The M4 Community 5k Programme Is Here — Find Your Event
When we built Marathon for Mental Health, the flexible marathon format was always just one part of the picture. Yes — 26.2 miles, your way, throughout October. But from the very beginning, we knew that a challenge done entirely alone, however flexible, would only go so far.
The thing that changes everything about a challenge like this isn't the miles. It's the people you share them with.
That's why we built the M4 community 5k programme. And for 2026, it's bigger than it's ever been.
Why we built community events into the challenge
Poor mental health in high-pressure working environments doesn't just come from overwork or stress. It comes from isolation. From feeling like the only person dealing with something. From not having a community around you that understands what your working life actually looks like.
Seafarers spend months away from home. Hospitality workers keep hours that cut them off from regular social life. People working across different countries and time zones can go weeks without meaningful human connection. That isolation is one of the most significant risk factors for poor mental health — and it's one of the hardest things for a digital challenge to address on its own.
The community 5k events were our answer to that. A chance for people doing the flexible marathon challenge 2026 to meet each other in person — to put a face to the names on Strava, to run or walk together, to feel the difference between doing something alongside a community and doing something beside one.
They're not races. They're not timed. There's no pressure to run. They're 5k community events in locations where our participants actually are — and they're designed to be the highlight of the month for everyone who shows up.
The 2026 M4 community 5k programme — all ten locations
This year's programme spans four continents and ten events across October 2026. Whether you're based in Europe, the US, the Southern Hemisphere, or the Med, there's an event within reach.
A particular thank you to Hill Robinson, Y.CO and VOLY our Official Community 5k Partners for 2026.
Palma, Mallorca — Community Run
A 5k run through one of the Mediterranean's most iconic sailing hubs. Perfect for yachting industry participants based in or passing through Palma during the autumn season.
LINK: Book your place at the Palma Community Run → (https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/marathon-for-mental-health-5km-community-run-tickets-1999792266502?aff=ebdsoporgprofile)
Palma, Mallorca — Community Hike
Prefer to walk it? The Palma community hike covers the same 5k distance at a gentler pace — ideal for participants who want the community experience without the running.
Book the Palma Community Hike → Book here
Antibes, France — Community Run x Hill Robinson
Set along the French Riviera, the Antibes event is hosted in partnership with Hill Robinson Yacht Management. A 5k run in one of yachting's most prestigious homeports — and a chance to connect with the wider industry community around you.
Antibes Community Run → Book here
London — Community Run x Seas the Mind (Tower Bridge)
P Starting near one of the world's most recognisable landmarks, the Tower Bridge community run is hosted in partnership with Seas the Mind — the maritime mental health training company. A 5k through central London for the M4 community based in and around the city.
London Tower Bridge Community Run → Book here
London — Community Run x YCO (Putney)
A second London event, this time in Putney in partnership with YCO. Along the Thames towpath — one of London's best running and walking routes — and open to anyone in the M4 community based in south or west London.
London Putney Community Run → Book here
Fort Lauderdale, USA — Community Run x YCO
Fort Lauderdale is one of the world's major superyacht hubs, and the M4 community there is significant. This 5k community run, hosted in partnership with YCO, gives participants on the east coast of the US a chance to get together and log some miles in person.
Fort Lauderdale Community Run → Book here
Auckland, New Zealand — Community Run x YCO
For our community in the Southern Hemisphere, the Auckland event brings the flexible marathon challenge 2026 to New Zealand. A 5k run in one of the world's great sailing cities, hosted in partnership with YCO.
Auckland Community Run → Book here
La Ciotat, France — Community Run x YCO
La Ciotat is a major refit and shipyard hub on the French Riviera — and home to a significant M4 community. This YCO-partnered 5k gives participants based in and around La Ciotat a local event to look forward to throughout October.
La Ciotat Community Run → Book here
Monaco — Community Run x YCO
One of the most glamorous addresses in the world — and one of the most high-pressure working environments for the yachting community. The Monaco 5k, hosted in partnership with YCO, is a chance to step away from the intensity of the harbour and move together.
Monaco Community Run → Book here
Bournemouth, UK — Community Run x Bespoke Crew
Back on home turf, the Bournemouth event is hosted in partnership with Bespoke Crew along one of England's best coastal running routes. Open to anyone in the M4 community based along the south coast — a great event to kick off or close out your October miles.
Bournemouth Community Run → Book here
Fort Lauderdale, US — Community Run x VOLY
We will be closing the marathon month with a community 5k co-hosted with VOLY on October 30th at 7am as part of Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show.
Sign up released soon!
How the community 5k fits into your flexible marathon challenge
Every community 5k counts toward your 26.2 miles. Show up, run or walk the 5k, log it on Strava, and those miles go straight into your October total. You can attend one event or several if you happen to be in more than one location across the month, we'd love to see you at more than one start line.
The events are free to attend whether you’re participating in the wider virtual marathon or not!
Not near any of the ten locations? The Strava community is the digital version of the same thing — log your miles, cheer on your fellow participants, and know that 260 people across four continents are doing the same thing as you, wherever you are.
A note on why this matters
In October 2025, we held 13 community activities as part of the first M4 flexible marathon challenge. The feedback from participants who attended in person was consistent: it was the highlight of the month. Not because of the distance. Because of the people.
When you're working in an environment that isolates you, at sea, in a kitchen, in a country you're not from, on a schedule that leaves no room for social life, showing up to a 5k with a group of people who get it is more meaningful than it sounds. Yes it is exercise but it is also connection. And connection is one of the most evidence-backed protective factors for good mental health we have.
That's why we built the community 5k programme. And that's why we're running it in ten locations this year instead of one.
Find your event and secure your place
All ten community 5k events are live now on Eventbrite. Find the location closest to you, book your free place, and we'll see you on the start line in October.
Not signed up for the flexible marathon challenge yet?
Marathon for Mental Health is a global flexible marathon challenge raising money for mental health charities worldwide. Run, walk or hike 26.2 miles your way throughout October 2026.