Resources
Download any resources you may need to spread the word about your challenge and why you're fundraising for vital dementia research.
How it all works
Got a question about Running Down Dementia?
We’ve got answers for you below. And if you still can’t find what you’re looking for, you can get in touch here.
The Challenge
Running Down Dementia is an award-winning virtual running challenge from Alzheimer's Research UK and parkrun, supported by Garmin. This year, we’re launching our winter version of Running Down Dementia for the very first time and challenging you to pound those pavements come rain or shine. Run 50km and raise £100 for cutting-edge dementia research.
Winter Running Down Dementia runs from 1 November to 31 January and you can complete your challenge in any way throughout this time.
If you raise £100 you’ll receive a free Alzheimer’s Research UK neckwarmer and if you raise £200 you’ll receive a free Running Down Dementia running top - or if you can’t wait, you can buy one by clicking on the links!
By taking on this challenge for the UK’s leading dementia research charity, you’ll be helping to make breakthroughs possible in dementia research for the 850,000 people living with dementia in the UK and their families.
Go on, take on the challenge today! 😊
- Register to take part in Running Down Dementia.
- Follow the steps to create a Running Down Dementia JustGiving supporter page, where people can view your progress and sponsor you.
- Connect your supporter page to Strava where you can connect your device (see below FAQ on how to connect your device to Strava) or you can manually add your runs on your supporter page.
- Make sure you track every activity you do, otherwise it won't be counted towards your total.
- Get running! If you're looking for inspiration and motivation during your challenge, check out our Running Down Dementia Facebook group or get in touch to tell us your own story!
- Check your progress on the leaderboards and see how you, your local parkrun or your corporate team compare!
We must all take precautions to help reduce the transmission of COVID-19, and we encourage you to keep up to date with the latest government guidance. While government restrictions have now been lifted, we know that it is important for everyone to take things at their own pace. This is your challenge, whether you run at home on a treadmill, at the gym, or out in the open.
Thousands of people across the UK will also be taking part in their own way. However you take part, we’re so excited to have you as part of the team.
There are three Running Down Dementia Challenges: the 50km Pioneer Challenge, the 300km Epic Challenge and the Maverick Challenge where you can pick a distance that suits you! Whether you want to do more than 300km, less than 50km or somewhere in between - it's up to you!
Simply select your challenge when you sign up. All challenges have a fundraising target of £100 (but you can fundraise more if you want!).
Yes – we'd love for you to be involved again with winter Running Down Dementia!
Yes! If you don’t have a tracking device then you can add your runs manually on your supporter page, just login to your fundraising page and add your run on your activity feed.
a. If you have a tracking device, then you can connect your device through Strava, just click here. If you need support, then please read the following instructions to see how to link your fitness app to your JustGiving page:
- Connecting your FitBit to Strava: https://support.strava.com/hc/en-us/articles/216918087-Fitbit-and-Strava
- Connecting your Apple Watch to Strava: https://support.strava.com/hc/en-us/articles/115000161184-Strava-Apple-Watch-App-iOS
- Cnnecting your Samsung device to Strava: https://support.strava.com/hc/en-us/articles/360018601971-Samsung-Gear-and-Strava
- Other workout data import to Strava: https://www.strava.com/apps/data-importer
b. If you don’t have a tracking device then you can add your runs manually on your supporter page, just login to your fundraising page and add your run on your activity feed.
Yes you can, you just need to go to the fitness tracking area of your profile in order to update your challenge distance.
Yes, you can! Why not gather your friends, family, work colleagues or your running club together and help to encourage each other through the challenge. When you register, you can create a team or join one if it’s already been set up. If you’re in charge of setting up the team, follow these simple steps:
1. Create a name for your team while you’re registering.
2. Once you’ve finished your registration and have set up your own team page, use the “Invite Members” button on your team page to send email invitations.
3. If someone else has set up the team, just search for the team name when you’re registering and you’ll be automatically connected once you complete your registration.
Company: If the organisation you work for has chosen Alzheimer’s Research UK as your charity of the year, select your organisation name from the drop-down at signup so your challenge will count towards your company total.
Team: Teams are a great way to measure your kms and encourage a little friendly fundraising competition with people you know. Once you’ve signed up, visit your JustGiving page and click "Create a new team" or "Join an existing team" on the right.
Join our Running Down Dementia Facebook group to meet other people who are passionate about dementia research
Absolutely not! You can do it your own way – whether that's across the full three months, one month, or in a time that suits you. As long as you track all your activity with your tracking app you can complete the challenge however you choose.
When you raise £200 one of our team will contact you to say thank you and ask for your t-shirt size and delivery address.
You can also buy a Running Down Dementia running top here.
Of course! You can run, jog or walk your challenge and complete Running Down Dementia however you like. Or you can choose a distance that is less than 100km by choosing Maverick and entering the distance of your choice. Just make sure you track all your activity with your tracking app, or add it manually.
No, unfortunately not as they are two separate challenges. But drop us an email at sportingevents@alzheimersresearchuk.org and we can talk you through your options.
It’s important to us that everyone who wants to take part in Running Down Dementia can. If you have a disability or an injury which means you need to adapt the challenge to take part, you can do so. Whether it’s changing your distance goal, adapting the timeline of the challenge, or using equipment to support you, we encourage you to make this challenge your own. If you require more information or would like to speak to a member of our team about this, please get in touch on sportingevents@alzheimersresearchuk.org.
parkrun
parkrun organise weekly, free, timed 5km events at more than 1,000 locations across the UK. The events are open to everyone and all you need to do is register on their site, print your unique barcode and head along to your next local event. You can register for free at: www.parkrun.org.uk/register.
If you complete all the parkruns during the challenge (1 November to 31 January), you’ll add an amazing 65k to your total!
No, you can still sign up even if you're not registered with parkrun. Just sign up to Running Down Dementia, create a supporter page, connect a tracking device and off you go.
Alzheimer's Research UK is proud to be the official charity partner of parkrun UK.
parkrunners have so far helped raise more than £1.6 million for world-class research, which will help us in our mission to bring about the first life-changing treatment for dementia by 2025.
To join the group, you will need to already be signed up to the parkrun website. If you are, then will need to login to your parkrun profile here using your barcode number.
Click on 'groups' and then search for Running Down Dementia - each person can join up to 5 groups - one being your 'primary group' which displays next to your name in the results pages.
And that's it - you should be in!
Fundraising
Dementia is one of our greatest medical challenges but at Alzheimer's Research UK, taking on a challenge is what we do best.
The money you raise will help fund our pioneering research programmes to make breakthroughs possible for people with dementia and their families. Every £20 you raise will power another hour of life-changing research.
More people with dementia have died from COVID-19 in England and Wales than those with any other pre-existing condition. In fact, a quarter of COVID-19 deaths have been people with dementia.
One in three people born today will go on to develop dementia in their lifetime – but your incredible challenge has the power to change this through research.
You can find out more about what we do here.
Sharing your story is a great way to raise awareness of your challenge, Running Down Dementia and Alzheimer’s Research UK more widely!
If you have been affected by dementia or are taking on your challenge in an interesting or different way, the press may be interested!
We have an easy to use press release and guide, available at the top of this page. Simply follow the instructions to contact your local paper with your story. If you need support with this then please get in touch with us at fundraising@alzheimersresearchuk.org
When you sign up to Running Down Dementia an online fundraising page will be automatically created for you with a target of £100 (but you can increase this if you like!).
To make the most of your page, we recommend you:
- Add a photo – so everyone can see your face!
- Set a target – we know that pages with targets raise more.
- Complete the ‘About me’ section – tell people why you’re challenging yourself for Alzheimer’s Research UK.
- Share your page – as far and as wide as you can using email and social media.
- Update – keep updating your page and sharing it throughout your challenge.
During Running Down Dementia we’ll be in touch regularly to help you make the most of your page and share extra fundraising ideas with you!
Donating through Gift Aid means we can claim an extra 25p for every £1 you donate to our life-changing research. It won't cost you any extra, but will make a big difference to what we can achieve with your support. Please note, you must be a UK taxpayer to enable us to claim Gift Aid.
Organisations
JustGiving is the platform that's the home of our Running Down Dementia website and fundraising pages. We've been working with JustGiving (everydayhero before) for a number of years with fundraising pages across our sporting events.
We're pleased to announce that Garmin has become the official sponsor of our sporting events for the next three years, which also includes the Treble Challenge. We will work together to help reduce people’s risk of developing dementia by encouraging them to make positive lifestyle changes.