If you are thinking of fundraising this year for Rare Dementia Support, you may want to take on an active challenge. This could be a walk, a fun run, a half or full marathon, a cycling challenge or something more extreme with obstacles and difficult terrain!

We have guaranteed places for challenge events throughout the year including the Virgin Money London Marathon and Royal Parks Foundation Half Marathon. There's more information here on all the different challenges on offer and how to sign up. Read on for details of our top picks for 2016.

If you're entering an event of your own choice or designing your own challenge, let us know so we can send you a fundraising pack.

Make sure you choose National Brain Appeal as your charity and be sure to let us know that you are specifically fundraising for Rare Dementia Support. 

The Thames Path Trail offers varied and beautiful scenery, it's steeped in history and provides a superb backdrop for a 'festival' of endurance challenges.

You can take on a 100k, 50k or 25k as walk, jog or run, with a relay option open to teams. If you'd like a shorter route, there are two other exciting options:

Thames Bridges Trek - 20k through central London over 16 famous bridges.

Henley 10k - A great mini challenge for all the family.

This is a new challenge for 2016 and the route is set through some of England's finest scenery. An Eastbourne start, to Beachy Head, along the South Downs to Brighton then finishing in Arundel.

Take on the full challenge of 100k from Eastbourne to Arundel; half challenge (50k) from Eastbourne to Brighton / Brighton to Arundel; or a quarter (23k). Choose your option here and you can walk, jog or run. You'll get support all the way with food, drink and great hospitality.

Push yourself and join up to 200 adventurers for this amazing Ultra Challenge - trekking two marathons in two days across stunning landscape, with wilderness camping under midnight sun. The challenge starts near Reykjavik and ends 52 miles south at Thórsmörk.

You will be well looked after by the Ultra Challenge team, who will organise flights and travel logistics, support you on the trek, and provide hospitality at the campsites. More information and sign up here.

Meet Chris Hardy - he's a research assistant and PhD student at the Dementia Research Centre putting himself out there in an extreme way to fundraise for Rare Dementia Support this summer.

Not only is Chris cycling 100 miles in July for RideLondon, but he is also doing the epic challenge Ironman Wales in September. This involves a 2.2mile (3.8k) swim, 112 mile (180k) cycle and 26.2mile (42.2k) marathon. We're exhausted just thinking about it!!

Show your support for Chris by sponsoring him here.

Please encourage friends, family, colleagues and employers to support Rare Dementia Support by sharing the JustGiving campaign page: bit.ly/RDSfund

You can also link to this if you set up your own Justgiving page for a challenge, an event you are organising or in memory of a loved one, and this ensures that all donations go directly to Rare Dementia Support.

For more events, personal stories and how you can get involved, please visit nationalbrainappeal.org or email us on info@nationalbrainappeal.org