Registration and Fundraising

The Headwaters of the Frio Marathon/Half Marathon/10K is a fundraising event to support Hill Country Youth Ranch and Big Springs Ranch for Children which work to provide healing and restoration to children who have been traumatized through abuse, abandonment or neglect.

There is a modest registration fee to indicate your commitment and help offset expenses. There is also a fundraising component for each participant.

We have established minimum fundraising commitments for each event category. The minimum for the Marathon is $750, the Half Marathon is $500, and the 10K is $250. The registration fees are equal to 10% of these amounts or $75, $50, and $25 respectively. These fundraising minimums apply to each individual who registers for the event.

Note: registration fees are waived for returning participants from our inaugural event last April. New participants can get your registration fee credited to your fundraising goal by inviting another participant to join you at the event. They can sign up individually or join a team you create. When your friend / family member registers for the event, your registration fee will be credited towards your fundraising goal.

What If I Don't Have Any Fundraising Experience?

For those with no significant fundraising experience, we've provided lots of coaching tips and information to make your fundraising engaging, fun and effective! If you follow the advice offered, we believe the fundraising minimums are very attainable. To access this information see the "Fundraising Tips" section under the Fundraising menu tab.

Where Does the Money Go?

The money raised through the Headwaters of the Frio Marathon/Half Marathon/10K will go directly into our Children’s Fund, which is our all-purpose fund ensuring the provision of essentials for our children – food, clothing, housing, and transportation – plus the basic amenities of holiday celebrations, weekly allowances, birthdays, recreational activities, educational adventures, and a wide variety of life enrichment experiences. With 110 children living with us at any given time, we need to raise $2,000,000 a year to supply these elements of a healthy childhood. That’s $18,000 a year per child, and it includes all the support services and personnel that go with these basics. About half of that amount is raised each year through operational grants, bequests, thrift store sales, and endowment income. The other half must come from individual donations and special events. It’s a tall climb each year, and we need your help to make it happen!

Teams

After registering as an individual, you have the option to start a team, or join an existing team. We encourage families, friends, co-workers, church groups, etc., to form teams and participate together. Please note that teams do not share a single fundraising goal; the team total is simply the combination of the various individual fundraising goals.

Badges

For those who want to go for even higher fundraising amounts, and join in some friendly competition, we have created a series of badges you can earn as you reach specific milestones. Everyone who meets the minimum goal earns the Fundraising Champion badge and books their ticket to the event. At 150% of the minimum goal you earn the Fundraising Overachiever badge, 200% of minimum earns the Fundraising Rockstar badge and at 300% of goal you earn the highest badge; Fundraising Superhero! We are so grateful for those of you who press on to raise as much as possible! We will feature all those who achieved each badge level on special boards at the event. You can also earn badges and awards for promoting the event on social media and recruiting additional participants.

Awards

Each participant will receive a high-quality T-shirt, and a hand-crafted commemorative medallion.

Special prizes will be awarded to the top fundraiser, the top fundraising team, the top recruiter, and the top social media promoter.

Those posting the fastest times will receive top finisher medals and we will document every finisher’s time in their respective category. Medals will be awarded to the top 3 male and female finishers in each event in the following age categories: 13-19, 20-39, 40-59, 60+