Runners Take Part in Santa 5K at Eisenhower

On a less than ideal Sunday morning, more than 50 runners ran the 5K Santa Run at in East Meadow. The course consisted of two loops behind the tennis courts in Field 2. People wore hat, scarves and gloves to keep warm in the biting cold.

First timers Mae Tam and Shan Ng said they were "excited and very cold."

"These dedicated folks have continued to run all year round," President Fred Haslett said. "This is the Long Island Road Runners' 35th year of racing and it's an addiction. We used to run in January and February, but recently we stopped due to cold temps and only a few people were coming out."

Kathy Agricola, who volunteered for this race and is LIRR's Member of the Year for 2010, says that the races are lots of fun and "during the summer and spring months we usually have 200 people or more, with lots of prizes and food available."

"The races are available to anyone every Wednesday after the Long Island Marathon with a few races before in order to prepare for the marathon," Haslett said.

Grant Radtke, who was voted "Most Improved Runner for 2010," encourages everyone to come out and try running. The Long Island Road Runners were started by Jack Dowling and Aldo Scandurra. The Santa 5K winners were Angela Fagan, Donal Coll and Jack Gutman, who was the youngest runner at 8 years old.

The next race is on New Year's Day, the , where people can join in for free;  just meet the runners at Eisenhower Park in Field 2.