The UK’s leading dementia research charity Alzheimer’s Research UK and parkrun UK have just launched an inspiring new challenge called Running Down Dementia. Running Down Dementia challenges participants to run 100km over summer 2016 and raise £100 for Alzheimer’s Research UK. The charity launched the challenge on Saturday 14 May with parkrun, which offers free timed 5km runs across the country, as the organisation’s official charity partner.

Over the launch weekend, 194 people have already signed up, have run 698km and raised £1,492. All runners have to do is sign up at runningdowndementia.org, pledge to raise £100, connect their tracking app such as Strava or MapMyFitness and get running.

Runners will be able to compare their distances with others interactively through the website for extra motivation and keep track of leaderboards. Better yet, runners can join forces and compete in teams, and parkrun groups can compete for the top spot. Whether it takes five days or five months, the aim is to achieve 100km by the end of September 2016.

Runners can clock up the miles by taking part in a 5km parkrun every week, and can of course run more than 100km if they wish, with the aim of raising £1 per km. Alzheimer’s Research UK Champion Susie Hewer, who fundraises by running marathons, will be taking part in Running Down Dementia. The 58-year-old lost her mum Peggy in 2005 to vascular dementia and since then has run over 70 marathons and set Guinness World Records for knitting and crocheting while running to raise vital funds for dementia research.

Susie is “delighted” to be taking part in Running Down Dementia as part of her latest challenge to run 100 marathons by her birthday in June 2017. She said: “I first started running by taking part in 5km runs, and look where it’s taken me! “Running Down Dementia is a great motivator to keep people healthy and also raise money for a cause that is very close to my heart.

“Dementia research is so important and I’d urge everyone to sign up to this fun challenge.” Paul Sinton-Hewitt, founder of parkrun UK, is also asking every parkrunner to sign up. He said: “There are 850,000 people with dementia in the UK, but there are 950,000 parkrunners.

“The parkrun community has dementia outnumbered and together we have the ability to make a significant contribution to vital research. “I am urging every parkrunner to sign up and use your parkruns to raise money to help defeat this condition which affects so many people.” Runners are encouraged to use Twitter and Facebook on their journey, and use the hashtag #RunningDownDementia.

Every penny raised will go to Alzheimer’s Research UK, which receives no government funding, to pay for vital dementia research.

Kenneth Foreman, Sporting Events Manager at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: “This is a really exciting new initiative for Alzheimer’s Research UK and parkrun UK.

“Money raised from this campaign will go towards the charity’s pioneering work into preventions and treatments for dementia.

“Of course anyone unfamiliar with parkrun is welcome to take part too – the platform is inclusive for everyone.

“It will be one of the biggest fundraising drives for dementia research yet, and we urge anyone interested to get involved and help the fightback against dementia.

“One in three people over 65 will die with some form of dementia. It can only be defeated through research but funding lags far behind other serious diseases.

“Alzheimer’s Research UK is leading the way in finding preventions and treatments for dementia, but we can’t do it without our wonderful supporters’ help.”

Learn more by watching the Running Down Dementia video: https://www.14dd5266c70789bdc806364df4586335-gdprlock/watch?v=n-q0bzEVBFw&feature=youtu.be