Syosset High School speedster Mark Alizzi finished in 5th place overall out of 433 competitors in the 9th annual edition of "Rob's Run," a Greater Long Island Runnins Club/Long Island Track & Field cross country run held at Stillwell Woods Town Park in Syosset on Sunday morning, Nov. 25.

The 16-year-old Syosset Junior crossed the finish line in 16 minutes, 36 seconds, only 39 seconds in back of overall winner Chales Millioen of Blue Point.

Current Syosset High School athletes plus recent graduates were out in force for Rob's Run, with other top finishes being turned in by 18 years old Billy Vasilyadis (18:33), 17-year-old Tien-Lun Chuang, 19-year-old Rob Volk (18:43), 20-year-old Rich Cafiero (18:58), 16-year-old T.J. Arcuri (19:14), 20-year-old Earl Han (19:26), 14-year-old Farrell Denby (19:34), 17-year-old Henry Kung (19:44), 17-year-old Joshua Ruderman (20:04), 19-year-old Dan Abramowitz (20:22), 18-year-old Kamal Bal (20:26), 14-year-old Bobby Neuendorf (20:36), 19-year-old Undi Bundi (20:51), 18-year-old Chris Tramatola (21:21), 14-year-old Chris Howell (21:22), 15-year-old Evan Korn (21:52), 14-year-old Beth Alizzi (22:49), 18-year-old Monty Bal (23:00), 15-year-old Steve Volk (23:14), 18-year-old Wesley Cheny (23:40), 14-year-old Lauren Perez (23:59) and 17-year-old Kunal Joner (24:12).

This was the 9th annual edition of Rob's Run, which is sponsored by Long Island Blood Services and conducted under the auspices of the Greater Long Island Running Club, with a big boost from the Town of Oyster Bay and its Department of Recreation and Parks. Rob's Run is part of Long Island Track & Field's cross country series for 2001. GLIRC's Ed Melnik and Steve Klemes served as the co-race directors. The entire net proceeds of Rob's Run are turned over to ASPIRE, the Long Island based program that provides prosthetic devices, physical therapy and intensive rehabilitation through exercise to young amputees, victims of bone cancer and traumatic amputations.

Rob's Run is staged by the running club in memory of Rob Lauterborn, an outstanding athlete and good friend who was taken from us at the untimely age of 28. "It is altogether fitting that we should perpetuate Rob's mempory in an event that helps young amputees through athletics at the same time as it promotes and fosters cross country running here on Long Island," observed Co-Race Director Ed Melnik. "Our congratulations and thanks to the youngsters from Syosset for helping make the event such a success."