Match Greg’s Mileage for BBC Comic Relief 2026!

Places Leisure sites across England and Scotland are uniting behind BBC Radio 1’s Greg James as he takes on his biggest Comic Relief effort yet – Radio 1’s Longest Ride.

Greg is travelling an incredible 1,000km from Weymouth to Edinburgh on a tandem bike, finishing on Red Nose Day. While he pushes through the miles on the road, we’re challenging our members and our Communities to support him by matching that distance in our centres.

How it works

Throughout the week, every Places Leisure site will be tallying its kilometres via an online tracker. You can contribute by using almost any piece of equipment:

  • Cycle
  • Walk or run
  • Row
  • Ski erg
  • Swim
  • Or anything else that counts kilometres

If it tracks distance, it counts!

This isn’t about being the fastest or the fittest. It’s about celebrating movement in whatever way works for you and showing what our Communities can achieve together.

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Be part of something big, fun and meaningful

Across the UK, Customers and Colleagues will be working toward the same goal – travelling the equivalent of Greg’s epic route as many times as possible.

Whether you complete a single kilometre or a marathon’s-worth, every contribution helps your local centre climb the leaderboard.

Managing Director of Places Leisure, Belinda Stewart said: “Greg’s challenge is truly inspiring, and we want to do everything we can to shine a light on it and the amazing work Comic Relief supports. It’s a great opportunity for Communities to come together, get active and help push him over the line.

“At Places Leisure we believe fitness is for everyone, and that principle sits at the heart of what we do. Our challenge can be completed across a range of activities and equipment - cycling, running, rowing ski-erg and more - so as many as possible can take part.

“There’s a brilliant sense of healthy competition across our leisure centres, but more than anything it’s about bringing people together behind a shared goal. We’re proud to support Comic Relief and are calling on our Customers to help their local leisure centre go the distance.”

To get involved simply visit your nearest Places Leisure centre and add your distance to your site’s total. Invite your friends, and family to do the same and let’s show what our Communities can do when we move together.

Ready… steady… let’s match Greg’s mileage!