The Ridge Road Run: Annual 5K Unites Communities To Raise Awareness For Suicide Prevention

Editor’s Note: This article discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available.

Call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline for free, confidential support, 24 hours a day. Resources can also be found here.

RED BANK, NJ — An annual tradition is set to return to Monmouth County this spring, bringing with it a goal to raise funds and awareness for suicide prevention and student wellness initiatives.

On Sunday, May 3, the Ridge Road Run 5K will take place at Red Bank Regional High School and kick off at 8 a.m.

The annual 5K is a student-led initiative hosted in collaboration between three area high schools (Red Bank Regional High School, Red Bank Catholic High School, and Rumson-Fair Haven High School) that comprise the Ridge Road Alliance.

Started in 2018, the annual Ridge Road Run aims to raise funds for mental health programming in the three schools and to increase awareness about mental health struggles and suicide.

Andrea LeLand, the tri-school coordinator for the alliance, works with students year-round on mental health initiatives and planning ahead of the annual race.

In an interview with Patch, she highlighted the importance of the event to the local community, as well as the students who benefit from it each year.

“It’s a very hyper-local community race,” LeLand said. “We have some people who are runners, so they run it. We have some people who have teams for someone in their family who they lost to suicide, and we have a lot of sponsors that are connected for the same reasons.”

Each year, funds from the Ridge Road Run are split between the three schools (RBR, RBC and RFH) to directly support programs focused on mental health awareness, suicide prevention, and student wellness initiatives.

In 2025, the race welcomed nearly 700 runners and raised $87,000 in support of suicide prevention, education, and mental health awareness initiatives.

From that $87,000, each of the three schools' alliance ambassadors accepted $15,000 checks to directly support mission-aligned programs, presentations, and student-led initiatives throughout the year.

According to LeLand, funds from the race help to bridge the gap for mental health programs and presentations that schools may not be able to fund otherwise.

Extra funds from the event are deposited back into the Ridge Road Run account so they can be used to support the race for the following year.

“We’re able to have events for the kids, bring in speakers and do things that really help them [with the funds],” LeLand said. “And that’s really what we do it for. We really do it for the community and for the students.”

For 2026, the Ridge Road Run will kick off at 8 a.m. at Red Bank Regional High School in Little Silver and run until approximately 12 p.m.

For those interested in participating in this year’s race, you can register online here for $35.

For those who sign up by April 10, a race t-shirt is included with registration (though t-shirt size is not guaranteed). Sponsorships can also be purchased in the store.

In-person registration for the race will take place from 7-7:45 a.m. the day of the event.

“We can’t do what we do in the schools as far as mental health awareness, suicide prevention and plain old wellness without the support of our community and without these types of events that raise money for these programs,” LeLand said. “We just can’t do it."

“So if you have a couple of hours on a Sunday morning, come out and be a part of something that’s grown in our area while also helping out the students in your community," she said.

For inquiries regarding support, sponsorship, or participation in the Ridge Road Run, you can contact Andrea LeLand at aleland@rbrhs.org.

To learn more about the race or Ridge Road Alliance, you can visit their website.

Red Bank Regional High School is located at 101 Ridge Road, Little Silver.