A tough and determined field of 60 intrepid trail runners (out of 74 starters) successfully navigated the Greater Long Island Running Club's annual Greenbelt Trail 50 Kilometer Run May 14.

Among the finishers were a couple of tough competitors from the local area °V 58-year-old Sherry Bellovin of North Massapequa and 73-year-old Howard Kestenbaum of Massapequa Park. Running together virtually the entire way, the two tough competitors finished together as well, crossing the finish line at the Running Club's Clubhouse in Plainview in 10 hours, 41 minutes, 23 seconds.

The course of this year's event, newly designed in 2005, consisted a double out-and-back on the northern third of the Nassau Greenbelt Trail from the GLIRC Clubhouse and the Sunnyside Boulevard trailhead in Plainview to the northern terminus of the Trail in Cold Spring Harbor. The revised route required the runners to navigate the very hilly section from Route 108 through Lawrence Hill to Cold Spring Harbor out-and-back twice.

Congratulations to Race Director Nick Palazzo and Race Committee members Vinny Croce and Bob Sherman for another job very well done indeed! The course was well marked, easy to follow, and nobody met either a bear or a lion along the Trail!

This year's Greenbelt 50K served as the 50K Trail Championship for the Long Island Association of USA Track & Field at Long Island Ultra Chair Carl Grossbard was on hand to present the awards to the local champions.