed the registration form after the 21st May, you may receive your t-shirt after June 1st. In the meantime, why not wear your running kit or an old t-shirt? 

If it has been over 10 days since you completed the form and you have still not received your t-shirt, please contact: supporter.services@cancer.org.uk.  

Sending out your t-shirt comes at a cost to Cancer Research UK so please only order one to ensure as much fundraising goes towards our life saving research. We ask if you do request a t-shirt that you set up a Giving Page and make a donation to your page. 

Unfortunately, it costs Cancer Research UK more money to return the t-shirt, so we ask that you keep hold of it for personal use (for example bed, gym, give to a friend, etc). If you would like a replacement, please our online shop, link below: https://shop.cancerresearchuk.org/product/cancer-research-uk-t-shirt

There is not a minimum amount of fundraising that we set for participant, but we recommend that supporters set a reasonable target of raising about £150. 

Setting up a Giving Page is the easiest way to raise money. You can set one up here: https://activities.cancerresearchuk.org/run-30-facebook-challenge-2023

It's then easy to share the page with your friends to gather sponsorship for your challenge. 

We have plenty of fundraising tools and ideas to help you raise life-saving donations. Please see our fundraising hub with everything you need from the challenge here: https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/get-involved/find-an-event/run-30-miles-challenge/fundraising-materials

As part of the automated email journey users will receive a link to fundraising materials which they can download. No physical copies will be sent of any of the fundraising materials.  

You can use our sponsorship form to raise money rather than using an online method. Simply download and print off to keep track of all your sponsorship collected or pledged. Once you have completed your fundraising, please send the form with a cheque to:  

Run 30 Miles Challenge, Cancer Research UK, PO BOX 1561, Oxford, OX4 9GZ 

During this unprecedented time, we are currently experiencing a delay in receiving and processing donations so do bear with us if it takes a little longer than usual to receive an acknowledgment. 

The Run 30 Miles Challenge is a fundraising initiative specifically developed by Cancer Research UK, and therefore all fundraising must go direct to the charity.  

Gift Aid is a tax relief allowing UK charities to reclaim an extra 25% on every eligible donation made by a UK taxpayer. This means Cancer Research UK can claim an extra 25p for every £1 donated, without it costing you or your sponsors an extra penny. If the donation is eligible for Gift Aid, sponsors need to fill out the sponsor form, following the guidelines at the top of the page.

Unfortunately, medals come at a huge cost to the charity so we will not be sending these out. However, we will send all supporters a certificate in their completion email (at the end of the challenge) and they can access downloadable digital badges to shout about their achievement on social. 

There are plenty of free apps that will allow you to track your miles. We recommend using Strava so supporters can link their Strava account to their online Giving Page. 

Find out how to connect your Giving Page to Strava here: https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/strava

*Please note: Strava sometimes there is a 48 hour lag in the Strava data being updated, and if the miles still aren't showing, disconnect and reconnect to do a hard reset and this will add any miles already on the Strava account. 

That is totally understandable and in the interest of safety we ask that you do not share the beginning or end of your routes – if you’d like to share then feel free to post the middle/main part of your walk.  

Strava allows you to set a privacy zone around your address to hide the start and end of your routes. In the Strava app, head to Settings > Privacy Controls > Map Visibility. For more information see: https://support.strava.com/hc/en-us/articles/5999538163853-Activity-Privacy-Considerations 

Please remember if posting screenshots of your running routes and running information into the Facebook group that your location could be visible to others in the group. Please be careful with what you are posting for safety reasons. 

It’s important that you’re well prepared for your run, especially if you’re considering going for a long-distance run. See below a list of appropriate equipment you might want to consider: 

• Running shorts or tights 

• Sunscreen  

• Running top (this can be purchased from CRUK here: https://shop.cancerresearchuk.org/product/cancer-research-uk-technical-running-shirt) 

• Cap  

• Water bottle 

• Running trainers 

• Running socks 

• A sports bra 

Warming up properly before running will help prevent injury and should only take 5 or 6 minutes.  

• March on the spot for up to 3 minutes - Start off marching on the spot and then march forwards and backwards. Pump your arms up and down in rhythm with your steps, keeping the elbows bent and the fists soft. 

• Heel Dig for 1 minute - For heel digs, place alternate heels to the front, keeping the front foot pointing up, and punch out with each heel dig. Keep a slight bend in the supporting leg. 

• Knee lifts for 30 seconds - To do knee lifts, stand tall and bring up alternate knees to touch the opposite hand. Keep your abs tight and back straight. Keep a slight bend in the supporting leg. 

• Shoulder rolls for 2 sets of 10 repetitions - For shoulder rolls, keep marching on the spot. Roll your shoulders forwards 5 times and backwards 5 times. Let your arms hang loose by your sides. 

• Knee bends for 10 repetitions - To do knee bends, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your hands stretched out. Lower yourself no more than 10cm by bending your knees. Come up and repeat. 

For more information and guidance on these warmups please see this NHS link. 

It’s not unusual to encounter bad weather when out running in the UK, so it’s important that you have the right equipment and top tips if you’re to go out running in adverse weather. Alternatively, it’s more than okay for you to complete the miles inside on a treadmill at home/the gym, if that’s an option for you. 

When taking on a run in adverse weather, remember to check your route and know your trail, understanding your surroundings will help you avoid difficult terrain and ensure you stick to safer, flat surfaces.  
 
There’s always a chance you’ll be caught off guard in bad weather whilst out and about, see below some useful equipment to consider: 

• Waterproof clothing 

• Appropriate running trainers and socks 

• Warm clothing and layers (thermals, gloves, hats, fleece, long trousers) 

• Water and food  

• Mobile phone 

If you’re planning to run in the dark, here are some additional tips to help you keep safe: 

• Maximise reflective gear: wear bright, neon or white clothing to help drivers spot you from afar 

• Think low: car’s headlights are angled down slightly, so try to wear reflective socks or shoelaces 

• Accentuate your moving parts: try to wear reflective gear on your feet, ankles and wrists 

• Be bright and flashy: flashlights and headlamps both light your way and alert people of your presence 

1. If you’re unsure about whether the weather will cause sunburn/skin damage, please check the UV forecast here: https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/public/weather/uv-index-forecast/#?tab=map&map=MaxUVIndex&zoom=5&lon=-4.00&lat=55.71&fcTime=1653879600

2. If you're exercising outside, use plenty of sunscreen with SPF 15+ with a 4 or 5 * rating which will sufficiently protect your skins (and apply everywhere, not just exposed skin!), also apply regularly throughout, during and after 

3. You can find further information via the CRUK website at: https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/causes-of-cancer/sun-uv-and-cancer

As the main route we will be promoting Online Fundraising but supporters can as always create a Facebook Fundraiser. If they do wish to do this, we would advise they set up a Giving Page first and then connect to Facebook on their Giving Page. 

1. Why has my Facebook fundraiser ended early? 

When setting up a Facebook fundraiser they are automatically set up for ten days. To make the most of your fundraising efforts, you need to change the end date to keep your fundraiser open throughout the challenge. To change the end date simply, click ‘More’ under the invite button, then click ‘Edit Fundraiser’.  We recommend setting this date to at least a month after your challenge has ended. 

2. If my Facebook Fundraiser has closed, can I reactivate it? 

Unfortunately, once your Facebook Fundraiser has finished you cannot reopen the same page. However, you can create a new one here and set the end date for past your challenge, so that you can continue receiving donations once you’ve finished your miles: https://www.facebook.com/fund/cancerresearchuk/  

3. How do I find previous Facebook Fundraisers? 

To see your past fundraisers, go to the Facebook home page on a desktop and look underneath your name on the left-hand side - click fundraisers > your activity > scroll down the page until you reach "your past fundraisers" 

4. Is it safe to donate to Facebook or if you have noticed any charges 

Donating on Facebook is safe and secure and there is no fee taken from Facebook to set up a Facebook Fundraiser. If you have any suspicious charges, we recommend speaking directly to your bank. If you have any questions about your Facebook Fundraiser please contact Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/help 

1. How do I connect my Giving Page to my Strava account? 

Full instructions on how to this listed here. 

2. I’ve connected my Strava account to my Giving Page but my miles haven’t published 

Please note that sometimes it takes a little while for miles to be published onto your page. If they haven’t shown after a few hours, please get in touch. 

Your settings will also automatically be set to only show miles throughout June but if you’d like your training miles to show, you can adjust these settings on your Giving Page.

3. Why aren’t my Strava activities appearing on my Giving Page? 

This could be due to the date ranges you have set. You can change these in 'Manage Strava Settings'. 

There can sometimes be a short delay between completing your activity and your activity appearing on your page. Please check your giving page again later. 

Your Strava activity does not match the activity types you have selected in your Strava settings. For example, you completed a bike ride but your Giving Page Strava setting only have Walk/Run selected. Therefore, you have not selected that activity type to be displayed on your Giving Page. You can update the activity type that appear on your Giving Page in the 'Manage Strava Settings'. 

Your Strava privacy settings are not set to 'everyone'. You can change Privacy settings in Strava. 

4. My Strava activities on my giving page aren’t as expected? 

We will only show Strava activities on your page from the date ranges and activity types you have selected in your settings. These activities also need to be public for Strava to share them with CRUK. 

Changes to settings that will affect what Strava activities will show on your page:  

• Changing the date range 

• Changing the units of measure  

• Changing the activity types  

5. How can I delete an activity from my page?

You can delete any activity you don’t want to appear on your Giving Page by using the delete option below the activity post.  

CRUK will never delete activities from your Giving Page. If you update the ‘timeframe’ section in Strava setting from your Giving Page, you will still need to manually delete unwanted activities from your Giving Page.  

Note for advisors: There is no automated process to delete Strava activities from Giving pages, as we want the user to have as much control over their page as possible. As an OFP admin user, you will be able to manually delete Strava activities from Pages.  

6. Why is my activity tracker total wrong? 

Reasons why your total may be wrong: 

• Your activity types selected -Your target is calculated from all activities on your Giving Page. If you only want one type of activity to count towards your target, please remove the other activity types from your Giving Page via the settings section. 

•  Your date ranges selected - Your target is calculated from all activities in the timeframe you've set. If you want your target to reflect your challenge progress only, please set your start date to the day you started your challenge. 

• Your Strava privacy settings - If your Strava activities are set to private they will not count towards your target.  

7. Can I link my Apple Watch to my Giving page?  

If you track your miles using the Strava app on your app watch then you can link this to your giving page. For guidance on how to set the Strava Apple Watch App up please visit the Strava Site.   

Strava Apple Watch App – Strava Support 

Any further enquiries, please feel free to contact lucycharlotte.allardice@cancer.org.uk and we will endeavour to reply to any queries within 48 hours.  

If so, please contact us at: https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-us/contact-us