Organisers are calling for local residents to join the team for the upcoming ABP Southampton Marathon Festival, which will take place in Southampton on Sunday 3 May 2026. The event, now in its 11th year, requires approximately 850 volunteers to help manage the day’s activities across the city.
Known as ABP Mile Makers, volunteers play a vital role in the event’s operation. To encourage community participation, Associated British Ports will donate £250 to any community group that provides 20 or more volunteers for the day. Individual volunteers are also offered a free entry to another ReesLeisure event as a thank you for their time.
The 2026 festival marks a change for the event, featuring a new start line at Dock Gate 8 near the City Cruise Terminal, while the finish line will remain at Guildhall Square. The festival includes five different distances: a full marathon, half marathon, 10K, 5K, and a one-mile fun run.
Since the marathon began in 2015, the festival has helped raise more than £4 million for charitable causes. Key partners for this year include Southampton Hospitals Charity and Macmillan Cancer Support. Those interested in volunteering or participating must register by 12:00pm on Wednesday 29 April 2026.
Further information on how to get involved can be found on the official event website.
About this article: This story was put together with the help of AI tools and checked by a real person on our team. We're a small crew trying to cover as much of the UK as we can on a limited budget. We're getting better every day - but we're not perfect yet. If something looks off, let us know. You're part of the process.
