Although there were lots of other changes associated with this year's Oyster Festival, one constant feature was the Town of Oyster Bay Supervisor's Oyster Festival 5 Kilometer Run, as more than 500 runners once again successfully completed the grueling 5 Kilometer Run from Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Park up the 3/4 mile hill to the Planting Fields Arboretum and back down again to the finish line on West Shore Avenue in the shadow of the Oyster Festival carnival rides.

Christopher Frank of Seaford (16:27) outkicked Vinko Markovina of Merrick by four seconds and Adam Cigliano of North Merrick by eight seconds to take top honors overall this year. Marlene Mignano of Merrick (19:28) had a more comfortable advantage over Debbie Cuttitta of Bellmore (19:54) and Laura Gluf of Bethpage (19:56) to win the women's division of the run.

Top local finishers included Matt Janke of East Norwich, who took top honors in the men's "Clydesdale" weight division in 20:48, Catherine McConnell, who scored third in the women's "Clydesdale" weight division in 31:39, Alexandra Sharp of Locust Valley, second woman in the 14 and under age group in 32:46, John Henry Dupre of Oyster Bay, fourth in the 15-19 age group in 24:28, Naomi Levin of Oyster Bay, fourth woman in the 15-19 age group in 31:39, Emily Potaykus of Oyster Bay Cove, fourth place woman in the 20-24 age group in 22:54, Pavla Salacova of Oyster Bay, fifth woman in the 25-29 age group in 22:58, Ingrid Ehrlich of Cold Spring Harbor, first place woman in the 30-34 age group in 22:43, Linda Ottaviano of Cold Spring Harbor, first place woman in the 45-49 age group in 21:35, Elizabeth Penagos of Oyster Bay, top woman finisher in the 55-59 age group in 24:53 and Nina Jennings of Mill Neck, who scored first among the women in the 70-74 age group in 28:13. Nina also received a special plaque as the oldest woman from the Town of Oyster Bay to finish the run.

The Oyster Bay Run was conducted under the direction of the Greater Long Island Running Club, with GLIRC President Mike Polansky serving as the race director was once again this year. Technical support was furnished by Finish Line Road Race Technicians under the direction of David Katz. The primary sponsors of the event were once again State Bank of Long Island and the Town of Oyster Bay, with Parks and Recreation Commissioner Edward Kennedy and Diane Blanchard of the Town's Recreation Department taking the lead. Additional support was provided by Whole Foods Market of Manhasset and South Shore Outdoor.

Oyster Bay Town Supervisor John Venditto was once again the honorary chairman of the race committee. In a very moving moment during the Awards Ceremony, Supervisor Venditto was presented with a special "thank you" photo from the members of the Rolling Thunder Program for "special needs" athletes in recognition of his continuing support for disabled athletes. In addition to Supervisor Venditto, other dignitaries on hand to cheer the runners to the finish line were State Senator Carl Marcellino, State Assemblyman David Sidikman, Oyster Bay Town Receiver of Taxes Jim Stefanich, and Oyster Bay Town Clerk Martha Offerman. Senator Marcellino and Assemblyman Sidikman shared the duty of holding the tape for the first finisher with State Bank of Long Island Vice President Mary Durkin.

This year's Oyster Festival 5 Kilometer Run was once again part of the KeySpan Grand Prix of Long Island road races conducted under the auspices of Long Island Track & Field. October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and Terry Kelly of KeySpan and LITF President Susan Polansky presented a $1000 check to the Maurer Foundation for Breast Health Education in honor of the occasion.

"The Town of Oyster Bay Supervisor's Oyster Festival 5 Kilometer Run continues to be a great event and a real challenge for Long Island recreational athletes," observed Greater Long Island Vice President Mindy Davidson, who served as the coordinator of volunteers for the run. "We very much appreciate the opportunity to bring runners from all over the New York Metropolitan area to run a challenging, scenic course, and to stick around afterwards to enjoy the Oyster Festival. Our thanks once again to State Bank of Long Island and the Town of Oyster Bay for making the run a reality once again in 2003."