FAQs

Miles in May is a virtual challenge where you commit to covering 50 miles in May by walking, running, wheeling, or even swimming. It’s a great way to stay active while raising funds for Action against Medical Accidents (AvMA) to support harmed patients and campaign for safer healthcare.

Signing up is easy! Just head to the registration page, enter your details, and set up your fundraising page. You can take part solo or as part of a team.

No, it’s free to sign up! However, we encourage participants to raise a minimum of £300 to support AvMA’s work.

You can walk, run, wheel, or swim at your own pace, anywhere you like. Break it down however suits you—1.6 miles a day, 12.5 miles a week, or all at once.

Not at all! The challenge is about participation, not perfection. Do as many miles as you can—every step makes a difference.

Yes! Teams are a great way to stay motivated. You can register as a team when signing up or join an existing team.

After creating your team, you’ll be able to share your team page link or send invites directly from your dashboard. There’s also a pre-filled email and social media message to make it easy. The more the merrier—each person adds miles and momentum!

Yes! Swimming counts too. If swimming is your preferred way to complete the challenge, we recommend converting your swimming distance into miles.

If you’re swimming, you can track your distance using a waterproof fitness tracker (if available) or estimate your miles using the general conversion:
1,600 metres (or 64 lengths of a standard 25m pool) = 1 mile Once you know your total distance, simply log it manually on your fundraising page.

There are three ways to track your miles:
✔ Sync your miles using fitness apps like Strava, Fitbit, Garmin, or Map My Fitness
✔ Log them manually on your fundraising page
✔ Use our printable tracker if you prefer pen and paper

If you track your workouts using Fitbit, Strava, MapMyFitness, or Garmin, your distances will automatically add to your fundraising tally each day. Easy!

✅ How to connect your fitness app:

1. Download the Fitbit, Strava, MapMyFitness, or Garmin app and set up your account.

2. Log in to your 50 Miles in May fundraising account.

3. Under the heading "Connect your preferred Fitness app", click your chosen app.

4. Follow the prompts to connect your account.

5. Next time you work out, open the app on your phone, start the workout, and save it at the end.
   Your distance will appear on your fundraising page the following day.

🔄 Already synced but not working?

Log in to your fundraising account and reconnect your app. Make sure you're following these tracking rules:

• Fitbit: Start and save an activity in the app. If you don’t log a specific activity, your cumulative activity may sync at the end of the day. If issues persist, try syncing via both the Fitbit device and the Fitbit app on your phone.

• MapMyFitness / Strava / Garmin: You must start, stop, and save your workout in the app for it to count.

Your fundraising tally is updated each day with the previous day’s distances.

No fitness tracker? No worries! You can manually log your kilometres from any device.

How to manually add your miles:

1. Log in to your account and go to My Fitness Activity.

2. Under Add Activity, enter the required fields (steps, distance, and/or duration).

3. Once saved, your logged activity will appear on your fundraising page!

This is a great option if you’re using a pedometer or a different method of tracking your movement.

No problem! You can still track your distance manually using the following methods:

• Use an online mapping tool like Google Maps or MapMyRun to measure your route before or after your
  walk/run.
• Check local trail markers—many parks and walking routes have mile/km markers.
• Estimate using time—on average:
• A brisk walk covers around 1 mile in 20 minutes
• A steady run covers 1 mile in 10–12 minutes
• A wheelchair user may cover 1 mile in 15–25 minutes, depending on terrain and pace
• Use a car odometer if walking a known road route.

Once you know your total distance, you can log it manually on your fundraising page.

Yes! Fundraising is a big part of the challenge. We suggest a target of £300, but any amount you raise will help.

Your page is automatically created when you register. You can personalise it by adding a photo, sharing your story, and setting your fundraising goal.

You’ll receive a free Miles in May t-shirt when you raise £100 or more on your fundraising page. Once you hit the target, we’ll send your t-shirt to the address you registered with.

Yes! You can use our printable sponsorship form to collect donations in cash or cheque. When you’re ready to send
the money, you can:
✔ Donate via your online fundraising page
✔ Make a bank transfer (email fundraising@avma.org.uk for details)

Yes! If they are UK taxpayers, they can add Gift Aid, increasing their donation by 25% at no extra cost.

Every pound you raise is Empowering Patients and Improving Care by supporting AvMA’s work in:
✅ Providing free legal and medical advice to harmed patients
✅ Campaigning for safer healthcare and patient rights
✅ Supporting families affected by avoidable medical harm

✔ Share your challenge on social media using #50MilesInMay
✔ Email or message friends and family to support your page
✔ Download and use our branded images & fundraising tips