Bellmore Striders host a patriotic run

Runners from across Long Island turned out for the annual Bellmore Striders Independence Day run on Sunday, July 4. Some 559 runners competed in the four-mile race that morning. A one-mile youth run was also held.

The race, which started in 1983, was held in the memory of Matthew Warkala, a former Striders member and Mepham High School alumnus who died of brain cancer.

Racers set their watches on Pettit Avenue, 100 meters west of the Bellmore firehouse, and headed through the streets of Bellmore, where the race finished on Grand Avenue.

Leonora Joy-Petrina of Bayport, 27, was the first to cross the finish line with a time of 21:51. Rich Bury, 48, the first Bellmore resident to finish, ended the race in a time of 26:43.

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