There has been a particularly large take up in the last few months and Gold Challenge is on track to reach its target of 100,000 participants by the end of 2012.

There are now over 75 UK businesses participating in the programme including Worldwide Olympic Partner Coca Cola and London 2012 domestic sponsors EDF Energy and John Lewis.

A large number of schools across the country have also signed up to Gold Challenge, which is partnered with Sport England as part of Places People Play, the official mass participation legacy programme for London 2012.

"We had always hoped to achieve 20,000 registrations by the end of 2011 and move into the Olympic year with a strong base, so I am thrilled that we have passed this with more than a month to go," said Dan Thompson, the founder and chairman of Gold Challenge.

"We are looking forward to 2012 and hopefully inspiring over 100,000 people to get active by trying Olympic and Paralympic sports."

Gold Challenge aims to be one of the most successful multisport charity fundraisers of all time and the project sees challengers register for free before choosing one of three Olympic themed challenges and the charity that they want to fundraise for.

Gold Challenge has over 150 UK charity partners including golden charity partners Cancer Research UK, NSPCC, Scope, Right to Play and Oxfam.

"It is fantastic to see people using the inspiration and magic of the Olympic Games to take part in sport," said Sport England chairman Richard Lewis.

"This is a great result for Gold Challenge and a really encouraging sign of things to come as we draw nearer to the Games."


The announcement marks an exciting time for Gold Challenge who revealed earlier this month that it will give members of the public the chance to run in the Olympic Stadium four months before the start of London 2012 Olympics on April 1.

The event will serve as a key test event for crucial aspects of the venue and operations ahead of the Games and the highest fundraisers in each of the three Gold Challenge categories as of February 29 will compete in the Olympic Stadium, running either the 100 metres or the 4x100m in front of a crowd that is expected to exceed 20,000.

Around 1,000 children and adults will be involved in the track activities and another 4,000 are expected to take part in the Gold Challenge Parade which will also form a part of the day.

To take part in the Gold Challenge Stadium event click here.

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November 2010: Dan Thompson - It's been manic, but Gold Challenge was worth all the effort