Organizers of the Nick Katsounis Memorial Wheelchair Championship 10 Kilometer Race are pleased to announce that Westbury businessman Joe King, the proprietor of Antun's Caterers in Queens, has signed on to be the primary sponsor of the 14th annual race, which will be held on the roads of Long Island on Sunday morning, June 26. The top wheelchair racers from around the area - and around the world - are expected to participate once again this year.

The race is conducted by the Greater Long Island Running Club (GLIRC) in conjunction with the Town of Oyster Bay and its department of recreation and parks. GLIRC's Geraldine Walsh serves as the race director; Oyster Bay Town Supervisor John Venditto will be the honorary chair of the race committee once again this year, and King will once again play his role as the official starter of the race.

"We are thrilled to welcome Joe King and Antun's Caterers back again as the key supporter of the event this year," said Walsh. "Joe is a true friend of athletics generally and of athletics for the disabled in particular, and we can't thank him enough for his continued support."

The Nick Katsounis Memorial Wheelchair Championship Race really came into its own in 2004, spearheaded by the participation of virtually every major wheelchair competitor from the United States, Canada, Mexico and as far away as Australia, Europe and the Union of South Africa. The 2004 Race featured a duel to the finish, with Australian Kurt Fearnley edging out Ernst Van Dyk of South Africa and 2003 winner Saul Mendoza of Mexico with only one second separating the top three finishers. The women's division featured another dramatic finish, with Canadian superstars Chantal Petitclerc and Diane Roy crossing the finish line less than a second in front of Mexican champion Ariadne Hernandez and Australian Eliza Stankovic. All in all, this was once again one of the best fields of Wheelchair athletes ever assembled for any race anywhere!

As in 2004, this year's race will once again be part of the U.S. Paralympic Committee's America's Series and will be the focus of considerable national and international attention.