Get ready to run, run as fast as you can — Thinkery’s annual Gingerbread Fun Run is back! We’re ready to lace up our running shoes on Saturday, Nov. 16 and get in the holiday spirit for this family-friendly 1K for kids of all ages and abilities. Go as fast as you can as you chase Thinkery’s festive Gingerbread Man around Mueller Lake Park. Plus, enjoy seasonal hands-on activities for the entire family before and after the run, both in the park and inside the museum.
For this festive event, Thinkery is teaming up with Variety, the Children’s Charity of Texas to make sure the 1K run is open and accessible to kids of all ages and abilities. The mostly paved and mostly flat route around Mueller Lake is wheelchair- and walker-accessible, with one unpaved 30-foot section covered in decomposed granite.

Photo from Thinkery’s Facebook page

Registration Information: Participants ages 2-18 years old must register as a “Candy Cane Runner” and each get the following included with their registration:

  • Reusable Thinkery water bottle
  • Free museum entrance on the day of the event for the registered child
  • Swag bag
  • Official runner’s bib
  • Completion medal
  • 10% off Gingerbread Workshops (details when you register)

Registration Fee: Candy Cane Runner registration is $25 for members or $30 for non-members. Each runner can have 1 free accompanying adult per registered child. And ages 0-23 in strollers are also free. Accompanying adults and toddlers ages 0—23 months may register for free. However, Accompanying Registrationsdo not receive runner registration benefits; if accompanying adults wish to enter the museum following the run, standard museum entry rates apply.

–> Click here to sign up!

Run Start Times:
Because the route path is narrow, to accommodate as many runners as possible, there will be multiple start times throughout the morning. The number of registrants for each heat will be limited, so make sure you select a start time when booking your tickets!
Event Activities (9 a.m.-noon):
  • Miniature horses from Variety – the Children’s Charity of Texas’ Peaceable Kingdom retreat for children
  • Pig Races from Rodeo Austin
  • Hands-on STEAM activities from Thinkery Camps

Photo from Thinkery’s Facebook page

To learn more about the Gingerbread Fun Run as well as other special events, including Gingerbread House Workshops, please visit thinkeryaustin.org.


–> Giveaway: We have a pair of Gingerbread Fun Run race registrations to give away! Enter below. Good luck! Entering the giveaway will add you to the Do512 Family email list, where we let you know about the best family events in Austin each week.

This giveaway is now closed and winner has been notified via email. Thanks to all who entered!