Updated: October 2, 2009, 12:51 pm

Old Montauk Athletic Club To Honor Clark And Brown At Annual Awards Dinner

By Brett Mauser

Laura Brown and Cliff Clark will be honored at the Seventh Annual OMAC Awards Dinner next month.

East Hampton - Year after year, the Old Montauk Athletic Club has honored some of the region's most prolific men and women in sports. This year will be no exception as Cliff Clark, accomplished runner and founder of the Shelter Island 10K, as well as Laura Brown, a force on the East End road race circuit, at the organization's annual awards dinner to be held at Della Femina's in East Hampton on Monday, November 30 (6 p.m.).

Cliff Clark helped found the prestigious Shelter Island 10K, which debuted in 1980 and has long been one of the East End's most popular races. Last year, 996 runners and walkers crossed the finish line, helping raise funds for the Timothy Hill Children's Ranch, East End Hospice and Shelter Island community charities. Clark, a fifth-generation owner and operator of the South Ferry, will be honored with the Athletic Community Service Award.

Laura Brown, a resident of Westhampton Beach, will be named Athlete Of The Year at the ceremony. Brown has been a pacesetter on the local race circuit. She finished fourth in the women's division in last weekend's Hamptons Half Marathon; she took second and third in the first two installments of the race and has shaved off more than five minutes since the '07 run. Victories this summer came at the Flying Point 10K, HarborFest 5K and Koziarz 5K. Brown, a former tennis instructor at Sportime in Quogue from 2000 to 2008, manages the Gubbins Running Ahead store in Southampton.

Past recipients of the Athlete Of The Year Award have included Olympic sailor Amanda Clark (2008), Ben Turnbull (2007) and Andy Neidnig (2006).

A meet-and-greet hour will kick off the evening of festivities at 6 p.m. with dinner and the awards presentation set for 7 p.m. More than 120 sports enthusiasts attended last year's event; the cap for this year's installment is set at 110. Tickets are $40 per person and includes a three-course meal, one drink, tax and gratuities. For tickets, send a check to OMAC, C/O Henrika Conner, PO Box 1997, East Hampton, NY 11937.

Old Montauk Athletic Club has served the East End community since its inception in 1997. This year, OMAC has agreed to help fund the East Hampton YMCA's purchase of a new timing system. The organization, which is run by John and Henrika Conner, Kevin Barry and Dianne O'Donnell, also financially backed the installment of trail signs for the East Hampton Trails Society. Earlier this year, OMAC organized the Great Bonac Foot Races in Springs as well as the Miss Amelia's Cottage 2-Miler in August. It also co-sponsored the Bonac On Board To Wellness 5K in May.