Hope for Depression Research Foundation 10th Race of Hope in Southampton

The Hope for Depression Research Foundation (HDRF) will celebrate their milestone tenth anniversary for the Annual Race of Hope to Defeat Depression on Sunday, August 3, 2025, in Southampton Village.  The Race is one of the most highly anticipated traditions in the Hamptons social calendar that continues to grow each year.

HDRF Founding Chair Audrey Gruss has served as the Co-Grand Marshal for the last decade and has welcomed Celebrity Grand Marshals including Katie Couric, Candace Bushnell, SoulCycle Founder Stacey Griffith, Brooke Shield’s daughter, Grier Henchy, and Christie Brinkley’s children Sailor Brinkley Cook and Jack Brinkley Cook, to name a few.

In the week run-up to the Race, HDRF will launch its Annual Week of Hope on Thursday, July 24 for avillage-wide campaign in Southampton to raise mental health awareness. Local retailers will display large, yellow HOPE flags in front of their stores to support HDRF and show their commitment to the issue of mental health.

On the morning of the Race of Hope, Gruss will lead participants on a beautiful 5K (3.1 mile) route around Lake Agawam in Southampton Village. Participants can opt to run this USA Track and Field-sanctioned event competitively, or casually walk with their friends, strollers and/or dogs.  All who attend are united in a common purpose – to support research into new treatments for depression and to fight the stigma associated with seeking help and support. To create a bright sea of yellow, participants receivecaps and race gear in HDRF’s signature yellow.

Participants include professional and first-time runners, corporate teams, families, and children.  Strollers and dogs are welcome. 

The first 950 Race participants receive a commemorative jacket, t-shirt, and race hat; and all racers will receive a huge finisher medal; and prizes are awarded for best time in different age categories as well as for the top individual fundraiser and top fundraising team.