Sweat-worthy competition. Bragging rights included.
AUSTIN, Texas — September 3, 2026 — Austin’s run clubs are being challenged to hit the hills this fall as Run For The Water counts down to its 20th anniversary race on November 8.
Show Us Your Hills, a run club challenge leading up to race day, invites local clubs to post a hill workout, tag @RunForTheWater, and challenge another club to take it on. Every participating club will be entered to win a $50 gift card for their crew.
Get creative: Biggest crew. Best hill photo. Funniest post-run reaction. We want to see it.
“Run For The Water has always been about more than race day. Austin’s running community has helped build this event for 20 years, and we wanted to give clubs a fun way to be part of the celebration before we ever reach the starting line,” said Courtney Waldren, Executive Director of the Gazelle Foundation.
And all those hills have a purpose. On race day, November 8, 10-Miler participants can take on Run For The Water’s signature 600-meter Hill Challenge, a timed section of the course. Joe Koen & Son Jewelers is the Official Timekeeper of Run For The Water and the Hill Challenge.
SHOW US YOUR HILLS: HOW TO PARTICIPATE
Post a hill workout with your run club, tag @RunForTheWater, and challenge another club to take it on. Every participating club will be entered to win a $50 gift card for their crew.
Get creative: Biggest crew. Best hill photo. Funniest post-run reaction. We want to see it.
Challenge ends October 25. The winning club will be announced shortly after the challenge ends.
Grab your people. Find a hill. Show us what you’ve got.
Run For The Water takes place Sunday, November 8, 2026, and features a 10-Miler, 5K and Kids K. The 2026 race marks the event’s 20th anniversary and includes the RRCA 10-Mile Championship. Proceeds benefit the Gazelle Foundation’s work to expand access to clean water in Burundi.
ABOUT RUN FOR THE WATER
Run For The Water is the Gazelle Foundation’s signature Austin road race, bringing runners together each year to help provide access to clean water in Burundi. Since its founding, the Gazelle Foundation has built gravity-fed water systems that provide communities with sustainable access to clean water while creating local jobs and supporting community ownership of the systems.
*Winning club coordinates its own gift card use.
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Media Contact
Courtney Waldren
Executive Director, Gazelle Foundation
courtney@gazellefoundation.org
512-520-6943