1,200 Participants Expected For 10th Annual Ho Ho Ho Holiday Run

A record turnout of more than 1,200 runners and walkers is expected to turn out for a morning of festive family fun and fitness at the 10th annual Ho Ho Ho Holiday 5 Kilometer Run, to be held on the roads of Bethpage on Saturday morning, Dec. 20.

Click here for full size the full-size map.

The run will be conducted under the auspices of the Plainview-Old Bethpage Road Runners Club, with partial financial support being provided by Frontier ("What communications is coming to..."). Registration will take place at the John F. Kennedy Middle School on Broadway in Bethpage from 7:30 to 9:15 a.m. on the morning of the 20th, and the starting gun for the 5K run will go off promptly at 9:30 a.m. There will also be a 1/4 mile fun run for youngsters 12 and under starting at 8:45 a.m. with awards presented to all competitors.

The 5 Kilometer course will take the runners on a scenic winter tour through the Bethpage community and then back to the finish line at the Middle School for bountiful holiday refreshments. In addition to the water station at the halfway point, there will be a nonalcoholic eggnog station in keeping with the holiday spirit. All runners and walkers are encouraged to come in costume. There will be a gala "costume parade" at 9 a.m. and prizes will be awarded to those with the best costumes. A free babysitting service will be provided for those who are participating in the 5K run.

Awards will be given to the top male and female finisher overall, plus the top three male and female finishers in each of 14 five year age groups (through 75 and older) as well as to the first three male and female wheelchair competitors. Every entrant will receive a special commemorative winter wool hat and gloves. Walkers are most definitely invited to join in the fun!

The official race starter will be none other than Santa Claus, who will be taking time out from preparations for his own holiday run to join the festivities. Jack Frost, Rudolph, several of Santa's Elves, and assorted another special guests are also expected to be on hand for the fun.

The entire net proceeds of the event will be split between the "Bretton Bowl" fund for the needy families of Bethpage, and ASPIRE, which helps rehabilitate young people who have suffered the loss of a leg to bone cancer and traumatic amputations.

"The Ho Ho Ho Run is much more than just another road race," observed race director Ed Kovesdy. "We're putting on a special holiday event that is a celebration of the season for runners, walkers, and their families. It will once again be an enjoyable morning to start off the holiday season right, with lots of wholesome fun for everyone, an opportunity for the kids to be part of the fun, and with the proceeds going to two most important causes. We hope that as many people as possible will join us and our friends from Frontier for this great morning."