It’s almost time to run, run, Rudolph again for the 12ks of Christmas!

Now in its third year, the 12ks of Christmas is all about getting active, having a lot of fun, and raising important funds for the continued regeneration of the islands of Ipipiri.

It’s running again from 1st to 12th December 2026, and we’re hoping it will be bigger and better than ever.

There's lots of ways to take part so take on the challenge and step into Christmas with us!

Option 1: The Traditional 12ks of Christmas

The original 12ks of Christmas sees you build up a kilometre of walking or running for 12 days straight.

So, day one you complete 1km, day two you complete 2km, day three you complete 3km and so on until the final day where you complete 12km, a fantastic achievement and a total of 78km across the 12 days!

Option 2: The Next Level 12ks of Christmas

For the hardcore amongst you, this option means the participant completes 12km of walking or running each day for 12 days straight. That’s an epic 144km in total, which does have a nice association to the Project as there are 144 islands in the Bay of Islands, seven of which are pest-free thanks to the efforts of our community over the past 17 years.

Option 3: Your Own Twist on the 12ks of Christmas

Follow your own interests, skills, or passions, to create your own personal challenge – the options are endless!

We just suggest it needs to be a suitably challenging goal for you, based around the number 12, and taking place between 1st and 12th December.

Check our website for examples of some awesome creative fundraisers from previous years!

If you’re ready to be part of our 2026 team, signing up is simple:

1. Scroll down this page and click Participate.

2. Our template content will automatically appear for you, so you just need to edit this to include your name in the title, select which version of the 12ks challenge you'll be taking on, and personalise your page with a photo and anything else you’d like to say.

3. Hit Publish and start sharing the message, collecting your own sponsors to add to the total, and get training!

Prefer to support without all that running?

Please consider chipping in to support our runners and walkers in any way you can - maybe $12 - a dollar for each day, $78 is a dollar for each km for those completing the Traditional challenge or $144 is a dollar for each km for those completing the Next Level challenge.

Whatever you can afford to contribute will make a difference.

Thank you and Meri Kirihimete from the team at Project Island Song!