'Pointless' walking challenge has popularity surge

A walking challenge described as "pointless" by its own organisers has become so popular it has had to reject people who want to join.

In 1979, a maths student at the University of Cambridge thought it would be a fun idea to march from the Fenland town of March all the way back to the city, on a date during the month of March.

Dubbed the "March March march", the 30-mile (48km) hike has continued to take place almost every year since.

Lead official Colin Bell, said: "For some reason we've gone viral this year. Last year we had 16 walkers and this year we've had 44... I had to turn people away."

"It is by far our largest march ever. It looks like it [word] got into the university, so we have 15 students and other people that heard about us for no obvious reason," he added.

Mr Bell joined the march in 1990 when he was a student. He is now the head official of the group, and known as the "Custos Martis".

On Saturday morning, the group will get a train from Cambridge to March and then walk back via the old main road, the disused railway, alongside the River Ouse and down the busway to Cambridge.

It is a tradition for the group to stop during the 12-hour march and send postcards to the university's maths department.

The challenge has taken place almost every year since 1979 after it was founded by PHD maths student Jonathan Partington.

In 2002 weather conditions prevented people completing it, with the walkers giving up after gale force winds launched soil and at least one dead pigeon at the group.

Between 2012 and 2017, the event was paused due to dwindling numbers.

The oldest person to complete the trek was Gregory Sankaran, who is in his early 60s and finished 19 marches between 1982 and 2023.

A boy named Hugh, aged 10, became the youngest to finish the hike in 2022.

Mr Bell said: "It's good to get out on the Fens with friends, see the sky and see some different places.

"It's pointless, but it's a nice walking challenge and that's why we do it every year.

"Sometimes you just want to do something because of the name. We climbed Everest because it was there, we go to to March because that's there."

The increased interest has confused Mr Bell, who mused: "Perhaps the world has gone slightly mad."

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