Women runners and walkers of all ages and abilities from Farmingdale and the Massapequa are invited to participate in the 1999 edition of the Vytra Health Plans Long Island Women's Summer 5 Kilometer Women's Run, to be held on Saturday morning, July 10, with a new and improved course starting and finishing at the Woodward Parkway Elementary School in Farmingdale, organizers announced this week.

This will be the 16th annual edition of the Vytra Run, which has traditionally attracted most of the elite female distance runners in the country 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 Vytra Run will start and finish at the Woodward Parkway Elementary School in Farmingdale, with the starting gun going off exactly at 9 a.m. on the morning of July 10. There will also be a "Little Women's 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.

More than $5000 in prize money is up for grabs by the top overall and age group finishers, including $2000 to the first finisher overall, $1000 for second place and $500 for third place. $500 will be presented to the top finisher who is at least 40 years old, and $500 will be presented to the first finisher who resides in Long Island (Nassau/Suffolk Counties) 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 race walkers 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 Greater Long Island Running Club, with GLIRC's Suzanne Vasata serving as the race director once again. Technical assistance 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 Health Plans will be back again as the title sponsor, with other support for the run being provided by OSI Pharmaceuticals, Chester Mountain 100% Natural Spring Water, the Glen Head Flower Shop, and The Runners's Edge of Farmingdale. As usual, considerable support is being provided by the town of Oyster Bay, with Town Supervisor John Venditto at the forefront.

Local runners have always played a prominent role in the Vytra Women's Run. In 1998, Donna McMahon of Farmingdale was 14th overall and 2nd in the 25-29 age group, Jenna Daly of Massapequa was 2nd in the 14 and under age group, Trisha Fasino of Massapequa won 2nd place honors in the 20-24 age group, Mary Anne Goldman of Farmingdale scored 2nd in the 50-54 age group, and Patty Zebersky of Farmingdale captured 4th place in the 40-44 age group.

"We are thrilled to be putting on this run for the 16th consecutive year," said Race Director Suzanne Vasata, "and especially thrilled with the support being provided by our title sponsor Vytra Health Plans, by our good friends from the town of Oyster Bay, and all our other wonderful sponsors...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 1999."

"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," she added.

Entry fees are $15 for those who register in advance, and $18 for those who wait until the day of the run. For entry forms or information one may call Suzanne Vasata at 349-7646, or e-mail her at suzievee@aol.com.