Hot Chocolate Run draws record number of participants
Early in the morning on Sunday, December 7, 2025, a record-breaking 6,246 participants waited eagerly at the starting line to kick off Northampton’s 22nd annual Hot Chocolate Run.
The run is an annual fundraiser for Safe Passage, a beloved non-profit organization founded in 1977 by a women’s collective that is “dedicated to creating a world free of domestic violence and relationship abuse.” The organization provides direct support to survivors and their families, engages with the local community, and also “advocates for systemic change.”
The number of participants wasn’t the only record broken that day, $894,630 was raised, breaking last year’s record of $834,621. From kids to the elderly, the over 6,000 participants were split across three events: The Walk, Fun Run, and Road Race.
The Hot Chocolate Run has been a long-standing tradition for 22 years. Starting in 2004 with 400 participants raising around 6,000 dollars, it has grown into an event to bring the Hampshire County community together for a good cause.
A number of ARHS students and staff participated in the event, including special education teacher Alyssa Black, Dean of Students Mary Custard, art teacher and cross-country coach Elena Betke-Brunswick, and senior Emma Learned-Miller.
Black did the 3K Walk, as did Custard, who participated with a fundraising team that included special education and English teacher Marita Banda. Betke-Brunswick participated in the 5K Road Race. Learned-Miller did the Fun Run, also a 5K.
“It is a good positive experience for the people of the Pioneer Valley to connect and stand up for the rights of our fellow people,” said Black, a survivor of domestic violence herself. “I am out of the situation where I need help with domestic violence, [but] it helps me heal to do something to help people who are still struggling. It’s good for all of us to feel that we are no longer alone.”
According to safepass.org, the organization provides a 24-hour confidential hotline, chat, and text service, as well as helping people get access to housing resources, shelters, support groups, and legal advice. “We believe that empowerment is crucial to ending domestic violence. Through the empowerment of individuals, we can change society,” the website reads.
Betke-Brunswick noted the positive vibe of the event. “The Hot Chocolate Run is a festive community event where so many different people brave the cold winter darkness to celebrate with each other and raise money to support a very important cause and need in our community,” she said.
Though the Hot Chocolate Run takes place during one of the coldest months of the year, it doesn’t affect people’s drive to support the run’s cause. Everything about the run is fun, invoking holiday spirit all around. Many participants wear costumes, face paint, or other holiday attire, making for a colorful crowd.
Adding to the crowd spirit was Custard’s walking group, the “Walking Divas.” Coming together in 2011, her group participates in multiple other charity runs, such as the ABC Fall Foliage Walk and Run and The Jimmy Fund Walk, raising money for cancer research and awareness. The Walking Divas consists of like-minded women all with the goal of “supporting one another, building friendships and community, and exercising together,” said Custard.
Of course, as a nod to its name, participants of the Hot Chocolate Run are greeted with a warm cup of homemade hot cocoa in a commemorative mug designed by Hillary Price, a Massachusetts resident, each year. This year’s design featured a white mug, pink designs, and the Hot Chocolate Run’s classic polar bear.
Each mug was filled to the brim with hot chocolate. Overall, the run was, as always, a powerful community event, a way for people to join together for a great cause. “There are some things where it’s just okay [or] not everyone wants to run,” said Learned-Miller, “but this [event] is just very inclusive and shows that [without] a huge amount of effort, you can still show how much you care.”
