The Valencia Half Marathon and Marathon will partner with GO2 by Global Omnium as their Green Sponsor for the third consecutive year
The Valencia Marathon and Half Marathon, Trinidad Alfonso Zurich and GO2 by Global Omnium have renewed their Green Sponsor partnership for the third consecutive year, making it one of the most enduring sustainability commitments in grassroots athletics in Spain. GO2 acts as a strategic consultant to the organisers, measuring, verifying and communicating the size of the impact of both events.
Sporting excellence and rigour in environmental reporting for the Valencia 21K and 42K
The Valencia Marathon and Half Marathon are committed to ensuring that sporting excellence and rigour in environmental reporting go hand in hand.
In last year’s race, GO2 calculated and verified the full carbon footprint of both events in accordance with the ISO 14064-1:2019 standard, with Bureau Veritas acting as the independent external verifier.
- Valencia Marathon: with 34,627 runners from 136 countries, 65% of whom travelled from abroad, the event generated emissions of 579 kgCO₂e per participant.
- Valencia Half Marathon: recorded a figure of 432.77 kgCO₂e per runner.
What do these carbon footprint figures mean?
In international races with a high proportion of runners who travel long distances to attend the race, the available literature suggests that between 80% and 95% of total emissions are attributable to participants’ travel and accommodation.
In the case of Valencia, this works out as follows:
- Valencia Marathon: over 91% of its carbon footprint is directly linked to the runners who travel from all five continents to take part.
- Valencia Half Marathon: this figure rises to almost 95%.
These figures confirm that the distance travelled by runners to attend the race is the main factor contributing to the environmental impact of both events.
COE Sustainable Sports Event Seal
The same methodology will be used in 2026:
- The footprint will be validated prior to the event
- Recalculation using actual data once the race has finished
- Verification by Bureau Veritas
Everything is managed via GO2’s platform, which provides an immediate final calculation and allows for traceability on a source-by-source basis.
As a Green Sponsor of the events, the consultancy GO2 will support the organisers in the process of obtaining the Spanish Olympic Committee’s (COE) Sustainable Sports Event Seal.
- This accreditation certifies that a sports event meets the highest standards of environmental, social and governance management.
- The race in Valencia is one of the first major international marathons in Spain to achieve this distinction.
International recognition: World Athletics Silver Label
The process involves conducting an in-depth review of how the event is managed from a sustainability perspective, identifying areas for improvement and demonstrating a genuine commitment through objective and verifiable criteria.
The Valencia Marathon is firmly committed to sustainability; in fact, the organisers, SD Correcaminos, have just been awarded the Athletics for a Better World Silver Standard certification.
This World Athletics label recognises sustainable initiatives at international athletics events. In the case of the Valencia Half Marathon, the event has been awarded bronze status.
This accolade comes on top of the Green Sport Flag awarded by the Spanish Sports Association and confirms that sustainability is an integral part of the event’s culture.
Statements from those involved
Matilde Iraola, Head of Sustainability for the Valencia Marathon and Half Marathon, stated that “calculating the carbon footprint of the races enables us to identify opportunities to reduce emissions and make progress on our commitment to sustainability through organising events that are increasingly environmentally responsible”.
“This renewal for the third consecutive year is not just a sign of confidence; it demonstrates that accurate measurement, independent verification and rigorous communication generate real value for sporting events. The Valencia Marathon and Half Marathon set the standard because they understand that sustainability is not just an added extra, but a competitive advantage”, says Ana Pérez, Director of Corporate Sustainability at Global Omnium.
