Local Runners, Walkers Invited To 2012 Ho Ho Ho Holiday Run

Friday, 14 December 2012 00:00

There is simply no better way for runners and their families to celebrate the Holiday Season than by being part of the fun at the Carter, DeLuca, Farrell & Schmidt Holiday 5K run. On Saturday, Dec. 15 the Greater Long Island Running Club (GLIRC) will be celebrating the 25th anniversary edition of that event at the John F. Kennedy Middle School in Bethpage.

Thanks to the generosity of the Melville Intellectual Property law firm of Carter, DeLuca, Farrell & Schmidt and Local 338 RWDSU/UFCW, this year’s edition of the run will offer all the great amenities of past years, and more.

Race Director Ric DiVeglio will be joining lots of volunteers to stage another spectacular morning of family fitness and fun. Santa Claus will once again be there as the official starter, and hordes of reindeer, elves and other denizens of the holiday season will be at the middle school.

There will once again be special prizes for the best holiday costume and for the first “centipede” to cross the finish line. Runners and walkers are most definitely encouraged to run/walk in costumes appropriate for the season. There will, of course, be a fun run for the youngsters on the grounds of the middle school before the 5K main event.

GLIRC will once again hold a giant post-race door prize drawing that will be highlighted by the grand prize of a flat screen high definition television set and the second prize of a top-of-the-line digital camera. Everyone who is entered in the run has an equal chance to win a prize.

Please note that this year’s Ho Ho Ho Run will carry forward the GLIRC policy of a 50 percent discount for preregistered runners age 16 and under.

A portion of the net proceeds of the run will be turned over to the Opening Word, an education program for poor, uneducated women to give them the tools that they need to become productive members of society.

Everyone who shows up for the event is encouraged to bring a new unwrapped toy with them to benefit children in need through the John Theissen Children’s Foundation.

Among the top finishers in last year’s edition of the Run were Thomas Franklin Diaz of Farmingdale in 4th place overall out of 1238 finishers, and Christopher Daily of Farmingdale in 13th place overall and first finisher over the age of 50.

GLIRC expects both of these outstanding athletes to be back on Dec. 15, and looks forward to welcoming lots of other runners from the Farmingdale community.

Call Mike or Linda at (516) 349-7646 for entry forms or information, or you can register online at www.glirc.org. Want to be a volunteer? Contact Mindy at (516) 520-9481 or at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . (If you use email, please put “Ho Ho Ho Run” as the subject.)