Swap the treadmill for trails: join the Forest Runner 5k Challenge, 7–20 Sept 2026

• Pick a 5km route where you live or travel to one of Forestry England's running routes. Forestry England publishes hundreds of routes across the country.
• Join the Forestry England Running Club on Strava. That is the registration mechanism the event uses for tracking completions.
• Complete a single 5km run between 7 and 20 September 2026 and record it in the Strava club.

Every registered finisher who records the 5km run on the Forestry England Strava challenge receives an exclusive Forest Runner 5k digital badge. Participants also get a free gait analysis session worth £15 at participating Runners Need stores. Completing the challenge automatically enters you into the prize draw.

• Top prize: £500 Runners Need voucher, a Forestry England hoodie and t-shirt, and Forestry England National Membership.
• Two runners-up: each receives a £275 Runners Need voucher and a Forestry England t-shirt.
• Event participants can access an exclusive 15% discount on Forestry England National Membership via a code available on the official Strava challenge.

Forestry England forests provide a wide selection of routes for different abilities. The organisers highlight that forests can offer short, flat courses for a first 5k and more technical trails and viewpoints for experienced trail runners. If you don't live near a Forestry England site, the challenge explicitly allows doing the 5km in a local park or on any trail close to home.

Rachel Tallon, Active Forests Programme Manager at Forestry England, is quoted encouraging people to get outdoors, move at their own pace and enjoy the benefits of being active in nature. That sums up the tone of the event: inclusive and experience-focused rather than competitive.

• You will need a Strava account to join the Forestry England Running Club and have your run recorded for the badge, gait analysis offer, and prize draw entry.
• The free gait analysis is offered through participating Runners Need stores and is valued at £15.
• Check Forestry England's running pages for route ideas and any site-specific guidance on parking, trail conditions, and permitted activities.

Challenge makes it straightforward to swap indoor treadmill miles for outdoors running with minimal commitment: one recorded 5km during a two-week window. The incentives — a digital badge, a free gait check, discounts, and a prize draw — add value without changing the basic ask: get outside and run 5km where you like.