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Giving women suffering from postpartum depression the courage to speak up.
That’s always been the objective of the Sounds of Silence 5K, which is an annual race at Jones Beach to raise money for the Postpartum Resource Center of New York.
April 29 will mark its ninth run, even after dealing with the loss of one of its co-founders.
The disorder can be destructive and has impacted countless lives, near and far. According to medical research, those dealing with symptoms are often silent due to a reluctance to reveal to others they are unhappy after the birth of their baby. This only serves to compound their suffering.
“Over 50,000 New York State families experiencing this devastating illness each year,” according to the Postpartum Resource Center of New York.
The idea for the race began in 2007, when two women from West Islip wanted to help spread awareness. Those women, sisters Erin Mascaro and Lisa Mary Reilly, experienced the devastation of postpartum depression first-hand.
About 11 years ago, during her pregnancy and after the birth of her daughter, Reilly was heavily affected from perinatal mood and anxiety disorder, also known as postpartum depression.
Reilly and Mascaro were introduced to a woman named Sonia Murdock of the Postpartum Resource Center of New York.
“We call [Murdock] our guardian angel,” said Mascaro, who now lives in Brightwaters.
With the help of Murdock, the two sisters worked together to form the Sounds of Silence, which is categorized as a fundraising branch of the Postpartum Resource Center of New York.
“We are very grateful and fortunate for the dedication of the founding group [Mascaro and Reilly],” said Murdock.
In 2007, Sounds of Silence held its inaugural race at Jones Beach and the group has done so every year since, with the exception of 2013 when the park was still closed due to Hurricane Sandy.
The race has grown from 200 to 600 runners since 2007, though in 2014 Reilly passed away.
“We carry on my sister’s legacy to empower women to seek help,” Mascaro said, “and tell all of them, to ‘Take Care of You,'” which is a motto to encourage self care.
IF YOU GO
This year, Sounds of Silence has added more components to make the run more child friendly. The organizers have added a child-only Fun Run. Also, there will be activities for children like face painting and plenty of games.
Same-day registration for the race will begin that Saturday at 8 a.m. at Field 5. It’s $30 for adults to run, $20 for those 18 and under, and $10 for children participating in the Fun Run. The main event begins at 9:30 a.m., while the Fun Run will start at 10:30 a.m. There will also be raffles, a 50-50, with people selling merchandise to raise even more money for the Postpartum Resource Center of New York.
CLICK HERE to pre-register online by April 21 for a discount.
