Local Runners/Walkers Invited to Holiday Run

A special invitation has been issued to runners and walkers from Syosset and Jericho to join in on a morning of festive family fun and fitness at the 10th Annual Ho Ho Ho Holiday 5 Kilometer Run, to be held on the roads of Bethpage on Saturday morning, Dec. 20.

The run will be conducted under the auspices of the Plainview-Old Bethpage Road Runners Club, with partial financial support being provided by Frontier. Registration will take place at the John F. Kennedy Middle School on Broadway in Bethpage from 7:30 to 9:15 a.m. on the morning of the 20th, and the starting gun for the 5K Run will go off promptly at 9:30 a.m. There will also be a 1/4 mile fun run for youngsters 12 and under starting at 8:45 a.m., with awards presented to all competitors.

The 5 Kilometer course will take runners on a scenic winter tour through the Bethpage community and then back to the finish line at the Middle School for bountiful holiday refreshments. In addition to the water station at the halfway point, there will be a nonalcoholic eggnog station in keeping with the holiday spirit. All runners and walkers are encouraged to come in costume. There will be a gala "Costume Parade" at 9 a.m. and prizes will be awarded to those with the best costumes. A free baby-sitting service will be provided for those who are participating in the 5K run.

Awards will be given to the top male and female finisher overall, plus the top three male and female finishers in each of 14 5-year-age groups (through 75 and older) as well as to the first three male and female wheelchair competitors. Every entrant will receive a special commemorative winter wool hat and gloves. Walkers are most definitely invited to join in the fun!

The official race starter will be none other than Santa Claus, who will be taking time out from preparations for his own Holiday Run to join the festivities. Jack Frost, Rudolph, several of Santa's Elves, and assorted other special guests are also expected to be on hand for the fun.

The entry fee is $13 for everyone who pre-registers through Dec. 19 and $16 for those who register on the day of the run. The 1/4 mile fun run for the kids is absolutely free.

The entire net proceeds of the event will be split between the "Bretton Bowl Fund" for the needy families of Bethpage, and ASPIRE, which helps rehabilitate young people who have suffered the loss of a leg to bone cancer and traumatic amputations.

"The Ho Ho Ho run is much more than just another road race," observed Race Director Ed Kovesdy. "We're putting on a special holiday event that is a celebration of the season for runners, walkers, and their families. It will once again be an enjoyable morning to start off the holiday season right, with lots of wholesome fun for everyone, an opportunity for the kids to be part of the fun, and proceeds going to two most important causes. We hope that all our friends from Syosset and Jericho will come over to Bethpage and join us for this great morning."

For entry forms or more information, call Ed at 439-HOHO or call Road Runners Club President Mike Polansky at 433-0919.