Asheville Marathon Names United Way as 2026 Premier Charity Partner
Over 2,300 runners from 43 states will flood Pack Square Park on March 21 to raise money for United Way of Asheville & Buncombe County.
United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County is the Premier Charity Partner for the 2026 New Belgium Asheville Marathon and Half, with runners set to take over downtown Asheville this Saturday at 7:30 a.m. The Boston Marathon qualifier, organized by iDaph Events and sponsored by New Belgium Brewing, begins at Pack Square Park and finishes at New Belgium Brewing with live music, refreshments and awards.
More than 2,300 runners are registered, representing 43 states and six countries. Registration remains open through March 21 at ashevillemarathon.com.
The partnership puts United Way's two core priorities front and center along the 26.2-mile route: youth opportunity and community resiliency. Charity runners listed on the official event site each committed to raising a minimum of $500 to support United Way programs. Donations made through the race's fundraising page have also been directed toward hurricane recovery, with one anonymous donor in late February explicitly designating $107.35 "for the hurricane relief efforts of Buncombe County," a reflection of United Way's ongoing response to the devastation caused by Helene.
"In the marathon's 14 years, the race has given tens of thousands of dollars to many local and regional causes through a combination of runner fundraising, donations made at registration and unique bonus incentives," iDaph wrote in a press release. Daphne Kirkwood, iDaph Events founder, framed the race's charitable mission simply: "Every mile we run is an opportunity to give back."
The marathon carries Boston qualifier status, and last year's winner, Carter Benge of Mars Hill, crossed the finish line in 2 hours and 52 minutes. Spectators can track runners through downtown Asheville twice: at the Pack Square Park start and again when the field passes mile 10. Full spectator details are at ashevillemarathon.com/spectators.
The weekend extends beyond race day. A pre-race expo runs Friday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Biltmore Village, and a community run is scheduled for 1 p.m. Friday at New Belgium Brewing. The day after the race, a "plogging" cleanup event runs from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. along the race route; sign-ups are at ashevillemarathon.com/plogging-event.
More information about United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County's programs is available at unitedwayabc.org/what-we-do.
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