By: Jessie Lohan

The Race of Hope Marks its Ninth Year in Southampton Village to Raise Awareness and Critical Funds for Mental Health
Stacey Griffith, Founding Senior Master Instructor, SoulCycle
Photo Credit: Sharon Suh 

Sunday, August 4, 2024

The Hope for Depression Research Foundation (HDRF) is pleased to announce that Founding Senior Master Instructor at SoulCycle, acclaimed author and mental health advocate Stacey Griffith, will be the celebrity Grand Marshal of its Ninth Annual Race of Hope to Defeat Depression on Sunday, August 4, 2024, in Southampton Village. The Race is a highly-anticipated tradition that continues to grow each year, attracting over 500 participants from the tri-state area to raise mental health awareness and fund critical research.

HDRF Founding Chair Audrey Gruss and HDRF Advisory Board member Arthur Dunnam, both Hamptons residents, will join Griffith as Co-Grand Marshals of the 2024 Race. 

In the week run-up to the Race, HDRF will launch its Sixth Annual Week of Hope on Thursday, July 25, a village-wide campaign in Southampton, NY  to raise mental health awareness. Local retailers will display a large, yellow HOPE flag in front of their shops to show their commitment to advancing the conversation around  mental health. 

Audrey Gruss said: “We are excited to be back in Southampton for our ninth year to continue to spread mental health awareness and our message of Hope.” 

Gruss added: “Now is a time for all of us to join forces to address the staggering statistic that more than one-third of adults are affected by depression and anxiety in this country. That’s why HDRF’s mission to  discover new and better treatments for depression is so urgent and profound.”

Griffith, Gruss and Dunnam will lead the Race 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 attend are united in a common purpose – to support research into new treatments for depression and to fight the stigma still associated with seeking help.

HDRF has partnered with Revo, an American heritage sunglass brand renowned for its polarized lenses, for the Race. The first 100 participants who arrive at Early Race Packet Pick Up will receive a coupon for a pair of Revo sunglasses. Additionally, the first female and male winners will each receive a pair of Revo sunglasses. Revo will also celebrate the Week of Hope at their Soho location in NYC, with a percentage of sales from July 29th to August 4th benefiting HDRF’s mission.

Mental health advocate Stacey Griffith is the Founding Senior Master Instructor at SoulCycle; the acclaimed author of Two Turns from Zero and ENERGIZE!; Go From Dragging Ass to Kicking it in 30 Days! She is a highly sought-after motivational speaker, having earned the position of lead SoulCycle instructor and motivator on Oprah Winfrey’s 2014 Life You Want tour motivating 17,000 people in 84 U.S. cities. She has also served as the celebrity DJ at the Teen Race of HOPE in New York City.  

Stacey Griffith said: “As a professional fitness instructor, I’ve witnessed the transformative power of physical activity. As we race to support mental health research and resources, let’s remember that every step we take is a stride toward improved mental well-being. Exercise is a potent weapon against depression and anxiety, and together, we are running towards a brighter, healthier future for everyone.”

HDRF has been a leader in depression research since 2006, convening 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, and Lis Waterman.

5K Race of Hope Committee

Platinum Level: John Paulson & Alina de Almeida, Thomas C. Quick & Michael Donnell, Brian & Christina Flaherty, Jamee & Peter Gregory, Judy & Leonard Lauder, Teresa & James Remez and Cliff Robinson. 

Gold Level: Acquavella Family Foundation, Paola Bacchini & Arnold Rosenshein, Geoffrey N. Bradfield, Melissa Breitbart, Ide & David Dangoor, Arthur Dunnam & Roy Cohen, Wendy & Howard Cox, Philippe Delgrange, Bambi & Roger Felberbaum, The Honorable David Fischer & Jennifer Fischer, Molly & Bill Ford, Cindy & Chris Galvin, Josh Gruss, Candy Hamm, Kim Heirston, Yaz & Valentin Hernandez, Sharon & John Loeb, Jr., Robert F. Mancuso, Mary P. Moran, Pamela & Edward Pantzer, Stacey Pashcow, Kathy Prounis, Katharine Rayner, Lisette & Hank Siegel, Barbara & Randall Smith, Scott Snyder, Barbara & Clifford Sobel, Amanda Taylor, Lis Waterman, Sarah J. Wetenhall, Lynne Wheat, Victoria Wyman and Maria S. Zoullas.

Silver Level: Catherine Adler, Suzanne & Mark Antilety, Barbara Bancroft, David C. Bohnett, Rita & Charles Bronfman, Dominique Buaron, Janna Bullock, Chris Coffee, Gus N. Davis, Gabby & Gianpaolo de Felice, K Dietze, Lisa & Sandy Ehrenkranz, Deborah A. Farrington, Frances & Jeff Fisher, Barbara & Alan Glatt, Mrs. Darcy Gould, Susan Gutfreund, Alexia Hamm Ryan, Mai Hallingby Harrison, Tania Higgins, Elizabeth & Edgar Howard, Natasha Jeffries, Eleanora Kennedy, Karen Klopp, Bonnie Lautenberg, Robin Baker Leacock, Mrs. Richard LeFrak, Dorothy Lichtenstein, Geralyn & Tyler Lucas, The Honorable Earle I. Mack & Carol Mack, Teresa Melhado, Lauren Layne Merck, Sharon Bush & Bob Murray, Lucia Nielsen Musso, Anne S. Nordeman, Jane & Richard Novick, Robin Pickett, Frances G. Scaife, Jean Shafiroff, Mary Snow, Ginny & David Sydorick, Lance Toland, Lydia Touzet, Dobi Trendafilova, Nicholas Varney, Clelia & Tom Zacharias and Silvia Zoullas. 

5K Race of Hope Sponsors 

Balmain, DiLandro Andrews Engineering, Fivestory, Gubbins Running, Hamilton Jewelers, KIP, Le Bilboquet, Livingston Builders, LOVE Binetti, Marders, Revo, Sage & Madison, SiO, Southampton Hospital Foundation and Veronica Beard. 

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 600 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 individual fundraiser and fundraising team.

Registration Information:

•     Date: Sunday August 4, 2024
•     Meeting Point: Southampton Cultural Center, 25 Pond Lane, Southampton, NY
•     Time: Check-in begins at 6:30AM, with the opening ceremony beginning at 8:00AM and the Race of Hope begins at 8:30 AM. 
•     Cost: $45 until July 12th, 2024; $50 until August 3rd, 2024; $55 on race day 
•     Strollers and Dogs welcome

For additional information, please contact Sarah Gartner at R. Couri Hay Creative PR

T: 1-212-580-0835 E: Sarah@rcourihaycpr.com

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 the HDRF is to spur the most innovative brain research into the origins, medical diagnosis, new treatments, and prevention of depression and its related mood disorders – bipolar disorder, postpartum depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety disorder, and suicide. The World Health Organization has declared depression as the leading cause of disability worldwide, and yet conventional medications today are outdated and fail to fully work for many patients. HDRF is working tirelessly to improve the mental health landscape for every American. The Foundation has provided substantial funding through over 200 grants for breakthrough depression research that aims to transform the way depression is viewed, diagnosed, treated, and prevented. Currently, HDRF has a potential new class of medication in pilot clinical trials at Mount Sinai Medical Center, and Stanford University. HDRF is also funding clinical trials into other novel therapeutics and diagnostic tests at Johns Hopkins, University of San Diego, and the Center for Healthy Minds at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.  

Published by: Khy Talara