More than 300 women showed up at the Woodward Parkway Elementary School in Farmingdale on July 11 to participate in the 16th annual Vytra Women's 5 Kilometer Run and 10-year-old Levittown wheelchair athlete Lauren Konetsky did very well indeed in a field that included some of the top female runners in the world!

Although she couldn't keep up with Teresa Wanjiku of Kenya, who was the overall winner, or Irish Republic national champion Breeda Dennehy Willis, who finished second, Lauren won top wheelchair honors, completing the 3.1 mile course in 23 minutes, 48 seconds.

The Vytra Run is the only race on Long Island reserved for women only, where women can compete without the intimidation/distraction factor of having to share the road with male runners. The primary sponsor of the Run was Vytra Health Plans, with other support being provided by OSI Pharmaceuticals, the Glen Head Flower Shop, The Runner's Edge, and the Town of Oyster Bay and its fine Department of Recreation and Parks. The Run was conducted under the auspices of the Greater Long Island Running Club, with GLIRC's Suzanne Vasata serving as the race director.