1998 Long Island Marathon winner Carlos Castro of the Plainview-Old Bethpage Road Runners Club is generally conceded to be the strongest runner in training on Long Island right now, and he was the strong favorite to win the inaugural Vytra Human Race 5K Kilometer Run on Sept. 13, but obviously nothing is a certainty in this world. When the dust had settled it was Mark Cruz, a 27-year-old visitor from Chicago, IL who came away with the win, crossing the finish line at Heckscher State Park in 15:47, a 17 second victor over Castro. Forty-one-year-old New York City policeman John Williams was the third runner to cross the finish line in 16:52.

There were no surprises in the women's division, with Farmingdale speedster Donna McMahon setting a personal best of 17:44 to lead the way over Doreen Isenberg of Fort Salonga (18:43) and Barbara Rabinovici of Plainview (19:33). All three of the top women's finishers compete for the Plainview-Old Bethpage Road Runners Club's Fast Feet women's racing team.

Thirty-four-year-old Peter Hawkins of Malverne continued to dominate the wheelchair division, scoring first with a blistering 13:15, followed by Long Island junior wheelchair champion Jesse Walsh of Huntington (15:41), and 12-year-old Ken Lanz, Jr. of Shirley in 19:13.

The Vytra Human Race 5 Kilometer Run was sponsored by Vytra Health Plans, under the guidance of Vytra's community relations manager Donna Howard. The run was administered by the Plainview-Old Bethpage Road Runners Club, with club president Mike Polansky serving as the race director and club vice president Mindy Davidson serving as the assistant race director. David Katz of Finish Line Road Race Technicians was the technical director of the event.

Proceeds of the run were dedicated to United Cerebral Palsy of Nassau County.

"This was a perfect way to bring the summer to a close and to get started on the autumn season," observed Road Runners Club vice president Mindy Davidson. "We very much appreciate our good friends from Vytra Health Plans for making this event a reality, and we hope that they will continue their great record of support for local sports for years to come. Congratulations to Mark, Donna, Peter and all the other "winners" who were on hand for the birth of this newest Long Island running tradition."