Vytra Health Plans and the Greater Long Island Running Club are combining their resources on Saturday morning, April 28 to stage the Vytra Human Race 5 Kilometer Run, with the entire net proceeds of the Run to be turned over to Long Island Cares and its efforts to provide emergency food assistance to needful Long Islanders.

The Run will be held at Heckscher State Park in East Islip, over the flattest, fastest 5 Kilometer course on Long Island. The starting gun for the 5 Kilometer main event will go off at exactly 9 a.m. The 5K will be preceded by a 1/2 mile Fun Run for the kids starting at 8:30 a.m.

Entry fees for the 5 Kilometer Run are $17 for those who register in advance and $15 for those who register online at active.com, with a $1 discount for all preregistered members of the Greater Long Island Running Club. The 5K entry fee will be $20 for those who wait till the day of the Run to enter. The fee for the Fun Run is $7 for those who preregister and $8 for those who register on the day of the Run. Every entrant will be presented with a spectacular top quality T-shirt as a momento of the morning, and there will be some great post-Run refreshments for everyone. Walkers and wheelchair athletes are most cordially invited to be part of the fun.

Awards will be presented to the first male and female overall to cross the finish line, to the top three male and female wheelchair finishers, to the top three male and female finishers in each of 15 five-year age groups running from 12 and under to 75 and over, and to the top three male and female finishers in each of two "Clydesdale" weight divisions.

Overall race management will be provided by the Greater Long Island Running Club. Technical direction, timing and results will be provided by David Katz of Finish Line Road Race Technicians, utilizing the "Champion Chip" system.

The Vytra Human Race 5 Kilometer Run is the latest in a full roster of community outreach programs fostered by Vytra Health Plans to improve the quality of life on Long Island by promoting physical fitness and good health. Other such programs include the Vytra Cup Annual High School Hockey Tournament, the Vytra Volleyball Tournament at Jones Beach, the Vytra Long Island Women's Run, the Vytra-TOBAY Triathlon, and SPF 2001: Sun Protection for 2001. Vytra is also a major supporter of the Long Island Ducks minor league baseball team.

Long Island Cares, which will reap the benefits of the Vytra Human Race 5K Run, was founded in 1980 by the late singer/activist Harry Chapin. It is a critical link in getting food to community agencies in Nassau and Suffolk Counties. Soup kitchens, food pantries, homeless shelters, day care centers and senior nutrition sites rely on Long Island Cares for much of their food supplies. Everyone is urged to bring a can or package of food to the Run to help the hungry, because "Hunger is closer to home than you think!"

"The Vytra Human Race 5 Kilometer Run is very much a win-win event for everyone," observed GLIRC President Mike Polansky. "Runners will have every chance in the world to achieve a personal best on the fastest 5 Kilometer course on Long Island, with no hills and only one turn over the 3.1 mile course. Thanks to the generosity of Vytra Health Plans, the event will provide some very much needed funds and food to enable Long Island Cares to continue its important programs of feeding the needy. Everybody will be a winner on April 28!"

To obtain a race application, or for more information about the Vytra Human Race 5 Kilometer Run, call the Greater Long Island Running Club at 349-7646, or visit the club's website at www.glirc.org. Remember, you can save $2 by registering online at active.com.