Weekend Spotlight: The Shelter Island 10K Run

For over three decades elite athletes from all over the world and local casual runners alike have flocked to Shelter Island every summer for the Shelter Island 10K — a picturesque race through the middle and northern parts of one of the most unique and beautiful places on Long Island's East End.

The popular race takes place once again this coming Saturday at 5:30 p.m. with start and finish at the

"From the first year the Shelter Island 10K Run was held, it was not who finished first but rather the course's picturesque serenity, diverse and enthusiastic participants, spirited and volunteer-minded community and the of notion of charity and good will that were the lifeblood of the event," reads the event's website.

This year, those at the top of the pack will be paced by the following celebrity runners: Joan Benoit Samuelson, who won the Olympic Marathon in 1984 — the first year of the women's Olympic marathon, powerhouse husband-and-wife running team Jon Sinclair and Kim Jones and Bill Rodgers, a former American marathon record-holder best known for winning the Boston Marathon and the New York City Marathon in the late 1970s. 

A 5K fun-walk starting at 5:40 p.m. is also available to those who prefer not to run. A pre-race pasta buffet takes place on Friday at 5 p.m. at the American Legion Hall. Registration and check-in takes place in the high school gymnasium from 12 to 5 p.m., and the after-party starts at 7 p.m. at the

Go to shelterislandrun.com for more information. And good luck!