The event, organized by Cruz Roja Zaragoza and Olimpo Athletics Club as part of the Pilar Festival program, will start at 9:30 a.m. next to the Music Kiosk and will offer options for practically every age and fitness level. There will be a 10-kilometer fun run, a 4.5-kilometer race, a walking event over the same distance and children's races ranging from one kilometer for schoolchildren to 100 meters for the youngest participants.
Beyond times and personal records, the race's main focus, as every year, will be its charitable purpose. The proceeds will help develop a therapeutic garden on a terrace at Miguel Servet Hospital, designed so that patients with spinal cord injuries can take part in gardening activities and maintain greater contact with nature during their hospital stay.
?? On October 4, Zaragoza runs for a good cause.
?? The III Cruz Roja Pilar Charity Race will help create a therapeutic garden for spinal cord injury patients at Miguel Servet Hospital.
Get your race number: https://t.co/ZbSkf2XSS1 pic.twitter.com/wFpjCWHa8l — Salud Aragón (@salud_aragon) September 4, 2026
The project also aims to create a different kind of space within the hospital itself, allowing patients to break from their weekly routine, share activities and socialize with other people. The initiative seeks to complement their recovery process through a more welcoming setting and activities that take them away from the strictly medical environment for a few hours.
A RACE THROUGH SOME OF PARQUE GRANDE'S MOST ICONIC LANDMARKS
The route will run entirely through Parque Grande José Antonio Labordeta, with the start and finish next to the Music Kiosk. Participants will pass through well-known spots including Paseo de San Sebastián, Paseo de los Bearneses, the Batallador Staircase and the Winter Gardens.
The 10-kilometer race will cover the full distance in this setting, while both the short fun run and the walking event will follow a 4.5-kilometer route. They will be joined by the Sub-14, Sub-12 and Sub-10 school races, covering one kilometer, and a 100-meter introductory event for the youngest participants.
Starts will begin at 9:30 a.m. with the 10- and 4.5-kilometer fun runs. Five minutes later, at 9:35 a.m., the walkers will set off. The schoolchildren will take over at 10:45 a.m., and the event will end with the introductory race at 11:00 a.m.
REGISTRATION FOR THE CRUZ ROJA CHARITY RACE IN ZARAGOZA
Registration will remain open until September 29 or until places sell out. Until September 23, entry to the 10K costs 15 euros; the 4.5-kilometer race costs 12 euros; the walking event costs 10 euros; and the school and introductory races cost 5 euros. Fees will increase from September 24.
Those who want to support the initiative but cannot or do not wish to take part can also purchase a charitable "dorsal 0" entry, with donations of 10, 5 or 3 euros. Cruz Roja sums up the spirit of the event as follows: every registration, every step and every kilometer should help improve other people's health and well-being.
Registration includes an exclusive technical shirt, runner's bag, bag check, showers and medical assistance with an ambulance. Race numbers and bags must be collected on Saturday, October 3, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., at the Cruz Roja headquarters at number 8 Sancho y Gil Street.
The organizers expect to once again fill Parque Grande with runners, walkers and families for an event combining sport, solidarity and the Pilar Festival. This time, crossing the finish line will mean more than completing a race: it will help spinal cord injury patients at Miguel Servet gain a new space to escape the hospital routine and continue their recovery in contact with nature.
