Asheville Marathon partners with United Way for miles of charity

The 2026 Asheville Marathon and Half, hosted by iDaph Events and sponsored by New Belgium Brewing, will hit the streets of Asheville later this month. This year, the race has chosen United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County as its charity partner.

ContributediDaph Events2025 Asheville Marathon winner Carter Benge of Mars Hill, N.C., who finished in 2 hours and 52 minutes.

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) –– The 2026 Asheville Marathon and Half, hosted by iDaph Events and sponsored by New Belgium Brewing, will hit the streets of Asheville later this month. This year, the race has chosen United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County as its charity partner.

Every year, the Asheville Marathon features a different charity. This year, the Premier Charity Partner is United Way, an organization centered around forging opportunities for youth and bolstering resiliency in its community.

For more about United Way, visit www.unitedwayabc.org/what-we-do.

“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.

“Every mile we run is an opportunity to give back,” said Daphne Kirkwood, iDaph Events founder, in the release.

Over 2,300 runners, as well as their loved ones, are on track to attend the race. The competitors hail from 43 different states and six different countries, bringing an international spirit of community to Asheville. Registration will remain open until March 21 at www.ashevillemarathon.com.

Race details

The Boston Marathon qualifier will begin in Pack Square Park at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday, March 21 and conclude at New Belgium Brewing with a celebration including live music, refreshments and awards.

The day prior, a race expo will take place from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Biltmore Village, and a pre-race community run will be held at 1 p.m. at New Belgium Brewing.

The day after, the community is invited to a “plogging” clean-up event from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. along the race route. Sign up at www.ashevillemarathon.com/plogging-event.

Spectators are encouraged to join in. The marathoners will run through downtown Asheville, the center hub for spectators, twice: The starting line at Pack Square Park and again when runners hit mile 10.

For more details and tickets, visit www.ashevillemarathon.com/spectators.