Khanh Duong on his way to 31 miles.

Congratulations to veteran Hicksville endurance athlete Khanh Duong for his outstanding performance in the March 2 Caumsett Park 50 Kilometer Run. This year's run once again served as the USA Track & Field National 50 Kilometer Road Championship for 2008.

Khanh crossed the finish line after 12 loops of the 2.63 mile course in 5 hours, 57 minutes and 36 seconds - good for 72nd place overall. A total of 142 runners were at the starting line, but only 96 - including Khanh - were around for the finish.

In spite of the brisk temperatures - the mercury never rose much above 40 degrees - lots of quality performances were posted, including 18 finishers who finished in under four hours. Thirteen states were represented in this year's run, with runners from their 20s to three competitors over 70 years of age.

Kudos to race director Carl Grossbard, who had some very big shoes to fill, for a job very well done. Run founder Vinny Croce, the heart and soul of the event since its inception, retired after last year's event, and Grossbard very ably followed in Croce's footsteps to stage another terrific event in the tradition of the Caumsett 50 K Run.

A special note of thank you to appreciated sponsors and supporters: Marc S. Cohen and the Charles Cohen Foundation; Jim Kiley and his staff at Wild by Nature Market of Huntington; the Melville Marriott with a special thank you to Trish Maulo; and Suffolk County Legislator Jonathan Cooper. Thanks also to John Snitko of JMS Racing Services for a picture perfect job of "chip" timing and to Nancy Hobbs, chair of USATF's Mountain Ultra Trail Council, for joining in this year's event.