1 Million Children Now Taking Part in The Daily Mile in the U.S.

The Daily Mile Foundation, supported by INEOS, today announced that one million children in all 50 states and Washington DC are taking part in the health and wellbeing initiative.

The initiative has received formal backing from the US. Department of Health and Human Services National Youth Sports Strategy, the Society of Health and Physical Educators (SHAPE America), and children’s mental health charity Erika’s Lighthouse.

An expanding network of implementation partners including Special Olympics Unified Schools, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Mentors Who Move and Move to Live More have joined with The Daily Mile USA in a commitment to increase the number of schools taking part.

These relationships have led to record engagement with The Daily Mile, resulting in over one million children now participating. The support from national, regional, state, and local partners throughout the country who share the ambition to help children become more active is critical to the continued growth of The Daily Mile.

The Daily Mile initiative was founded by Elaine Wyllie MBE in 2012 – born out of a concern around children’s lack of physical fitness. Headteacher of St Ninians’s Primary School in Stirling, Scotland (UK) at the time, Elaine got her pupils moving for 15 minutes every day to improve their overall health and wellbeing.

The Daily Mile recently sponsored the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 as the official school education fitness program. This was the first time that the Championships, held in Eugene, Oregon in July 2022, had taken place in the U.S. The sponsorship included an advertisement promoting the benefits of The Daily Mile, including how the initiative can contribute towards improved academic performance. It was shown across NBC’s broadcast and streaming platforms with more than 18 million views leading to increased awareness of The Daily Mile throughout the U.S.

Global research has shown The Daily Mile’s benefits for children’s physical health, mental well-being, and learning. An upcoming study from The University of Florida is also looking at The Daily Mile’s impact on children’s physical health and emotional well-being.

Elaine Wyllie MBE, Founder of The Daily Mile: “From a single school in Stirling, Scotland, The Daily Mile truly has become a global initiative. It is staggering to see how this initiative has grown in the U.S. in the last few years and I can’t wait to see what the future holds.”

Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Chairman of INEOS and supporter of The Daily Mile said: “We know that the positive experiences we have at a young age shape habits for life – which is why it’s so key to help young children enjoy getting active daily. Running is the simplest, most natural exercise you can do, it’s fun and social, and it helps to teach the basics of a healthy lifestyle. As childhoods become more sedentary than ever, we’re proud that The Daily Mile initiatives have helped over 4 million children get up and running since 2012 – and are inspiring their families, too.”

Teachers and school administrators who would like their students to benefit from taking part in The Daily Mile can sign up here.