We invite you to participate in the Gazelle Foundation’s Global Run For The Water, a virtual 5K, 10-Miler, that can be run, jogged or walked from any location (nearly) anywhere in the world.
Choose your own starting line, whether it’s on a treadmill, at your favorite park, or on a neighborhood street. You can run for clean water wherever you are and join our larger community of runners who will be running the race in-person in downtown Austin, Texas, USA, on November 9, 2025.
Burundian villagers celebrate the clean water is flowing from the taps thanks to donors like you. A water storage tank can be seen in the background. High impact, low-tech water systems the Gazelle Foundation builds transforms lives.
The Purpose of Global Run For The Water
We run for the water to bring clean water to Burundi, East Africa, an area of the world that continues to recover from a decade-long civil war. Award-winning runner, coach, and Gazelle Foundation Co-Founder Gilbert Tuhabonye, along with many supporters, created the race to embrace forgiveness and spread hope and joy to his home country.
A genocide survivor, Gilbert often shares that there is plenty of water in Burundi, where he grew up, but most of it is not clean. Burundian villagers tell us a life without close access to clean water is unreasonably difficult. Life changes when the sustainable water systems the Gazelle Foundation builds come to rural villages. Gravity-fed water systems connect villages with a life necessity and reduce the average distance to clean water from 4 miles to 400 meters (about a quarter mile). Read more about our impact.
Each race registration matters and helps us provide clean water for life to those who need it most. For a community in Burundi, clean water means better health, a stronger community, jobs, education, and most of all: hope. See how we do it and why it matters so much.
The Gazelle Foundation’s local partnerships make this work possible in a remote part of the world. We purchase materials in country and hire locally, building expertise and teaching new skills as necessary. When ownership of the water system is transferred to communities upon completion, they have the skills needed to keep the water taps flowing.
Who Should Participate
Anyone interested in making a difference abroad is invited to join us by running or walking in the Global Run For The Water. We have had individuals, couples, and teams of every size jump on board to use their steps to help disrupt the cycle of poverty that exists in this Sub-Saharan country.
Benefits for Companies THAT Want to Participate
Companies who choose to blend brand with impact can benefit from encouraging their employees to get involved. Here’s a few benefits to signing on.
Energize and Unite Your Employees - Training together toward a common goal can help you attract and retain talent. Never underestimate the benefits of investing in activities that boost camaraderie and community impact.
Model Work-Life Balance for Employee Wellness - Some employers invite teams of employees to participate together. Companies can purchase entries in the Global Run or the in-person Run For The Water held November 9, 2025 in Austin, Texas. If your company or organization has multiple locations, the Global Run can be run or walked wherever you are.
Boost Your Brand’s Reputation - Showing up for a cause that saves lives sends a powerful signal about who you are to your stakeholders, inside and outside the company.
Open Doors to Community Partnerships - Get to know other fellow companies, community leaders, and professionals as you train and run your race together. Your feeling of accomplishment will grow in the knowledge that every entry supports our mission to bring clean water where it is most needed in rural Burundi.
Just because you’re not in Austin doesn’t mean you have to miss out on the fun. We have had people log their race from as far away as Japan, Poland, and South America. Run or walk from anywhere and make a difference for someone in Burundi.
How to Register for the Global Run
The Global Run For The Water can be run or walked anytime from November 1 through November 9, 2025. Join thousands of runners in Austin running in person on November 9th and run your race anywhere in the world. Together, we can make a difference.
Step 1: Register for the Global Run For The Water. Each registration is $30 per participant and you can set up a team if you’d like. Your confirmation email will contain links for you to create your virtual bib and a link to submit your results.
Step 2: Run or walk your 5K or 10-Mile, any route you choose, any time between November 1 and November 9, 2025.
Step 3: Receive your 2025 Run For The Water Race Participant Swag by mail. Shipping will begin after November 15th.
Join Us to Make a Global Difference
Help us raise awareness about the water crisis in Burundi and join in to help us do something about it. Invite your friends, family, co-workers, neighbors and more to participate in the Global Run For the Water this year!
If your company would like more information about purchasing multiple entries for a team or sponsorship, get in touch with us at info@gazellefoundation.org.