SportsAid Week and #MyMiles Challenge coming this March

England Boxing Clubs and boxers are being asked to help support the next generation of stars through the #MyMiles Challenge during 6th to 12th March’s SportsAid Week.

The annual initiative, which was launched in 2016, this year focuses on the theme of Accessibility and Inclusion, as the charity shines a spotlight on the country’s most talented young athletes and celebrates the incredible work being undertaken by its partners to support the future of British sport.

The #MyMiles Challenge, which first took place during SportsAid Week 2017, will once again be at the heart of the initiative.

The Challenge is inspired by SportsAid athletes, typically aged between 12 and 18, who cover around 40 miles in training every week. The Challenge encourages supporters to ‘keep them company’ by undertaking physical activity of their own to show we are right behind them.

SportsAid Week is a dedicated week of fun and awareness raising open to everybody. The initiative has always received widespread backing from the charity’s commercial partners, as well as Olympians, Paralympians, up-and-coming athletes, National Governing Bodies, schools, universities and individual supporters, all of whom have previously come together to play their part.

Any money raised from SportsAid Week goes directly to SportsAid. The charity provides support to more than 1,000 athletes each year from over 60 sports.

Boxers supported in 2022 were Charlie Hickford, William Howe, Shaun Huddart, Enriko Itauma, Andra Manning, Osama Mohamed, Shane Patterson, Ellis Price, Jimmy Wood, Emily Asquith, Megan Bainbridge, Dione Burman, Charan Dhesi, Holly Heffron,Sacha Hickey, Ebony Jones, Amber Moss-Birch, Kelsey Oakley and Sameenah Toussaint.

The award received by athletes helps with the training and competition costs they face, including equipment, accommodation and transport, while also offering personal development opportunities and much-deserved personal recognition.

A step-by-step guide to the #MyMiles Challenge

1) Go solo or build up your own team

First of all, you have a decision to make….are you undertaking the #MyMiles Challenge individually or building a team of formidable friends, family and colleagues? This may dictate the amount of miles you wish to cover.

You can feel what it’s like to be a talented young athlete by setting yourself a personal goal and fitting this around your busy schedule….or you may decide this is the perfect opportunity to connect with a wider group and set an ambitious target for you to reach collectively.

2) Choose your target distance

The beauty of the #MyMiles Challenge is that it’s completely accessible….just put your own spin on the numbers 40, 400, 4,000 or 40,000! You could run a total of 40,000 metres, try 40 different sports, cover 400 miles (in a team) on the rowing machine or do 4,000 push-ups.

We have seen so many creative ideas over the years from individuals and teams…and they’ve all been inspired by the talented young athletes we support. We’ve put together a few more suggestions to get the juices flowing….but it’s a blank canvas so get your thinking cap on!

#MyMiles x 40

40 miles is around the distance a SportsAid athlete, on average, will get through in training every single week. Put yourself in their shoes, pick a sport and see how challenging it is across seven days with all your other commitments….you may be grateful for bed time!

#MyMiles Tour

Take us on a tour of your choosing…in the flesh or virtually. You may want to visit a number of stadiums or hunt down gold postboxes, perhaps within a 400-mile radius, and take selfies at each stop…or you could jump on Zwift and ride through Europe ticking off 40 countries.

Tokyo to Paris

6,028 miles… that’s the distance from the Tokyo Olympic Stadium to the Stade de France – where the Opening Ceremony took place in 2021 and will do in 2024. It’s an ambitious total but you can do it with a big enough team. Why not extend to a whole month to complete it?

From our office to…

You may be working from home but this is a popular choice! Stick your office postcode into Free Map Tools, choose your distance and search for a ‘virtual’ end destination. You may find a venue of sporting significance….or get close by to an international office you want to reach!

3) Decide how you’re going to complete the distance

How you choose to support the #MyMiles Challenge is entirely up to you. We are looking for you to take the lead and decide how you would most like to join in. Perhaps you could opt for an Olympic or Paralympic discipline?

Running, cycling, swimming and rowing are always popular. How about archery, canoeing, fencing, sailing, skiing, table tennis, taekwondo or weightlifting? Team sports such as netball, hockey, rugby, football and basketball are excellent for getting more people involved.

Crossfit, boxercise, yoga and spin are classes you may like. This could be trickier with the current restrictions placed across gyms but why not find a class online?

Walking your dog, going for a stroll and actively commuting to work all fit the bill and can fit into your daily routine quite easily. The distance you cover doesn’t have to come via strenuous activity. The Challenge is designed to work for you. An important point mentioned above…20 minutes = 1 mile if it’s not easy to record the distance.

4) Set up a fundraising page

You can also set up a fundraising page in advance and encourage donations be made to SportsAid. This really is entirely up to you as to whether you wish to do so. Any money raised through the #MyMiles Challenge will support talented young athletes in many different ways – no matter how big or small the amount.

5) It’s SportsAid Week….do your miles and keep us updated

It’s Monday6th March… time to start completing your miles! You have a whole week to cover your chosen distance but do feel free to do this over a longer period of time if you have set a more ambitious total.

We would love you to keep us updated on your progress through social media by posting a video or image using #MyMiles.…particularly as we can share this with the talented young athletes we support to show them you’re right there with them.

Need help?

Please contact Graham Dandy, SportsAid’s Partnership Manager, via graham@sportsaid.org.uk if you wish to talk through your planned activity.