Politics & Government

Survival Race is Racing to Run May Event

Outdoor race at 4-H camp needs proper permit to make May 4-5 event happen.

Plans for an outdoor, survival-style race set for May are now racing against the clock.

Representatives of The Survival Race – which held a 3,000-person race last fall on the 4-H property on Sound Avenue – spoke before the town board on Thursday morning, where town leaders noted that a mass gathering permit will be necessary in order for the race to go on.

"With a race of this magnitude, y'all should have been here months ago," said Supervisor Sean Walter. Walter said turnaround for a permit, issued on the county level, could take between 30 and 45 days – however the race date remains just over three weeks away.

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Scheduled for May 4 and 5 – in addition to another race planned for this upcoming fall – Race Director James Villepigue said that this year's race is being capped at 4,000 participants.

With a mass gathering permit maxing out at 5,000 individuals coming and going within any 24-hour period, details fleshed out on the town level such as access, emergency plans and more could be subject to county approval. With a few hundred spectators expected, Villepigue said exceeding the 5,000 cap shouldn't be problematic.

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Villepigue and Survival Race President Dean Del Prete said they would be working with Fire Marshal Craig Zitek in coming weeks, as well as the Riverhead Fire Department and Volunteer Ambulance Corps to make sure a proper safety plan is in place.

The outdoor races, according to the company's website, are run from Texas to Ohio to New York, and include mud runs, walls and nets to scale, and more.

Another race is scheduled for September at the 4-H club in Baiting Hollow.


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