1994 Olympic Festival 5000 Meter winner Misti Demko of Hershey, PA will be joined by hundreds of local women runners and walkers of all ages and abilities are expected to participate in the 1998 edition of the Vytra Healthcare Long Island Women's Summer 5 Kilometer Women's Run, on Saturday morning, July 18. The race will be held over a new and improved course starting and finishing at the Northside Elementary School in Farmingdale.

This will be the 15th annual edition of the Long Island Women's Run, which has traditionally attracted a bevy of elite female distance runners to test their skills against the finest female runners in the New York Metropolitan area, and this year's edition should be no different. But the key is not the elite athletes, but the hundreds of mid- and back-of-the-pack women runners who are cordially invited to join in this spectacular celebration of Long Island women's running and fitness.

The Run will start and finish at the Northside Elementary School in Farmingdale, with the starting gun going off exactly at 9 a.m. on the morning of July 19. There will also be a "Little Women's 1/4 Mile Fun Run" (for future Olympians under the age of 12) starting at 8:20 a.m., and a Race/Walk starting at 9:05 a.m. There will be three water stops along the 3.1 mile course, and time splits will be called every mile.

$4,450 in prize money is up for grabs by the top overall and age group finishers, including $2,000 to the first finisher overall, $1,000 for second place and $500 for third place. Plaques will be presented to the first five finishers overall and the top five finishers in each of 13 age groups running from 14 and under to 70 plus, and cash awards to top finishers in the 30-39, 40-49, 50-59 and age 60+ age groups. There will also be plaques for the top five racewalkers and top five wheelchair finishers, and special awards for each member of the top three open and masters teams (three runners per team). Every entrant will receive one of the spectacular shirts, specially designed for this event, and a rose will be presented to every finisher. There will be a giant post-race merchandise giveaway and terrific post-race refreshments for everyone.

The Run will once again be administered by the Plainview-Old Bethpage Runners Club, with Suzanne Vasata serving as the new race director. Technical direction will be provided by David Katz of Finish Line Road Race Technicians, using the new Championship Chip System for scoring. The Farmingdale course is USATF certified and the run is USATF sanctioned. Vytra Healthcare will be back again as the title sponsor, with other support for the run being provided by OSI Pharmaceuticals, Berkshire Mountain Spring Water, the Glen Head Flower Shop and The Runner's Edge of Farmingdale.

"We are thrilled at the response to this year's run." noted Race Director Suzanne Vasata, "and especially thrilled with the support being provided by our title sponsor Vytra Healthcare. Female runners and walkers from all over the local area and beyond have enjoyed this event over the years, and we look forward to seeing another large turnout in 1998. We are going to stage another enjoyable event that will be as much fun for the walkers and slower runners as it will be for the elite athletes at the front of the pack. This is a race that Long Island women runners simply shouldn't miss! We welcome everyone to participate and to help our club celebrate women's recreational running, sports and fitness here on Long Island."

Entry fees are $14 for those who register in advance, and $17 for those who wait until the day of the run. For entry forms or information, call Suzanne Vasata at 349-7646.