The tenth Explore The Falls Race is on Saturday, November 7, 2026. It runs entirely on the roads and trails of The Falls at Imperial Oaks, and organizers call it a Veterans Day tradition benefiting Team RWB. In 2018 it drew 337 registrations. In 2025 it drew 702. For 2026, organizers are allowing 725.
That leaves room for 23 more people than last year's total. The course itself has hardly changed. Every runner leaves on Imperial Promenade and comes back the same way. Only one distance actually goes around Lake Holcomb, and it is easy to sign up for a different one without knowing that.
One Street Out, the Same Street Back
The race site describes the event as a mix of road and trail racing that "navigates around Lake Holcomb and the streets of The Falls at Imperial Oaks community." In practice, the 5K and 10K share the same roads and trails. The 5K turns around at the 1.55-mile mark. The 10K keeps going, loops around Lake Holcomb, and returns on Imperial Promenade.
So the real choice in the registration menu is how much of the lake you get.
| Event | Start time | Surface | Price before Oct. 30 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chick-fil-A Grand Parkway North 1K Kids Run/Walk, ages 12 and under | 7:30 a.m. | Closed road, out and back | $36 |
| First Financial Bank 10K Run, ages 12 and up | 7:45 a.m. | 1 mile road, 4 miles trail, 1 mile road | $46 |
| 5K Run/Walk | 7:50 a.m. | 1 mile road, 1 mile gravel/grass/trail, 1 mile road, out and back | $44 |
| 2 Mile Run/Walk | 7:51 a.m. | Concrete road only, out and back | $38 |
Four of the 10K's six miles are on trail. The 5K gets about a mile of gravel, grass, and trail before it turns back. The 2-mile option, added in 2024 as a "non-competitive" route, stays on pavement the whole way. It has no age-group awards, which suits anyone who wants to be part of the morning without racing the clock.
The kids go first. The 1K runs on a paved, secured road near the Lake Club, with spectators lining it. The schedule is set up so a parent can watch their child finish before their own race starts. The kids' race begins at 7:30 a.m., and the 10K follows fifteen minutes later.
What That Route Does to the Neighborhood at 7 a.m.
Since every distance comes and goes on Imperial Promenade, that street absorbs most of the morning's changes. Starting around 7 a.m., Imperial Promenade becomes one-way eastbound, so cars can only drive away from the clubhouse. The race has posted an interactive Google map of the course and road closures, and it's worth checking if you plan to drive anywhere in the neighborhood that morning.
Parking follows the same logic. Race-day parking is at Birnham Woods Elementary, 31150 Birnham Woods, with Bradley Elementary as overflow. Parking is limited. Street parking is not allowed on Birnham Woods Drive or Imperial Promenade. For anyone who lives within walking distance of the Lake Club, the simplest plan is to leave the car at home.
The race-day timeline starts before most of the neighborhood is up:
- 6:30 a.m. Volunteer meeting
- About 7:00 a.m. Imperial Promenade turns one-way eastbound
- 7:30 a.m. Kids 1K
- 7:45 a.m. 10K
- 7:50 a.m. 5K
- 7:51 a.m. 2-mile walk/run
After the finish, the Race-Day Expo is open to runners, spectators, sponsors, and vendors, with food, entertainment, and the awards ceremony. It's at The Lake Club at The Falls, 31220 Birnham Woods Drive. The race site doesn't spell out exactly where the start and finish lines are. Look for that in the race-week emails.
Ten Years of Growth on a Course That Barely Changed
The registration figures in the 2026 sponsorship packet track a race that kept growing on the same streets and trails:
- 2018: 337
- 2019: 437
- 2020: about 436, run virtually
- 2021: 489
- 2022: 619
- 2023: 672
- 2024: 686
- 2025: 702
Registrations more than doubled from 2018 to 2025. Most of the jump came from 2021 to 2022, when the count rose by 130. After that, growth slowed to a few dozen a year. That fits an event approaching the most it can hold on one out-and-back road and one lake loop. The 725-registration allowance for 2026 is the packet's planned limit, not a forecast of turnout.
Registrations and finishers are counted differently. The 2025 results summary shows 619 finishers across all four races. The 5K had 318, the 10K 179, the kids' 1K 85, and the 2-mile 37. By that count, the 5K drew far more finishers in 2025 than the 10K, the only distance that circles the lake.
Brandon Galownia is the race director, listed with Explore Texas Racing LLC. In the packet, he says the goal is "to build a sense of community through a healthy and positive event with the participation of community members, local schools and businesses." AutoNation Ford Katy is the presenting sponsor this year. Chick-fil-A Grand Parkway North sponsors the kids' 1K, and First Financial Bank sponsors the 10K.
"In honor of Veterans Day, Explore The Falls Race will be proudly supporting Team RWB."
The packet describes Team RWB as an organization supporting military families. The race page also takes donations directly.
The Two October Dates That Matter
With last year's registrations within 23 of this year's limit, the deadlines matter more than they did when the race had plenty of room.
October 16. Shirt sizes aren't guaranteed for anyone who registers after Thursday, October 16. That's twelve days from today.
October 30. Prices for the 10K, 5K, and 2-mile go up after 11:59 p.m. CDT on October 30. Kids' 1K registration closes at the same moment and reopens at midnight on October 31.
Registration includes a shirt, finisher medal, bib, on-course nutrition, a sponsor swag bag, age-group awards, and expo access. Race photos are included too, taken by Scott Flathouse. Galleries from 2021 through 2025 are linked on the race page. They're a good way to preview the trail section before choosing between the 5K and 10K.
The 10K and 5K award overall, masters for ages 40 and up, and grand masters for ages 50 and up, plus the top three in each age band from 14 and under through 70 and over. The kids' 1K awards overall and the top three in three groups: 6 and under, 7 to 9, and 10 to 12. Packet pickup times are still listed as TBD on the race-week page.
For Next Year's 10K, a Training Option Close By
The race site points to "LAUNCH," a beginner program from Northside Running + Tri, as its training plan. Northside is a nonprofit running and triathlon club. Its weekly open runs meet Saturdays at 6 a.m. at the Starbucks on Market Street and Tuesdays at 6 p.m. at The Woodlands Ninth Grade Campus.
LAUNCH runs 8 to 12 weeks for new or returning runners aged 18 and up. A certified coach leads it, with a Saturday-morning group run and a recommendation to run or walk at least three times a week. The contact is Coach Jeff at [email protected]. The program costs $50, and a current Northside membership is required separately. Sessions start about every four months around a goal race. The session dates listed online don't include a year, and none of them is clearly tied to the November 7 race. Anyone hoping to go from the paved 2-mile route this year to the four trail miles of the 10K next fall should ask about the timing of the next cohort.
If you're running, cheering, or just planning to drive around Imperial Promenade that morning, Keith Rodgers is glad to talk about this race or anything else happening around Lake Holcomb this fall. Let's Connect.
