BRAIN Foundation 5K /10K Run

The BRAIN Foundation ♥ is a local non-profit dedicated to the Health, Independence, and Well-Being for Every Person with Autism. 

Come out and run or walk to support our organization and our community partners at a family friendly 5K / 10K and 1.5 Mi run in beautiful Almaden Lake Park in San Jose!
10K starts at 9:30, 5K at 9:45. Check-in starts at 8:00 am. More Details Here...

♥ T-shirt and unique finisher medal for all participants
♥ Family discounts and team pricing!
♥ 5K & 10K are timed races with electronic bibs (walking is also welcome for all distances!)
♥ Food Trucks 

All proceeds fund much needed autism research.

The 1 Mile Loop around Baylands Park is an easy run/walk on a flat hard packed trail that begins near the main picnic areas, continues along the southeast side of the park until it turns north at the far restrooms to follow the outside edge of the park. The trail goes past the northeast side picnic areas, and then turns toward the south, past the Animal Assisted Happines Smile Farm, and then follows the sidewalk along the parking lot area to return back to the finish line in the meadow.  The color code for the 1 Mile is Orange and starts at a leisurely 10:15am.

The 10K course starts inside Baylands Park near the main picnic areas, runs along the park's packed sand trail, and continues east on a paved fire road just outside the green area. The course turns north onto the Bay Trail, a hard packed sand trail, past the Great Baylands Lake where it turns west towards the Twin Creeks Sports Complex. The trail runs past the sports complex, crosses a foot bridge, and continues along the Bay Trail past the SMaRT Station, the Sunnyvale's Water Plant to eventually intersect with the trail head from Caribbean Dr. A water station and a restroom are available at this point. The course gently ascends the inner loop to the west of the water treatment plant for some beautiful vistas of the bay. The elevation change on this loop is about 86 ft. Descend the loop to continue back towards Baylands Park along the same Bay Trail. There is a water station at the 5K turnaround point. Once back inside the main park, the course heads north to complete a loop back to the finish line. The course will be well-marked with Blue color coded signage. The 10K starts at 9:30. 

The 5K course starts inside Baylands Park near the main picnic areas, runs along the park's packed sand trail, and continues east on a paved fire road just outside the green area. The course turns north onto the Bay Trail, a hard packed sand trail, past the Great Baylands Lake where it turns west towards the Twin Creeks Sports Complex. Before reaching the sports complex, runners will turn around at the water station and run/walk back to Baylands Park on the same trail, until entering the green area. The course turn north to complete the loop back to the finish line.  The course will be well marked with signage. The color code for the 5K is Purple. The 5k starts at 10:00am. 

Our Mission & Vision

Our mission is to support translational research that will lead to the development of FDA-approved treatments and an improved standard of care for co-morbidities in individuals with autism. Our vision is health, independence, and well-being for every person on the planet with neurological conditions, including Autism Spectrum Disorder diagnosis.

The Challenge

Many children and adults with autism suffer various co-occurring medical conditions, significantly affecting their quality of life. The CDC estimates about 1 in 4 children diagnosed with autism are unable to communicate effectively and/or require constant supervision. Some individuals with these challenges improve in in their symptoms following treatments, and some children even lose their autism diagnosis entirely and go on to lead fully functional and independent lives. In some cases this is due to treatments successfully addressing co-morbid or underlying health problems, resulting in the child feeling better and functioning and developing more fully. 

Who We Are 

The BRAIN Foundation was created in 2019 by families of those with the most impacted children with autism with the goal of accelerating research for this population that is often overlooked in autism research and misunderstood by mainstream healthcare. We have raised over $4 million and awarded hundreds of research grants to the most promising research. We actively seek out high school volunteers and college students interested in science and medicine to provide mentorship opportunities and education in the area of autism research. 

Our Flagship Event

Each year we bring together the brightest researchers from around the world to collaborate, learn, teach, connect with families, and work with physicians and industry in order to bring help to the most vulnerable. We call it Synchrony because it is all about bringing many different parts of the ecosystem together to work in harmony.

What Families say...

"Dear BRAIN Foundation: Thank you from the bottom of our hearts
for everything you do to give kiddos like Lukas another chance, and us parents hope.  
We are in awe of everything that you do every day, and hope you don’t stop any time soon.
Love, The Arabadzic Family"

"On behalf of Aarav, Thank you BRAIN Foundation
for spearheading Autism research and getting us all together!!
Love, Kotra Family."

We are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. 100% of your donations and part of your registration is tax deductible to the extent that tax laws allow. 

Learn more about autism research and what we do at www.brainfoundation.org

Dear Community Partner,

Since 2019 The BRAIN Foundation has been dedicated to enabling the health, independence, and well-being for every person with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) diagnosis. We catalyze scientific research that can improve the quality of life for those with neurological disorders and developmental disabilities through safe and evidence-based treatments and improved medical standards of care. 

Many children and adults with autism experience various co-occurring medical conditions, including seizures, immune system disorders, gastrointestinal issues, and mitochondrial dysfunction, which significantly affects their quality of life. For most of these individuals, it is difficult to communicate effectively or self-advocate. When combined with limited clinician awareness, these conditions typically remain undiagnosed and untreated. Existing treatments are few and help only a small sub-set of individuals.

The BRAIN Foundation is not only a catalyst, but a beacon of hope for families. We have supported over $1M in new autism research every year in the most impactful areas, and we bring together researchers, physicians and families at our yearly conference to ensure the most effective collaborations and knowledge sharing in all directions. Our 2023 Request for Proposals attracted more than 100 proposals from researchers at major universities including Stanford, Yale, Mass General, UCSD, Scripps, UC Davis and many others. By working together we can bring change that translates to better health and a better life. We hope you will join us on this journey!

As an active community member, we entreat you to support this very important cause, while also gaining good will and exposure with not only our large community of special needs families but all the running enthusiasts, the local community, good hearted people, and all those who support us. 

Levels of Support

$250 Bronze

• logo on home page bottom of our RunSignUp website
• booth option at our event

$500 Silver

• logo on home page bottom of our RunSignUp website
• booth option at our event
• logo on our race t-shirt

$1000 Gold

• logo on home page bottom of our RunSignUp website
• booth option at our event
• logo on our race shirt
• logo on our organization website hyperlinked for the year
• logo on our emails to race participants

$5000 Platinum

• logo on home page bottom of our RunSignUp website
  booth option at our event
• logo on our race shirt
• logo on our organization website hyperlinked for the year
• logo on emails to race participants
• logo on sponsor banner at race registration as partner

For larger and alternative sponsorships, we can discuss a unique package that suits your needs.

Please email contact@ brainfoundation.org

The BRAIN Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Your donations are tax deductible to the extent allowed by the law.

Become a Team Captain!

Benefits include the camaraderie of running with new and old friends, pushing each other to your personal bests, and having even more fun while you run. But that's not all...

• Once your team reaches 4 members, you all get $5 off your registration fee (first 3 registrants will get a $5 refund)
  
  
• Team Name printed on your Bib!
  
  
  

Create your team here