Marchathon 2026

The TFI Smarter Travel Step Challenges are inclusive, team-based walking events that encourage everyone to get active and walk on the commute and beyond. They are part of the TFI Smarter Travel programme, which promotes sustainable travel. The challenge aims to build long-term habits of walking and reduce single car journeys, while supporting wellbeing and participation for all.

Placement on the leaderboard is determined by the team’s average step count. The highest‑ranking teams on the overall leaderboard will win the overall top prizes. For full details of the prizes available, please see the Competitions and Prizes page.

There are plenty of additional opportunities to win prizes throughout the challenge, including photo competitions, quizzes, and more.

Prizes and spot prizes will be awarded at random by the NTA. In the event of any dispute regarding the rules, conduct, results, or any other matters relating to the Step Challenge, the organisers’ decision will be final and no correspondence or discussion will be entered into.

Positions are determined based on the average steps per team member, so teams of different sizes can compete fairly. Weekly leaderboards are cumulative, meaning week 2 includes steps from week 1 and so on.

Yes, if you have access to smartphone, tablet or PC, you can participate.

All participants must log their activity on the Active Travel Logger website. As long as one member of your team can log the activity once a week during the Challenge, you are welcome to participate.

If you do not have access to a device that can access the Active Travel Logger website, unfortunately wont be able to take part.

We would love to offer everyone the chance to participate; however our remit is to work with employers who have signed up to implement travel plans as part of the TFI Smarter Travel Programme. If you’d like to find out more about becoming a TFI Smarter Travel Programme Partner, please get in touch by emailing stepchallenge@nationaltransport.ie

If you forget to wear your step counter on a particular day, you can use the step count from another day where you had similar physical activity levels.

This applies to both applications and smart devices.

Log in to the Active Travel Logger. and click ‘Log my Activity’. You can enter steps for the current day or for any of the previous 8 days.

If needed, your team captain can log your steps for you, just make sure to share your step totals in time for the weekly leaderboard deadline.

• The deadline to log steps each week is usually Monday at 2pm.
• If Monday is a bank holiday, the deadline is extended to Tuesday at 2pm

Yes they do. You can continue to log your activity manually on the Active Travel Logger website, or you can get your Team Captain to log your steps on your behalf.

Only activities which can be recorded by your step counter are included.

So aerobics, running and gardening are fine – but cycling, swimming or other activities are not included.
The exception being wheelchair users who should convert distance to steps using this formula:
1 km = 1,250 steps

Walking anywhere, anytime will count. Walking to or part of the way to work is a great way to increase your steps, to feel good and to reduce your personal and environmental travel costs.

You can track distance travelled using a smart app, fitness tracker, or a bicycle odometer. Convert your distance to steps using this formula:
1 km = 1,250 steps
Log your steps on the Active Travel Logger or ask your team captain to log them for you.

Source of conversion information: 10,000 Steps.

This is a question Team Captains are asked on registration. Team captains should answer ‘yes’ if most members of your team are based at a desk during working hours.

Your organisations coordinator has the ability to remove participants from a team up until the first leaderboard is published. As the challenge is focused on inclusion, participation and increasing activity levels we ask that any individual who wishes to drop out of the challenge confirm via email that they wish to be removed prior to removing them from a team. Participants should not be removed from a team if they have not requested it.

Please contact stepchallenge@nationaltransport.ie with the details if a team member wishes to be removed from your team after the first leaderboard has been published. If a team member is being substituted or is dropping out, please let us know as soon as possible.

If you miss the deadline your steps will not appear on that specific weeks Leaderboard.

You are able to backlog steps for the previous 8 days however and your steps will appear on the subsequent Leaderboard.
The weekly leaderboards are currently calculated on a cumulative basis.

The deadline for logging steps for the previous week, up to and including Sunday, is 2pm the following Monday. 
If needed you can ask your captain to log your steps for you if you are unable to do so yourself for any reason in time for the deadline.

If you enter the wrong number of steps you should log back into your Active Travel Logger account as soon as possible and resubmit your steps for the date in question.

If you are unable to do so please ask your team captain to do so on your behalf.

Remember you can log your steps for the previous 8 days,

Refresh the page or try a different browser. If the issue continues, check FAQs where the solution can likely be found. If the issue still remains unresolved contact your organisation’s Step Challenge coordinator or email stepchallenge@nationaltransport.ie with details and screenshots. For internet connection issues on campus or at work, contact your IT department.

If you have any questions that are not answered on this page, please contact us, email stepchallenge@nationaltransport.ie

Log in to the Active Travel Logger account.. Click Contact in the top right corner of the screen. The contact details for your organisation’s coordinator will be listed there.

If you do not see an option to join the current Step Challenge, it is usually because you have already joined the challenge by accepting an invitation from a team member.
Go to your dashboard and click My Current Challenges. This should confirm that you are already part of the current Step Challenge. If you are still unsure contact your coordinator or email stepchallenge@nationaltransport.ie where a member of our team will be able to help you.

If you have been assigned coordinators access you should see a blue banner when you first login to the Active Travel Logger for the given challenge.
You are invited to read and accept the terms and conditions. Once you have done so you will have coordinators access. If you are unsure please contact stepchallenge@nationtransport.ie

From the login page on the Active Travel Logger click ‘Forgot your password?’ and you enter the email address you used to create your Active Travel Logger profile.

If you do not receive the reset password email there are a few steps you can follow:

1. Double check you have spelt the email correctly and you are using the correct email address.
2. Check spam folder – some domains tend to misdirect the email to here.
3. Depending on your email security, it may have sent the mail into quarantine. You can retrieve it here: https://protection.office.com/quarantine.

Use of this site constitutes your acceptance of these terms and conditions. The National Transport Authority reserves the right to make changes to this site and these terms and conditions at any time.

The content contained within this site is for personal use only. All text, graphics and selection, layout and arrangement thereof and all materials on this website are the copyright of the National Transport Authority. If you wish to use our content, please contact us for further information.

This website contains links to other websites operated by third parties over whom we have no control. Such links are provided for your convenience only and the National Transport Authority accepts no responsibility or liability in respect of the content or use of other websites.

Details of prizes for TFI Smarter Travel Challenges will be announced on the relevant prizes pages.

Prize winners names/ organisation will be published on our website, reports, social media and other events/ publications associated with the TFI Smarter Travel programmes and the National Transport Authority.

Winners may also be asked to participate in a publicity shoot. By participating in any photo shoots associated with Authority challenges or events, you consent to the use/ publication by the Authority of these images.

To be eligible for Prizes, winners must be resident in the Republic of Ireland, and be employees of an active TFI Smarter Travel Workplaces  Partner organisation.

In the event of any dispute regarding the rules, conduct, results and all other matters relating to TFI Smarter Travel Competitions or Challenges, the decision of the organiser shall be final and no correspondence or discussion shall be entered into.

The Authority reserves the right to award all, some or none of the prizes associated with any event or challenge.