Challenges

Move together. Achieve something together.

STRIDE Challenges bring people working in education together through shared experiences, collective goals and a sense of belonging.

From virtual journeys covering thousands of kilometres to taking part in events across the country, every challenge is an opportunity to connect, encourage one another and celebrate what we can achieve together.

No individual targets. No leaderboards. No minimum distance.

Participation before performance. Every stride matters.

Current Challenge: STRIDE parkrun Takeover

Saturday 14 November 2026 | 9am

One Saturday. One community. As many parkruns as possible!

Inspired by Trevor Hirst’s STRIDE story celebrating his 100th parkrun, we’re inviting our community to take part in parkruns across the country on the same morning.

Whether you’re a regular parkrunner or considering your first event, we’d love you to be involved.

Our challenge is to discover:

• How many STRIDE members can take part?
• How many different parkrun locations can we cover?
• How many collective kilometres can we complete?

Run. Jog. Walk. Volunteer. Everyone counts.

How to take part

1. Join the STRIDE Strava Club for free.
2. Find our STRIDE parkrun Takeover club event and register your interest.
3. Take part at your chosen parkrun on Saturday 14 November.
4. Afterwards, share your location and experience with the STRIDE community.

We’ll bring everyone’s contributions together and celebrate what we’ve achieved.

No pressure. No pace targets. Just one community moving together.

Join STRIDE and take part

This is an independent STRIDE community challenge, not an official parkrun event.

Previous Challenge: STRIDE to Transylvania

1st–31st October 2026

Whitby → Transylvania → Whitby

Our October community challenge took STRIDE on a virtual adventure inspired by Whitby’s connection to Bram Stoker’s Dracula.

Together, we set out to cover 4,770 kilometres, travelling from the Yorkshire coast to Transylvania and back again.

Our journey together

🏰 Whitby – Where it all began

Our adventure started in the historic Yorkshire seaside town of Whitby, famous for its dramatic abbey ruins and connections to Dracula.

🌍 Across Europe – Every stride took us further

Through early morning runs, weekend walks and everyday activities, our members carried STRIDE across Europe towards Romania. Every kilometre moved us closer to our destination.

🦇 Transylvania – We reached Dracula’s castle!

By 11 October, we’d covered 2,905 kilometres, reached Transylvania and virtually explored the legendary Bran Castle. Our community had already achieved something special!

🌍 Budapest – The journey home

With Transylvania behind us, we began our return journey, passing through Hungary and reaching the area around Budapest. The kilometres kept adding up as members continued moving together.

🎉 Back to Whitby – Challenge complete!

By 18 October, we’d travelled more than 5,000 kilometres, exceeding our original 4,770 km goal and completing our journey with almost two weeks to spare!

More than kilometres

What made this challenge special wasn’t just the distance we covered. It was seeing people working in education come together, fitting movement around busy lives and contributing to something shared.

Some ran long distances. Others enjoyed shorter runs or walks. Every contribution helped us reach our destination.

We didn’t just complete a challenge. We made the journey together.

We Run. We Belong. We Flourish.

Looking ahead: Inspiring the next generation

As STRIDE grows, we hope to create opportunities for schools, families and communities to move together.

Through simple, inclusive challenges, we want to encourage healthy habits, strengthen connections and help more people experience the enjoyment of being active.

Participation before performance. Every stride matters.