Ultra Challenge Series participants walk, jog & run their way to raise £10 Million for UK Charities in 2024

This includes the South Coast Ultra Challenge® which took place on the 7th & 8th September 2024, and raised more than £700,000. Over 2,000 people took on the 100km trail from Eastbourne, over Beachy Head & the Seven Sisters, along the South Downs Way through Brighton and on to Arundel.

The Ultra Challenge Series in 2024 comprised of 18 events, taking place across the UK between January and October. Participants could choose to walk, jog or run a distance from 10km up to 100km, in some of the UK’s most iconic locations.

JustGiving became the official fundraising partner to Action Challenge in January 2024 and with more than 35,000 people having taken part in an Ultra Challenge this year, the number of people supporting a charity has increased by 20%, compared to 2023.

Jan Smolaga, from Action Challenge, said: “At a time when charities need more funding than ever, it’s fantastic to see so many people ready to strap on their boots and take on a tough challenge for a good cause.

"We’re one of the few mass participation event series to have expanded and grown over the last few years, with more events and more fundraisers than ever. People of all abilities want to push themselves further in support of the causes that matter to them, and Ultra Challenges give them that opportunity, on a fully supported and well-run event with a great atmosphere.

"To see the Series raise over £10 million in a year for the first time is an incredible achievement, and we hope to exceed that total in 2025!”

The £10 million was raised for more than 500 UK charities, from small volunteer-led organisations to national charities– including Mind, who provide essential mental health support and services.

Amanda Taylor, Senior Fundraising Officer at Mind, said: “Mind has had an incredible year as a series partner for the Ultra Series. Their events are not only fun and engaging but also incredibly well-organized and offer a fantastic geographical spread of events for supporters to choose from. We raised an incredible £680,000 in 2024 and consistently achieved an ROI of 8:1. We’re thrilled to be working with Action Challenge again in 2025.”

Action Challenge extends its heartfelt gratitude to the 325,000 donors, 36,000 participants, 500+ charities, 200+ event crew, and 100 suppliers who made the 2024 Ultra Challenge Series a great success. With the 2025 Series now open for fundraiser registrations, they are targeting an even more successful year of fundraising for UK charities.

JustGiving are the official fundraising partner of the Ultra Challenge Series.

Pascale Harvie, President and General Manager of JustGiving, said: “As mass participation events continue to grow in popularity, it's extremely promising to see more and more people take part for a good cause.

“We’re incredibly pleased with the success of our partnership with Action Challenge and are thrilled to see a staggering £10m raised for so many good causes.”