Global charity running partner expands four-year relationship with one of the world’s fastest marathon courses, targeting €4.5M+ in fundraising impact and creating a unified charity programme for international and domestic charities for the first time ever
London, UK - 9th June 2026 – Realbuzz, the world’s leading provider of charity running programmes, has been named Exclusive Charity Programme Partner of the Valencia Marathon Trinidad Alfonso Zurich, one of the fastest marathon courses on the planet. A new multi-year deal that signals a major step-change in the event’s global charity impact ambitions.
The agreement builds on a four-year working relationship between realbuzz and Valencia Marathon, elevating the partnership to an official, exclusive level for the first time. Realbuzz now holds sole rights to lead the event’s charity programme, with ambitions to raise more than €4.5 million in fundraising impact over the term of the deal.
A defining feature of the renewed partnership, led by realbuzz, is the introduction of a unified charity programme that brings domestic and international charities together for the first time in the event’s history. Realbuzz will leverage its global network and charity running infrastructure to bring new organisations into the fold, significantly expanding the scope of charitable fundraising at one of Europe’s most coveted race destinations.
Held each December in the Spanish city of Valencia, the marathon has earned a reputation as a “PB with purpose” destination, attracting elite and amateur runners alike who chase personal bests on one of the world’s fastest certified courses, while supporting causes they care about. The race’s appeal has grown sharply in recent years, evidenced by its transition to a ballot entry system ahead of the 2026 event. The most recent ballot attracted approximately +57,500 runners for their 36,000 total entries, underlining the scale of demand and the strategic importance of charity places as a meaningful route into the event.
With the expanded partnership now in place, realbuzz is focused on driving a significant increase in charity runner participation, with plans to more than double international charity participation in 2027, predominantly from the UK, US & Ireland.
Nick Hollowood, Chief Commercial Officer at realbuzz, said: “Our goal is to make Valencia a flagship moment in the global charity running calendar, a race that charities around the world actively want to be part of, year after year. The fundraising ambition is significant, but what excites us most is the long-term platform this creates for charities to engage a truly international running community.”
Paco Borao, Race’s Director, at Valencia Marathon Trinidad Alfonso Zurich, said: “Realbuzz brings the expertise, the global reach and the charity relationships to take this to a scale we haven’t seen before at Valencia. We are committed to creating global impact for charities through the event and this partnership helps us deliver that at scale. We look forward to welcoming a new wave of purpose-driven runners to one of the world’s great marathon cities.”
The partnership places Valencia firmly on the international charity running map alongside other major global events in the realbuzz portfolio, reinforcing the growing trend of runners seeking both competitive and purposeful race experiences.