Bethpage to Sponsor the Greater Long Island Running Club’s 27th Annual Ocean to Sound Relay

Aug. 28, 2012 - PRLog -- Bethpage Federal Credit Union, a dedicated supporter of health and wellness initiatives on Long Island, announces its sponsorship of the Greater Long Island Running Club’s 27th annual Ocean to Sound Relay.  The Bethpage Ocean to Sound Relay, which takes place on Sunday, September 23, 2012, will take runners across both Nassau and Suffolk Counties with 150 teams of eight runners each traversing a 50-mile scenic course stretching from the South Shore to the North Shore of Long Island.  This will be the third consecutive year Bethpage has sponsored the event.

Over 1,000 runners are expected to participate in the relay, which will benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.  Dedicated to funding blood cancer research, education and patient services, money raised from the relay will go directly to support the organization’s Long Island Chapter.  Long Island runner Alan End, who founded the relay back in 1985, is the relay director.  

According to Greater Long Island Running Club President Mike Polansky, “The Bethpage Ocean to Sound Relay is an exciting race that Long Islanders look forward to each year…given the outstanding course, team camaraderie, spirited competition and deserving cause.”

The Bethpage Ocean to Sound Relay starts at Jones Beach State Park and finishes on the grounds of the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Park in Oyster Bay.  150 eight-person teams will navigate their way through 15 different Long Island townships starting in Wantagh, traveling through Seaford, Massapequa Park, Massapequa, Farmingdale, Old Bethpage, Plainview, Woodbury, West Hills, crossing into Huntington and hitting the Long Island Sound in Lloyd Harbor, returning to Nassau County via Cold Spring Harbor and Syosset, reaching Oyster Bay Cove, and finally hitting Oyster Bay.
“The Ocean to Sound Relay endures because it is a unique race drawing runners from the entire tri-state area,” said Linda Armyn, Senior Vice President, Corporate Strategy, Bethpage Federal Credit Union.  “The organizational talents of the Greater Long Island Running Club and the Ocean to Sound Relay Director Alan End continue to amaze us here at Bethpage and our teams are eager to participate again this year.”
 
There are 13 different categories for runners including men’s, women’s, mixed open, men’s masters, women’s masters, mixed masters, men’s seniors masters, women’s seniors masters, corporate, law enforcement/firefighter, physically challenged, one person team and Bethpage.  A gala post race party affectionately called the “Best Post-Race Party in the Northeast” will take place immediately following the relay at the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Park on the shoreline of beautiful Oyster Bay Harbor near the finish line, where awards will be presented in each of the individual categories to each member of the top three teams in each category.

“The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society is dedicated to finding cures for blood cancers and to expanding health services and support to patients and families.   Our community is exceedingly grateful to the Greater Long Island Running Club and to Bethpage for their commitment,” said Tammy Philie, Executive Director, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Long Island Chapter.  

The entry fee for the Bethpage Ocean to Sound Relay is $360 per team ($45 per runner) through September 16, 2012, which covers entry into the race, a special commemorative t-shirt for each runner, and entry into the post-race party.  If received between September 17 and September 22, 2012, the entry fee is $400 per team.  No day of race entries will be accepted. For more information, or to register, go to www.glirc.org.    

Bethpage Federal Credit Union is a not-for-profit financial cooperative, existing solely to serve its members and has experienced rapid growth in recent years to become a strong alternative to banks.  Bethpage was approved for the largest federal community charter in the U.S. in 2003 and now is Long Island’s largest credit union and leading community financial institution with over 196,000 members, 26 branches and 60 shared service center locations throughout Nassau and Suffolk Counties. As a financial cooperative, Bethpage offers better rates, lower fees and a full menu of personal and commercial financial services.

Bethpage maintains branch locations in Bay Shore, Bay Shore King Kullen, Bethpage, Central Islip, Commack King Kullen, Elmont, Farmingdale, Freeport, Glen Cove, Hempstead, Huntington, Levittown King Kullen, Lynbrook, Massapequa, Melville, Mineola, North Babylon, Patchogue, Port Jefferson, Riverhead, Seaford, Smithtown, Roosevelt, West Babylon and Westbury with over 425 surcharge-free ATMs in King Kullen, 7-Eleven, CVS Pharmacy and Costco locations throughout Long Island.  For more information, call 1-800-628-7070 or visit www.bethpagefcu.com.