Race of Hope

Hope for Depression Research Foundation (HDRF) will hold its Eighth Annual Race of Hope to Defeat Depression in Southampton Village. The Race is a highly-anticipated tradition that continues to grow each year and attracts over 500 participants from the tri-state area to raise mental health awareness and fund critical research.

This year, Race Co-Grand Marshals are Hamptons residents Audrey Gruss, HDRF Founder and Chair, and Arthur Dunnam, HDRF Advisory Board member. The Southampton Race will also have two Teen Grand Marshals for the first time: Grier Hammond Henchy, the 17-year-old daughter of Brooke Shields; and Hayden Lucas, the leader of the newly formed HDRF Teen Task Force. Henchy and Lucas also led the Inaugural Teen Race of Hope in NYC in May.

Gruss, Dunnam, Henchy and Lucas will lead the 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 stroll with their friends, strollers and/or dogs. All who participate are united in a common purpose – to support research into new treatments for depression and to fight the stigma still associated with seeking help.

Since the start of the pandemic, rates of depression in the U.S. have tripled, according to the CDC. More than one third of adults are affected, but the crisis is worst in our youth. Over 40% of teenagers state they struggle with persistent sadness or hopelessness, and suicide is the second leading cause of death for teens ages 15 to 19.
HDRF has been a leader in depression research since 2006, convening top neuroscientists from different universities to work together as a team. They collaborate and pool data to better understand the root causes of depression in the brain and to accelerate the next generation of treatments. Currently, a clinical trial for a new category of medication is underway at Mount Sinai, Columbia and Stanford.

The Race of Hope is supported by local residents including Janna Bullock, Arthur Dunnam and Roy Cohen, Alan Glatt, Jamee and Peter Gregory, Mai Hallingby Harrison, Kim Heirston, Tania Higgins, Natasha Jeffries, Leonard and Judy Lauder, Sharon and John Loeb, Jr., Anne and Jacques Nordeman, Kathy Prounis, Hilary Geary Ross, Nancy Silverman, and Lis Waterman.

5K Race of Hope Sponsors
Blue Water Biotech, The Colony Hotel, Findlay Galleries, Frances Valentine, Gubbins Running, Hildreth’s Home Goods, Jacob Antilety Landscaping, Jamee & Peter Gregory, Livingston Builders, Montauk Iced Tea, Scott’s Protein Balls, Southampton Arts Center, Stony Brook Southampton Hospital, Tutto Il Giorno, Veronica Beard, and Wollfer Estate Vineyard.

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

All Race participants receive a commemorative ultra-lightweight jacket, t-shirt, race hat, and 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.

Check-in begins at 6:30AM, with the welcome ceremony beginning at 8:00AM and the Race of Hope begins at 8:30 AM.
Strollers and Dogs welcome