The Race of Hope Returns to Southampton This Summer 

A Summer Tradition since 2016, the Race of Hope Returns as an In-Person Event After Going Virtual During the Pandemic

(Southampton, NY – June 24, 2021) – The Race of Hope is back! On Sunday, August 8, 2021, Hope for Depression Research Foundation (HDRF) will hold its Sixth Annual 5K Race of Hope to Defeat Depression in Southampton Village.  Last year the Race — a Walk/Run that attracts hundreds of participants from the tri-state area — went virtual due to COVID restrictions.  This year’s in person event marks a careful return to “more-normal,” with specific measures such as staggered heats and required masks at the starting line to keep everybody safe.

“We are so excited to be able to gather again in person for this event that raises mental health awareness and critical funds for depression research,” said HDRF Founder and Chair Audrey Gruss, a Southampton resident.  “Humans are wired to need warm social interaction.  The isolation of the pandemic has taken a large toll on the nation’s mental health.”

Gruss noted surveys showing that over one third of Americans are struggling with depression and anxiety in the wake of the pandemic.  She said: “As a society we are just beginning to identify the impact of the past 16 months.  Understanding and developing treatments for these mental disorders is therefore critically important, and that is what this Race makes possible.”

Gruss is a Co-Grand Marshal of the Race along with East Hampton resident Arthur Dunnam.  They will lead participants on a beautiful 5K (3.1 mile) loop around Lake Agawam in Southampton Village.  The Race is open to all ages and speeds and walkers are welcome.  The event has grown quickly over the years, with 750 participants in 2019.  This year, organizers expect hundreds of participants, up to a maximum allowance of 500, per New York State guidelines.  The Race of Hope has raised over $1 million for research since its inception in 2016.

It is important to note that the Race this year will still offer a virtual component for the thousands of racers who have embraced the cause and want to participate but live far away.  They will still have the option to sign up and complete the distance in their own hometowns.  These racers will also have a chance to share their stories and cheer each other through a special interactive live program broadcast by HDRF over social media on the morning of the actual Race.  

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In-Person Registration Information:  

• Go online to www.raceofhopeseries.com and register for a fee of $35 through July 12^th (the price increases to $40 after this date)

• Each participant will receive an ultra-lightweight vest, hat, race shirt, mask and finisher medal.  (While supplies last.  Gear is distributed on a first come first served basis)

• Meeting Point: The Cultural Center, 25 Pond Lane, Southampton, NY

• Date: Sunday, August 8^, 2021

• Time: Check-in begins at 7:15am and the Race of Hope begins at 8:30am SHARP.

Virtual Registration Information:

• Go online to www.raceofhopeseries.com and register for a fee of $35 through July 12^th (the price increases to $40 after this date). 
• Participants choose their own trail and receive special Race gear in the mail (while supplies last).  They can walk or run the distance on their own time and in their own hometowns.
• The special live broadcast made especially for their virtual racers will begin on Sunday, August 8, 2021 at 8 AM.   The broadcast will be hosted by HDRF’s Race Director and Executive Director.  They will welcome viewers, show messages of hope from participants across the country, and then blow the starting gun at 8:30 am ET.   Any racers who want to complete their courses at the exact same time as the actual race in Southampton can do so with the live broadcast!

5K Race of Hope Committee:

Lisa M. Aery,  Kelly Ashton & Carlo B Sant Albano, Felice & Shelley Bergman, William Secord & Bruce Bierman, Jill Blanchard, Serena Bowman, Janna Bullock, Lili Cavendish, Julie & Mike Connors, Ide & David Dangoor, Beth Rudin DeWoody, Roy Cohen & Arthur Dunnam, Lisa & Sandy Ehrenkranz, Marjorie & Alexander P. Federbush, Bambi & Roger Felberbaum, Ambassador David and Jennifer Fischer, Frances Fisher, Bill Ford, Mr. & Mrs. Gerald Ford, Mary Ann Fribourg, Clo D. Giffen, Judith S. Giuliani, Barbara & Alan Glatt, Mrs. Darcy Gould, Jamee & Peter Gregory, Mrs. John (Susan) Gutfreund, Mayme & Montague Hackett Jr., Candy  Hamm, Mai Hallingby Harrison, Kim Heirston, Yaz & Valentin Hernández,Tania & Brian Higgins, Elizabeth & Edgar Howard, Mario Nievera & Travis Howe, Nicki Harris & J. Ira, Benigna Kirsten, Kontes Family, Judy & Leonard Lauder, Mr. & Mrs. Richard Mack, Ann & Cameron MacRae, Isabella & J. Paul Meyer, Susan & Joe Meyer, Muffy & Donald Miller, Mary P. Moran, Lucia N. Musso, Margo & James Nederlander, Anne S. Nordeman, Jane & Richard Novick, Francesca Stanfill Nye, Pamela Pantzer, Jenny & John Paulson, Robin Pickett, Kathy Prounis, Michael Donnell & Thomas C.  Quick, Joanna Roland, Hilary Geary Ross, Frances G. Scaife, Barbara & Randall Smith, Scott Snyder, Ginny & David Sydorick, Debbie & Jack Thomas, Susan Warner, Lynne Wheat, Victoria Wyman, Clelia & Tom Zacharias, Richard Ziegelasch and Silvia Zoullas

5K Race of Hope Sponsors: 

Impala Asset Management, Jacob Antilety Landscaping, Livingston Builders, Sant Ambroeus, Scott’s Protein Balls, Stony Brook Southampton Hospital, Wirebox, Wölffer Estate Vineyard

What is HDRF, and a quick overview of their work/achievements in the past decade:

• HDRF is the leading non-profit dedicated solely to advanced depression research.

• Audrey Gruss founded the organization in 2006 in memory of her mother, Hope, who struggled with  depression.

• The mission of HDRF is to fund cutting-edge neuroscience research into the origins, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of depression and other related mood disorders.

• In 2010, HDRF launched its Depression Task Force – a collaboration of nine leading scientists, at the frontiers of brain science, from different research institutions across the U.S. and Canada. To accelerate breakthrough research, they share ongoing results, in real-time, at the HDRF Data Center.

• HDRF has invested over $35 million in advanced depression research to date.

About Depression:

• In the United States, depression affects over 20-million adults each year – that is one in 10 adults.

• Depression is the leading cause of suicide. In the United States, one person dies by suicide every 11 minutes – over 47,000 people per year.

• Depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide.

• Depression costs society $210 billion annually – 60% of which represents reduced efficiency at work and costs related to suicide.

The Crisis in Research and Treatment 

• 50% of those diagnosed with depression do not fully respond to existing treatments. 

• In 35 years since the introduction of Prozac and other SSRI anti-depressants, there has been almost no change in the treatment of depression.

• Although depression is one of the most serious and prevalent conditions in the US, it is ranked 77th (out of 250) in the amount of federal funding it receives.

• Most of the major pharmaceutical companies have discontinued brain research.

What Makes HDRF Different

• The Depression Task Force represents the most innovative approach to neuroscience research today.

• The Task Force has created an unprecedented research plan with each member executing a piece of the plan in their own laboratories.  By avoiding well-worn paths of research, the team is shaking up the field for answers that will finally lead to new treatments for depression.  

• They share results in real-time at a centralized data bank. This allows them to leverage data to accelerate research. This is unheard of in the entire scientific research field which is normally competitive and not collaborative.  

For additional information, please contact Sarah Gartner at R. Couri Hay Creative PR
T: 1-212-580-0835 E: [email protected]