Meet Amelia, the student launching the Durham Budapest Marathon 2026

Led by Amelia Geng, a team of Durham students will be running the Budapest Marathon (or half marathon) in 2026 to fundraise for Amnesty International.

The Durham Tab spoke to Amelia, the second year politics and international relations student who is launching the new project for October next year. Amelia believes the challenge “could change a lot for the Durham charity and social scene to become more accessible, intercollegiate, and collaborate.”

What cause does this challenge support and why?

Amelia partnered with Choose A Challenge, a student organisation working with universities across the UK, to support the Budapest Marathon challenge at Durham. Every student joining the Durham team will be fundraising for this charity, each with an individual target.

Amelia chose to support Amnesty International, a charity she values for its international efforts.

“I’m really proud to have been able to choose the charity that Durham will support, as the work of Amnesty to fight for [global] human rights has always been important to me,” she said.

Amelia believes the global perspective required for this kind of work is particularly necessary in a “tight-knit” “bubble” of a university such as Durham.

Working with Choose A Challenge makes the task more affordable for participants. “I wanted a chance for all students to get involved and do good for charity.” According to Amelia, once you have paid the £245 registration fee and reached your fundraising goal, everything else (flights, accommodation, some meals, and marathon entry) is included in the four day trip to Budapest.

Amelia’s personal motivations

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As a challenge leader, Amelia has three main responsibilities: Recruiting for the Durham team, supporting them in fundraising for their £1,290 target, and maintaining a focused community of students from all year groups, colleges, and courses.

After spending first year “feeling quite reserved on the extra-curricular scene”, Amelia started exploring challenges she could invest in for second year. She didn’t want to “lose [her] drive and passion for leading and fundraising”, which she was known for in school.

After seeing her friend at Glasgow training for her challenge, Amelia was inspired to launch the project herself at Durham.

According to the politics student, this challenge offers a different perspective to the idea that the collegiate model makes it hard to create something new at a university-wide level. It’s a way for her to make the most of her university experience too, offering a focused goal, a way to meet like minded people, and doing some good along the way.

How you can get involved

If you are interested in Amelia’s project, you can get involved by either signing up and taking part in the Budapest Marathon, or just by supporting the students who are taking part. If you’re a keen runner, a passionate fundraiser, and ready for a new challenge, this isn’t an opportunity you’ll want to miss.

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Featured image (right) via Unsplash