Hundreds of local people are set to lace up their trainers this March in support of the Neonatal Unit (NNU) at the Royal United Hospitals Bath, as the much-loved Mad March Mile returns for its 13th year.
Around 300 participants will take on the challenge of completing a mile-equivalent activity every day throughout March, with all funds raised in 2026 going directly to the RUH Bath Neonatal Unit, which supports premature and vulnerable babies and their families across Bath and Wiltshire.
The charity was chosen by event founder Sean, whose family has first-hand experience of the life-saving care provided by the unit. His son Ben was born prematurely in 1989, weighing just 2lbs 2oz, and more recently his grandson Atlas spent time in NNU after being born six weeks early in 2025.
The Mad March Mile began in 2014 when siblings Sean and Gretchen challenged each other to run a mile a day to improve both physical and mental wellbeing. Joined by 14 friends in the first year, the event has since grown into a much-anticipated annual fundraiser.
Participants can choose any activity that takes roughly the same amount of time as running a mile, around 15–20 minutes, making the challenge accessible to all fitness levels.
Sean and his wife Fiona were just 21 when Ben arrived unexpectedly at six months’ gestation. With no antenatal classes and little understanding of premature birth, they were thrown into an emotional and frightening experience.
Ben was born blue and motionless, and Sean vividly remembers the doctor shaking as he worked to resuscitate his tiny son under a heat lamp. At the time, the Neonatal Unit did not have facilities for parents to stay overnight, meaning daily trips from Trowbridge to Bath until Ben was finally discharged two months later, weighing 4lbs.
More than three decades on, returning to the same unit to visit grandson Atlas brought a rush of memories. Sean said, “The smell of the hand sanitiser reminded me of 36 years ago, going in there every single day. It was so emotive I had to sit down and gather my thoughts. The shock hit me like an explosion.”
Atlas spent 11 days in NNU and is now at home, fit and healthy. Sean added, “The technology developed over those 36 years is unbelievable. Parents can stay now and it’s a fantastic facility. I said to Ben, we need to come back and do some fundraising for these people.”
All Mad March Mile participants receive a personalised mug created by White Horse Pottery in Westbury, which has supported the event since its launch. The pottery will also host a 24-hour pottery ‘throw down’, offering 20-minute throwing sessions in return for a donation to the Neonatal Unit.
Families, friends and individuals can sign up now and do something extraordinary for babies and parents across Bath and Wiltshire.
Sign up
Mad March Mile 2026: https://www.entrycentral.com/MMM2026
