Katie Couric Leads 220 Runners at Sixth Annual 5K Race of Hope to Defeat Depression 
in Southampton, NY

Another 300 Runners Participate Virtually
Event Raises a Record $325,000 for Research

 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.

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.

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Photos by Patrick Mcmullan Company