The Fourth Annual Long Island Endurance Runs will be held on Saturday morning, May 16. There will be a 50-kilometer (31 mile) run and a 50-mile run, both of which will start and finish at "Fireman's Field" in Oyster Bay. The 50-mile run will start at 7 a.m., and the 50 kilometer run will start at 8:30 a.m. The event is being hosted by the Plainview-Old Bethpage Road Runners Club, Long Island's largest running organization, and POBRRC's Don Butchin and Nick Palazzo are serving as the co-chairmen of the race committee.

All endurance runners are welcome to enter either of these events. The entry fee is $45 for the 50-kilometer run and $50 for the 50-mile run.

The course will take the runners through the rolling hills of the northern portions of the Towns of Oyster Bay and Huntington. Each entrant will receive a special commemorative shirt, and each finisher will receive a special custom-designed gym bag. There will be aid stations strategically spaced throughout the course.

"Running an ultramarathon is not for everyone," observed Palazzo, who is, himself, a veteran endurance runner, "but a 50-kilometer run is certainly within the reach of anyone who has successfully completed a marathon. For those who are especially anxious to test the limits of their endurance, the 50-miler will certainly provide that test. It's not for everyone, but veteran marathoners will never know just what they are capable of until they try that extra distance!"

The top 50-mile finisher in the 1997 edition of the Long Island Endurance Runs was 38-year-old Rudy Afanador of Shirley, who completed the course in six hours, nine minutes, 50 seconds. The first woman to cross the finish line was Carolyn Ciccone of West Islip in 10:11:28. In the 1997 50-kilometer run, Dave Kliphon of Holbrook was the winner in 3:39:44, while Judy Santagata of Brooklyn led the women in 4:56:05.

A total of 29 endurance athletes completed the 50K run last year and 25 even hardier individuals completed the 50 miler and the Road Runners Club expects a bigger turnout this year!

For entry forms or information about the Long Island Endurance Runs, call the Plainview-Old Bethpage Road Runners Club at 349-7646.