Final answer:
The equation for the situation is 4 \times 328 = x, where x represents the total number of water bottles needed for the race. Multiplying 4 by 328 gives us 1312, so 1312 water bottles are required in total.
Step-by-step explanation:
The equation that represents the situation is 4 \times 328 = x, where x represents the total number of water bottles needed for all runners. In this equation, the variable 4 represents the number of water bottles per runner, 328 is the number of runners, and x is the total number of water bottles required.
To calculate the value of x, you multiply 4 by 328, which is the number of runners. So, x equals 1312. Therefore, the organizer would need 1312 water bottles to provide each runner with 4 water bottles.