Run (or walk) for animals!
Registration is now open for the January 2026 Chevron Houston Marathon weekend!
Friends For Life is thrilled to return for our 7th year as an official charity partner of the Chevron Houston Marathon.
HOW IT WORKS:
When you commit to raising funds for Friends For Life, your registration is free!
YOUR CHOICES:
5K on Saturday, January 10 (All runners are required to raise $250 by 12.29.25 of which $175 is due by 12.1.25.)
Half Marathon or Marathon on Sunday, January 11 (All runners are required to raise $500 by 12.29.25 of which $175 is due by 11.1.25)
Please see our FAQs below for more information.
Friends For Life is a No-Kill animal shelter in Houston, Texas. We are a 501(c)(3) organization with a 4-star (top) rating by Charity Navigator.
If you have additional questions, feel free to contact Lisa by email.
Run for a Reason: Registration Options
The Chevron Houston Marathon’s Run for a Reason program offers two main ways to participate and support Friends For Life. You can either Fundraise for Registration, where you raise funds directly for Friends For Life to secure your entry, or you can Donate for Registration, which guarantees your spot in the race with a $350 donation. Donating automatically qualifies you for the first level of HERO benefits, but anyone who raises enough can achieve HERO status. Explore the options below to see how you can get involved.
| Fundraising for Registration | Donate for Registration | |
|---|---|---|
| Commitment | Raise $250 in donations for 5k Raise $500 in donations for full and half marathon | $350 tax-deductible donation to Friends For Life |
| Fundraising | Mandatory | Optional |
| Registration Fee | Paid by FFL if fundraising minimum is met | Paid by Participant at registration |
| Perks and Benefits | Race entry upon meeting fundraising milestones | Guaranteed race entry and exclusive HERO perks based on amount fundraised |
| Deadlines | Milestones: $175 by Dec. 1; full amount by Jan.29 | Donation at registration; fundraising can continue |
| Race Entry | Conditional on fundraising milestones | Guaranteed entry |
FAQs
Q: What’s the difference between running as an individual vs. running for a charity?
When you run as an individual, you sign up and pay a registration fee. Fees rise as each tier fills—for example, the marathon starts at $150 in Tier 1 and goes up to $210 by Tier 5. [See fee chart here.]
When you run for a registered charity, the organization will pay your registration fee. In return, you commit to raising money for the charity. You commit to raise $500 if you run for the marathon or the half marathon, or $250 if you participate in the 5K. The minimums are decided by the Chevron Marathon committee and apply to all “Run for a Reason” nonprofits.
Q: Is there a way to run for Friends For Life but not fundraise donations?
Yes, A HERO runner makes a tax-deductible donation of $350 to Friends For Life and pays the registration fee during registration. This way you can still be part of our Running Team without having to Fundraise.
Q: How do I sign up to run with Friends For Life?
Q: The form is confusing. Can somebody help me sign up?
Absolutely! Please email runningteam@friends4life.org and one of our people will contact you to walk you through the questions.
Q: What do I get for being part of the team?
We are thrilled to welcome every new runner or walker! In addition to helping animals, you also get a support group! When you join our Running Team Facebook group, runners exchange training tips and tools. If you are in Houston, we have a practice run every Monday at 7:15 pm, starting at the shelter parking lot. You get a team shirt, a periodic email from our Running Team lead, and are invited to runners’ socials.
Q: How do I raise money?
When you sign up, you’ll create a participant account and your own fundraising page. You can personalize it with photos, animal stories, or your own goals—and you’re welcome to use content from our Running Team Toolkit. Once it’s ready, just share your page link with friends, family, or coworkers when asking for their support.
Q: What are Hero perks?
Once you fundraise or donate $350 or above, you are considered a HERO runner! click here to learn more about becoming a HERO.
Q: Are there deadlines to meet the fundraising goal?
Yes. Each charity runner needs to hit an early fundraising milestone before race weekend. If you’re running the 5K, your goal is to raise $250 by December 29—with at least $175 of that due by December 1. Half and full marathon runners need to raise $500 total, with $175 due a bit earlier—by November 1—and the rest by December 29.
Q: I already signed up to one of the Chevron races. How can I switch to the Friends For Life Running Team?
Support our Cause!
This year, our team has two goals: #1: To raise $125,000 for our animals, and #2: to sign up at least125 runners for our marathon team. Please help us reach our goals!
Support our Runners!
Some of us are avid runners. Some of us don’t even like running. But when it comes to saving animals, we’re all in!
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Thank you to our Sponsors!
