BY MIKE POLANSKY
Congratulations to local athletes Karen Conkling of Massapequa, Anna Decker of North Massapequa, and Megan Pfeiffer of Massapequa, each of whom won an award at the the 28th annual Carter, DeLuca, Farrell & Schmidt Ho Ho Ho Holiday 5K Run through the streets of Bethpage on Dec. 19.
Conkling crossed the finish line at the JFK Middle School in Bethpage with a finishing time of 22 minutes, 24 seconds, earning her the third place award plaque in the women’s 50-54 age group. Decker won third place in the women’s 15-19 age group with a finishing time of 25:18. Pfeiffer scored in 26:16 to earn second place honors among the Athena Plus Weight Division.
A total of 1225 runners and walkers completed the course, including any number of Santas, snowmen, elves, and a centipede of happy reindeer. Lots of mother-daughter, mother-son, father-daughter and father-son duos made their way to the finish, celebrating the Holiday Season as a family day of fitness. About 50 youngsters participated in the Fun Run that preceded the main event.
Congratulations and thanks to Race Director Ric DiVeglio of the host Greater Long Island Running Club, for still another outstanding job of putting all the pieces together, to the Melville Intellectual Property law firm of Carter, DeLuca, Farrell & Schmidt for supporting the event as the Title Sponsor once again, to Loca338 RWDSU/UFCW for reenlisting as our Presenting Sponsor, and to All Round Foods for donating a great array of baked goods for the post-Run festivities. Thanks as well to Jonas Chiropractic for their support, with Dr. Jon DeGorter, DC of the Jonas staff on hand at the Run to help ease lots of aches and pains.
It was a pleasure to welcome our local elected officials to the Run. Nassau County Legislator Rose Marie Walker and Oyster Bay Town Councilman Joe Pinto helped get things started, and Nassau County Legislator Laura Schaefer competed in the Run, turning in a very nice 33:33 finish.
Proceeds of the Run will once again be turned over to the Dominican Sisters in support of The Opening Word, an education program that enables poor and uneducated Long island immigrant women the tools they need to become productive members of American society. In addition, thanks to the generosity of race participants, we were able to turn over a thousand or more toys to the John Theissen Foundation for distribution to needy Long Island children.
“Congratulations to Karen, Megan, and Anne, and thanks to everyone who helped close out the 2015 Long Island racing year in style on December 19th,” said Race Director Ric DiVeglio. “We look forward to seeing you all again at our 29th annual Holiday excursion through the streets of Bethpage on Dec. 17, 2016!”
