This is truly a special event, and we’re looking for a special kind of participant! We know our event is not for everyone. If you’re the kind of person who finds joy and fulfillment in physical challenges like marathons, half marathons, 10K’s, or 5K's, and have a desire to help abused and abandoned kids by supporting the mission of Hill Country Youth Ranch / Big Springs Ranch for Children, you’re just the kind of person we're looking for! 

Our event is a fundraiser for Hill Country Youth Ranch and each participant makes a commitment to raise a minimum of $250.00 to support our mission. It takes some effort, but is very rewarding! Our commitment to you is to provide a one of a kind experience limited to just 300 participants. We've taken care of every detail to make sure this is one of the most memorable events you'll ever experience! Register now and join us for our 5th annual event!

Registration and Fundraising

The Headwaters of the Frio Trail Marathon, Half, 12K, 5K is a fundraising event to support Hill Country Youth Ranch and Big Springs Ranch for Children who work to provide healing and restoration to children who have been traumatized through abuse, abandonment or neglect.

There is a $50 registration fee to indicate your commitment and help offset expenses. Your registration fee is counted towards the $250 minimum fundraising requirement for each participant.

What If I Don't Have Any Fundraising Experience?

For those with no previous 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 minimum is easily achievable.  For more information see the "Fundraising Tips" section under the Fundraising menu tab. 

Where Does the Money Go?

The money raised through the event goes directly into our Children’s Fund, which is our all-purpose fund ensuring the provision of essentials for our children – caregivers, 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 contributions.  The other half must come from individual donations and special events like this.  It’s a tall climb each year, and we need your help to make it happen!

Teams

You have the option to start a team, or join an existing team. We encourage families, friends, co-workers, church groups, workout 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. In order to keep team competition on an equal basis, teams are limited to a total of 10 individuals.

Badges

We encourage you to challenge yourself and set your sights even higher than the minimum fundraising amount and join in some friendly competition to see how much you can raise! We have created a series of badges to earn as you reach specific milestones. When you reach your $250 minimum amount, you earn our Fundraising Champion badge and secure your spot in the event. At $500 raised, you earn our Fundraising Overachiever badge. Those who raise $1,000 earn the Fundraising Rockstar badge and at $2,500 you earn the highest badge; Fundraising Superhero! We are so grateful for everyone who presses on to raise as much as possible! Rockstars and Superheroes receive commemorative plaques recognizing your significant efforts to support our mission.

Awards

Special prizes are awarded to the 3 highest individual fundraisers, the top 2 fundraising teams, the top recruiter, and the top social media promoter/ambassador. For more information see the "Top Individual and Team Fundraising Awards" section under the Fundraising menu tab. 

Top Finisher Medals

Those posting the fastest times will receive top finisher medals. 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: 14-19, 20-39, 40-59, 60+

Hill Country Youth Ranch is a non-profit charitable corporation licensed by the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services to provide long-term therapeutic care for abused and orphaned children at all levels of trauma and need.

HCYR operates three campuses, all located northwest of San Antonio in the Texas Hill Country. All three campuses feature family-style homes, state-of-the art charter schools for grades K-12, amazing recreational facilities, and spacious, beautiful grounds.

Taking an individualized approach, HCYR offers a broad continuum of services, including residential treatment for severely traumatized children, family care for those who have stabilized, transitional living for young adults, and life-long family-based support for alumni.