Quick answer: Choose one week, invite friends wherever they live, compare step totals in a private group, and trade one walking story midweek. No shared route is needed.
Give everyone the same week, not the same route
A virtual walking challenge works when friends can join from their own neighborhood. Choose a Monday-to-Sunday round and say what the group will compare. A weekly step total lets one person walk before work and another after dinner without coordinating a live call.
If your friends live in different time zones, announce the result after everyone's Sunday has ended and each person has had a chance to sync. Avoid promising that a leaderboard will settle instantly at one shared midnight. The week should feel like a shared event, even though the walks happen separately.
A simple remote schedule
- Before Monday: send the dates and invite link, and ask each person to check their step source.
- Midweek: post one optional walking story prompt in the friends' chat.
- After Sunday: allow time for totals to sync, then recap the round in the chat.
Make the invitation specific
Different cities, same walking week? Join our private step challenge from [Monday date] to [Sunday date]. Reply by [day] and I will send [invite link or code]. Walk whenever it fits, then share one photo or story in our chat. No route or live location sharing.
Ask for a reply before Monday so people have time to check their step source. If someone wants the conversation but not the leaderboard, include them in the chat without asking for a score. You can draft a virtual challenge invite before sending it.
Keep the connection human
A number alone does not make distant friends feel closer. On Wednesday, ask for one scene from each person's walk: a street mural, a park bench, or the song they played. Pictures are optional; a sentence works. After everyone's Sunday and a final sync, share the order in the friends' chat and ask what each person discovered near home.
Do not ask anyone to reveal their exact route, address, or live location. In MovePeeps, the private group sees the step totals needed for the competition, not a map. The MovePeeps privacy policy explains the data in more detail.
Try a repeatable format
For a first round, keep the rules plain: one week, highest total wins, ties share the win. For the second round, let the winner choose a theme such as “walk to a favorite place” while keeping the step scoring unchanged. If you want more possible formats, browse the walking challenge ideas.
Plan your first round
MovePeeps is being prepared for a private Monday-to-Sunday step competition for two to eight people. Members will connect their phone’s health platform and see the group’s step totals on one leaderboard. Join the waitlist to hear when the app is ready, or use the challenge generator to draft an invite now.
If a step total looks delayed or an invite does not work, visit MovePeeps support. See the privacy policy for what the app reads and shares.