There is simply no better way for Levittown runners, walkers, wheelchair athletes and their families to celebrate the holiday season than by being part of the fun at the 18th Annual Carter, DeLuca, Farrell & Schmidt LLP Ho Ho Ho Holiday Run. The run will be held on the roads of Bethpage, on Saturday morning, Dec. 17.

The Ho Ho Ho Holiday Run has traditionally been one of the largest recreational sports events on Long island, attracting as many as 1500 participants to help usher in the holiday season in a family fitness and fun manner.

The 2005 edition of the run will once again be conducted under the auspices of the Greater Long Island Running Club, with the leading Intellectual Property Law Firm of Carter, De Luca, Farrell & Schmidt, LLP providing the key financial support as the title sponsor, and Retail, Wholesale & Chain Store Food Employees Union Local 338, RWDSU/UFCW and its President John R. Durso also providing substantial financial support as the presenting sponsor. Whole Foods Market will be back as a very valued sponsor as well.

Registration will take place at Bethpage High School on Cherry Avenue in Bethpage from 7:30 a.m.-9:10 a.m. on the morning of Dec. 17, and the starting gun for the five kilometer run will go off promptly at 9:30 a.m. There will also be a quarter mile fun run for youngsters age 10 and under starting at 8:45 a.m., with awards presented to all participants.

The five-kilometer course will take the participants on a scenic winter tour through the Bethpage community and then back again to the finish line at the high school for bountiful holiday refreshments. Everyone is encouraged to show up in costume, and there will be a gala costume parade starting at 9 a.m., with prizes to be awarded to those in the best holiday season costumes. Walkers are most definitely invited to be part of the fun.

Awards will be given to the top male and top female finisher overall in the Run, plus the top three male and top three female finishers in each of 14 five-year age groups (through age 75 and over), the top three male and top three female finishers in each of two Clydesdale weight divisions, and the top three male and female wheelchair finishers. Everyone who enters the run will receive a high quality commemorative Ho Ho Ho Holiday Run sweatshirt.

Veteran Race Directors Bob Sherman and Joe Sturgess are putting together another spectacular morning of family fitness and fun for everyone. Santa Claus will once again be the Official Starter, and hordes of reindeer, elves and other denizens of the holiday season will be at Bethpage High School to make sure that a good time is had by all.

There will be a giant post-race door prize drawing, with every participant eligible to win one of many, many valuable gifts. Highlighting the drawing this year will be the award of two round trip tickets to anywhere JetBlue Airways flies and a second prize award of a top-of-the-line NIKON camera, with all registrants eligible to win.

Proceeds of the 2005 Ho Ho Ho Holiday Run will be distributed to the Bretton Bowl Help the Needy Families Fund administered by the Bethpage PAL, the Maurer Foundation for Breast Health Education, and the Tender Loving Care Foundation, whose mission is to bring about a brighter, stress-free beginning for all families whose children may one day be in need of neonatal health care services.

Everyone who is participating in the run is encouraged to bring a new unwrapped toy to registration on the morning of the Run. The toys will be distributed to needy children at the Mercy First Children and Family Services Holiday Party.

The entry fee for the five kilometer run is $18 for those who register by Dec. 9 ($16 for members of GLIRC), $20 for those who register between December 10 and Dec. 16, and $25 for those who register on the day of the run. The club is offering a 50 percent discount for youngsters aged 16 and under, so that GLIRC members 16 and under can register for only $8 and non-members 16 and under can register for only $9.

Local area runners have always been prominent in the Ho Ho Ho Holiday Run. In the 2004 edition of the Run, the top finisher from Levittown was Jason Orsini, who scored in 26th place overall and second in the 20-24 age group with a time of 19:41.

"The Ho Ho Ho Holiday Run is much more than just another running event," noted Race co-Directors Bob Sherman and Joe Sturgess of the Greater Long Island Running Club. "We are staging a special Holiday event that is truly a celebration of the season for runners, walkers and their families. It will once again be a perfect family-oriented morning that will get the Holiday season started with lots of wholesome fun for everyone, an opportunity for kids of all ages to be part of the fun, and a great opportunity to do good things for important local charities. We urge all our friends from Levittown and surrounding communities to come to Bethpage on Dec. 17, and be part of the fun."

For entry forms and/or more information, call Linda at the Greater Long Island Running Club at 349-7646.