The Race of Hope Marks Its Milestone Tenth Year in Southampton Village to Raise Awareness and Critical Funds for Mental Health.

The Hope for Depression Research Foundation (HDRF) will celebrate its tenth anniversary for the Annual Race of Hope to Defeat Depression on Sunday, August 3, 2025, in Southampton Village. The Race has become one of the more notable traditions in the Hamptons social calendar, with increasing participation each year. Last year, HDRF exceeded previous participation levels, welcoming over 1000 participants and raising more than $500,000 to support essential mental health research.

HDRF Founding Chair Audrey Gruss has served as the Co-Grand Marshal for the last decade, welcoming several Celebrity Grand Marshals, including Katie Couric, Candace Bushnell, SoulCycle Founder Stacey Griffith, Brooke Shields’ daughter Grier Henchy, and Christie Brinkley’s children Sailor Brinkley Cook and Jack Brinkley Cook, among others.

In the lead-up to the Race, HDRF will kick off its Annual Week of Hope on Thursday, July 24, as part of a village-wide campaign in Southampton to raise awareness for mental health. Local businesses will display large, yellow HOPE flags in front of their stores as a symbol of their support for HDRF and the cause of mental health awareness.

Audrey Gruss said, “The Race of Hope offers the Southampton community an opportunity to unite for mental health and contribute to life-changing research through HDRF’s Depression Task Force. Each year, the support we receive from the community strengthens our mission to improve the mental health landscape for Americans.”

The Race of Hope began in Southampton but has expanded to Palm Beach and New York City. Gruss’s vision with the growing Race series is to deepen the understanding and treatment of depression. HDRF has been at the forefront of depression research since its founding in 2006, bringing together top neuroscientists from various universities to collaborate. These researchers work together, pooling their data to advance knowledge of the underlying causes of depression in the brain and accelerate the development of new treatments. Currently, a clinical trial for a promising new category of medication is underway at Mount Sinai and Stanford, with other trials also in progress.

Gruss added, “Thanks to the support of our Races, we have been able to fund the Depression Task Force, which recently made a significant finding: through collaborative research efforts, they identified 20 genes—out of 20,000 in the human body—that may be linked to stress-related disorders like depression. Treatments aimed at these genes and their associated proteins are now entering pilot clinical trials. This could represent a significant step forward for mental health research, with HDRF playing a central role.”

Depression affects roughly one-third of Americans each year, impacting individuals regardless of age, gender, race, religion, or socio-economic background. For two decades, HDRF has organized educational events and worked to increase public understanding of depression as a medical condition, while also supporting essential research to develop better treatments and prevention strategies for future generations. Alongside the Race of Hope, HDRF hosts annual events such as the HOPE Luncheon each November in NYC to continue changing public perceptions of mental illness.

On the morning of the Race of Hope, Gruss will lead participants on a scenic 5K (3.1 mile) route around Lake Agawam in Southampton Village. Participants may choose to run this USA Track and Field-sanctioned event competitively or casually walk with friends, strollers, or dogs. All attendees share a common goal—supporting research into new treatments for depression and helping to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health care. To foster a sense of unity, participants will receive caps and race gear in HDRF’s signature yellow.

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

5K Race of Hope Committee

Platinum Level: Shelley Bergman, Perri & Bob Bishop, Annabelle & Denis Coleman, Christina & Brian Flaherty, Jamee & Peter Gregory, Judy Glickman Lauder, Bryan Ludwig, Stacey Pashcow & Marc Caputo, Alina de Almeida & John Paulson, Thomas C. Quick Charitable Foundation, Teresa & James Remez, and Sarah & Andrew Wetenhall.

Gold Level: Acquavella Family Foundation, Ide & David Dangoor, Phillipe del Grange, Annie & Michael Falk, Bambi & Roger Felberbaum, The Honorable David & Jennifer Fischer, Molly & Bill Ford, Mary Ann Fribourg, Jennifer Gowdy, Josh Gruss, Candy Hamm, Kim Heirston, Cristina & David Kepne, William Kontes, Simone & David Levinson, Sharon H. Loeb, Robert F. Mancuso, Mary & Garrett Moran, Karen Murray, Margo & Jimmy Nederlander, Pamela & Edward Pantzer, Hollis Bradley Pica, Tatiana and Campion Platt, Katharine Rayner, Barbara & Randall Smith, Barbara & Clifford Sobel, Scott Snyder, Amanda Taylor, Mary Ann Tighe & Dr. David Hidalgo, Dobi Trendafilova, Lis Waterman, and Lynne Wheat.

Silver Level: Suzanne & Mark Antilety, Robin Baker Leacock, Jill Blanchard, David C. Bohnett, Geoffrey N. Bradfield, Rita & Charles Bronfman, Dominique Buaron, Janna Bullock, Diego Binetti, Gus N. Davis, Dayssi Olarte de Kanavos, K Dietze, Michelle Farmer, Frances & Jeff Fisher, Barbara & Alan Glatt, Darcy Gould, Susan Gutfreund, Mai Hallingby Harrison, Alexia Hamm Ryan, Yaz & Valentin Hernandez, Tania Higgins, Elizabeth & Edgar Howard, Natasha Jeffries, Eleanora Kennedy, Bonnie Lautenberg, Geralyn & Dr. Tyler Lucas, Carol & Earle Mack, Teresa Melhado, Lucia N Musso, Carol Nobbs, Anne S. Nordeman, Jane & Richard Novick, Robin Pickett, Kathy Prounis, Frances G. Scaife, Carolyn Schenker, Jean Shafiroff, Mary Snow, Anne Sitrick, Ginny & David Sydorick, Lance Toland, Lydia Touzet, Nicholas Varney, Clelia & Tom Zacharias, and Silvia Zoullas.

5K Race of Hope Sponsors

Michelle Farmer, LoveBinetti, Sage and Madison, Pure Skin Palm Beach, Southampton Hospital Foundation, NuView Health, Marders, Fivestory, Livingston Builders, DiLandro Andrews Engineering, Robert & Perri Bishop Foundation, Le Bilboquet Sag Harbor, and The Hedges Inn.

Participants include professional and first-time runners, corporate teams, families, and children. Strollers and dogs are welcome. To participate, please visit https://www.southampton.raceofhopeseries.com/

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

Registration Information:

• Date: Sunday, August 3, 2025
• Meeting Point: Southampton Cultural Center, 25 Pond Lane, Southampton, NY
• Time: Check-in begins at 6:30 AM, with the opening ceremony at 8:00 AM, and the Race of Hope starting at 8:30 AM.
• Cost: $45 until July 11, 2025; $50 until August 2, 2025; $55 on race day
• Strollers and dogs are welcome.

About Hope For Depression Research Foundation

HDRF was founded in 2006 by philanthropist Audrey Gruss in memory of her mother Hope, who struggled with clinical depression. The mission of HDRF is to foster innovative research into the origins, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of depression and related mood disorders such as bipolar disorder, postpartum depression, PTSD, anxiety disorders, and suicide. The World Health Organization has identified depression as a leading cause of disability worldwide, and current medications still do not fully address the needs of many patients. HDRF is dedicated to improving the mental health landscape for every American. The Foundation has provided over $85 million through more than 200 grants for breakthrough depression research, aiming to reshape how depression is understood, diagnosed, treated, and prevented. Currently, HDRF is supporting clinical trials for new medications at Mount Sinai Medical Center and Stanford University. The Foundation is also funding trials for other novel therapeutics and diagnostic tests at Johns Hopkins, the University of San Diego, and the Center for Healthy Minds at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Additional clinical trials are underway as a result of the groundbreaking research conducted by HDRF’s Depression Task Force, a collaboration of leading brain scientists from around the world.