Hope on the run: 22nd Hot Chocolate Run draws 6,000 racers, raises record $891K for Safe Passage

NORTHAMPTON — Zoë Seymour from Sunderland has run the annual Hot Chocolate Run for Safe Passage 13 years in a row — and she’s only 11 years old.

Her mother Shelley Seymour has run the 5K fundraiser 17 times, including the year she was pregnant with Zoë. When her daughter was under a year old, Shelley dressed in her holiday costume, strapped Zoë to her back and took off at the starting line.

“I remember being warm, then tortuously cold,” Zoë said.

For families like the Seymours, the event that serves as a fundraiser for Safe Passage has become a Pioneer Valley tradition. What started in the early 2000s with 400 participants raising $6,000 has grown into more than 6,000 racers — and on Sunday those participants raised a record $891,205 at the 22nd Hot Chocolate Run.

As big as ever, the run has become synonymous with community spirit.

“It’s a tradition for the whole community,” said Amy Harris, who was dressed in the same reindeer onesies as the Seymours. “Pretty much everyone in our community walks, runs, donates or gets involved somehow. Even the drive here, you see it. Everybody’s coming here. It’s just a really awesome community event.”

Safe Passage connects survivors of domestic and relationship violence with counseling, legal advice and support groups. At the core of its mission, the Northampton-based nonprofit aims to inspire hope in survivors, Executive Director Marianne Winters said. The Hot Chocolate Run is the community’s chance to embolden Safe Passage.

“You give us hope because of the amazing contributions you give, but also because we are building a community,” Winters told the crowd gathered after the event. “We now have a generation of young people who are raising money and see themselves as part of that.

David Bostick, 10, from Belchertown, came to his first run dressed as the Grinch, but he exuded spirit on the cold Sunday morning. Kristyl Kelley saw her team of students from White Oak School in Westfield grow from nine to 21 this year. She said many of them felt encouraged to support their community.

“I don’t need to tell you all that these are some hard times, when it feels like our arc isn’t necessarily bending towards justice and safety and equity and kindness and love,” Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra said. “But we will bend it back.”

Sciarra added that the support for Safe Passage is more important now that the federal government continues to withdraw funding for nonprofits. Sen. Jo Comerford echoed those comments and called on Massachusetts to “lean in” when the federal government withdraws.

“This is about neighbors, helping neighbors taking care of each other,” Rep. Lindsay Sabadosa said.

Allie Howe and Bryanna Nadeau immediately felt this positive, friendly energy of the event at their first Hot Chocolate Run 10 years ago. Howe did not even know what a 5K was before signing up with Nadeau, but quickly fell in love with the event. Since then, the women from Turners Falls and Greenfield have teamed up with their friends Kai Pabon and Alexis Lambert to form the Semi Sweet Savages.

“The more we learned, the more we wanted to fight as much as possible,” Lambert said. “We started doing actual fundraising events to raise money in our community and reach out there and get the message that everyone deserves a safe and loving and healthy home.”

The seven-person team raised more $14,000 this year through bingo tournaments, trivia nights and other community events. This year, they all donned colorful butterfly wings over their red and green ugly sweaters to symbolize the evolution of their team.

“We’re trying to help promote change, like the butterfly does,” Nadeau said.

Even serious runners opted to use the event as a community gathering rather than a serious competition. Richard Hernandez runs 5Ks with the Greater Springfield Harriers regularly, but he chose to join his coworkers from German Gerena Community School in the fun run. And despite running half a marathon three weeks ago, Smith College student Juilana Fernandez was more excited to be a part of the community event than how fast she ran.

“I think it’s just a big cultural thing in Northampton,” Fernandez said. “I feel like everybody who lives here does it. I remember I think it was like my first year (at Smith) I was like eating breakfast, and I saw everyone running through dressed up in their costumes.”

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