With nearly 700 entrants, 606 finishers and spurred on by the memory of those New York City Police Department and Port Authority heroes who gave their lives on September 11, this year's David Lerner Associates Long Island Police Appreciation Run was the biggest and, undoubtedly, the most emotional, ever. The five kilometer run was last month at Eisenhower Park in East Meadow.

Hicksville athletes Joe Basso, who was scored third in the highly competitive 20 to 24 age group, finished in 17:54 while Diane Birkel, who scored third among women in the 50 to 54 age group, finished in 24:06. Other Hicksville athletes successfully completed the run, including Dan McDonald (21:13), Stephen Snyder (22:53), Bob Mosz (23:20), Robert Patterson (23:44), John Lively (24:30), Bill Hessle (26:16), Thomas Kiernan (26:24), Vin Del Bagno (26:50), Robert Del Bagno (26:50) and Rocco Controneo (34:07).