(August 10, 2021 – Southampton, NY) – The Hope for Depression Research Foundation’s Sixth Annual 5K Race of Hope gathered 220 men, women, and children on Sunday morning in Southampton Village in support of mental health awareness and research. Iconic journalist Katie Couric cheered the crowd as Celebrity Grand Marshal during the festive event that raised $325,000 for research into new and better treatments for depression and anxiety.
“Mental health is such a critically important issue, and it’s heartening to see it come out of the woodwork in a way that is unprecedented,” said Couric, speaking from the steps of the Southampton Cultural Center right before the 8:30 am starting gun.
She added: “HDRF gathers all the top-rated brain scientists in the country and the world to figure out how to tackle these psychological issues, because they are like physical issues and they should be treated as such. A better understanding of how our brains work and how our brain chemistry works — it’s so important.”
HDRF Founding Chair Audrey Gruss and Board member Arthur Dunnam, both Hamptons residents, also stood with Couric as Co-Grand Marshals of the 5K walk/run, which is a USA Track and Field-sanctioned event.
“I founded HDRF to lead research in the causes of depression and in their treatment,” said Gruss to the crowd. “Due to you and your support out here every year for five years, HDRF is now the leading depression research organization in the country. We have several new treatments in clinical trials and we won’t quit until there’s a cure.”
At the starting gun, participants set off in staggered waves to complete the 3.1-mile course around Lake Agawam and the tree-lined streets of Southampton, NY. Many sported hats, shirts and vests in HDRF’s signature yellow, creating a sea of sunshine against the backdrop of cloudy skies.
The staggered heats were a safety measure to avoid crowding and ensure a safe return to in person racing. While fundraising broke records, the number of participants was down compared to normal years with turn-outs of over 700. This is likely due to the slow reopening of public life and multiple demands on our time in the post-Covid era.
Along with the in-person event, HDRF Race organizers also provided a virtual “opening ceremony” for another 300 participants who signed up to complete the distance in their own hometowns. A live broadcast streamed on the HDRF website, featuring messages of hope from runners across the country and a countdown to the 8:30 AM starting gun.
At the close of the Race, Audrey Gruss handed out Awards for several categories. First Prize for best male time went to Sergey Avramenko, and First Prize for the best female time went to Una Broderick. The Award for Top Fundraising Team went to Jessica Wagner and Team Wagner, which raised $2,000. The Award for Top Individual Fundraiser went to Arthur Dunnam, who raised $36,468 from friends and family for his race. The award for largest team went to Natasha Jefferies and her team, Dakari’s Heartbeat, with 13 members.
All race participants received an ultra-lightweight vest, hat, race shirt, mask, and finisher medal. The first, second, and third place winners received cash prizes of up to $500. Successful fundraisers also received special prizes for raising upwards of $250 and $1,000.
Race participants included: Lisa M. Aery, Carolina Benabib, Bill Bone, Janna Bullock, Jamee and Peter Gregory, Kim Heirston, Tania Higgins, Karen and Richard LeFrak, Matt Oleszczuk, Jenny and John Paulson, James and Teresa Remez and their daughters Sofia and Lila, Mirella Cameran-Reilly, Kevin Richards, Scott Snyder, Susan and Rob Taylor, Victoria Wyman, Clelia & Tom Zacharias and Richard Ziegelasch.
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:
Down to Earth, Impala Asset Management, Jacob Antilety Landscaping, Livingston Builders, Liquid I.V., Sant Ambroeus, Scott’s Protein Balls, Stony Brook Southampton Hospital, Wirebox, Wölffer Estate Vineyard
The Race of Hope starts the lead-in to HDRF’s 15th Anniversary HOPE Luncheon Seminar which will be held on November 10th at the Plaza Hotel in New York City. The event will focus on “The Importance of the Gut Microbiome to Your Mental Health,” and will salute the research progress of HDRF’s acclaimed team of world-renowned brain researchers.
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.
