Eighth Annual Southampton Race of Hope Spotlights Youth Mental Health,
August 15, 2023

HDRF’s Eighth Annual 5K Race of Hope brought together more than 600 men, women, and children on Sunday, August 6^th in Southampton Village in support of mental health awareness and research.  The event raised over $323,000 for research into new and improved treatments for depression and anxiety.

This year also spotlighted two Teen Grand Marshals for the first time: Grier Henchy and Hayden Lucas, a high school senior and leader of the newly-formed HDRF Teen Task Force.  Earlier this year, Lucas worked with HDRF to launch the Inaugural Teen Race of Hope in May in New York City.

The Race of Hope takes place against a backdrop of alarming mental health statistics.  Last fall, the Surgeon General declared an emergency in youth mental health. More than one in three high school students reports feeling persistent sadness and hopelessness since 2020, a 40% increase since 2009.  Suicide has become the second leading cause of death for teens ages 15-19.

At the starting gun, participants set off to complete the 3.1-mile course around Lake Agawam and the tree-lined streets of Southampton, NY.  Hope was in rich supply with everyone donning t-shirts and caps in HDRF’s signature sunshine yellow.  The Race of Hope is a USA Track and Field-sanctioned event.

At the close of the race, Audrey Gruss handed out awards in several categories including First Prize for best male time went to Jordan Daniel, and First Prize for the best female time went to Curry Fisher.   The award for Top Fundraising Team went to Team Wagner.  The award for Top Individual Fundraiser went to Arthur Dunnam.  The award for the largest team went to Josh Gruss and his team, Team Fleming, with 20 members.

You can view all of the finisher times by clicking here.

Thank you again to ALL our event donors, participants, and volunteers. Your commitment to HDRF’s critical research mission is making a world of difference.

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