About Amity Island Running Club
Our Mission
As the sole running club on Martha’s Vineyard, the Amity Island Running Club has been fostering a culture of fitness and community since 2015.
Amity welcomes runners and walkers alike and promotes an active lifestyle on the beautiful island of Martha’s Vineyard.
Our motto, “Amity Means Friendship” extends beyond weekly runs to the ethos that communities create change, and we do so by raising funds for a variety of local causes, groups and charities.
Our Mission
As the sole running club on Martha’s Vineyard, the Amity Island Running Club has been fostering a culture of fitness and community since 2015.
Our motto, “Amity Means Friendship” extends beyond weekly runs to the ethos that communities create change, and we do so by raising funds for a variety of local causes, groups and charities.
About Amity Island Running Club
Amity Island Running Club is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that promotes an active lifestyle on the beautiful island of Martha’s Vineyard. We welcome runners and walkers of all levels, and we sponsor or organize races on Martha’s Vineyard throughout the year. We do more than just run together. We firmly believe that community creates change and raising money to support a variety of local causes and charities is part of our core mission.
We are a welcoming team, and we encourage everyone to join us for our runs, races and other events. Whether you are a seasoned runner or just starting out, we have a place for you. Year round, we offer group runs every Thursday (and Monday during the summer months) and group long runs every Sunday.
We encourage you to join Amity Island Running Club – come run (or walk) with us, sport the AIRC logo, participate in races, and live life to the fullest!
Our Origin Story
What do you get when you mix a few Martha’s Vineyard elementary school teachers, a couple of computer techs, a surveyor/firefighter and an administrative assistant with attitude together in a van for a few days? Why, the Amity Island Running Club, of course!
Amity Island was a fictional town created for the movie Jaws, which was primarily filmed on the island of Martha’s Vineyard.
The Amity Island Running Club was founded after two Martha’s Vineyard friends ran in the Reach the Beach Relay in Massachusetts in May 2013. They decided that more people needed to experience this same type of torture. After a few months of scouting, recruiting and meeting, they recruited a group of like-minded (and possibly crazy) Martha’s Vineyard friends to participate in the Cape Cod Ragnar Relay in 2014, a 193 mile relay race from Hull, Mass. to Provincetown, Mass. The race is a 2-day event whose motto is “Run, Drive, Sleep? Repeat.” The race includes running overnight, with team members following in a van. It proved to be an amazing weekend. Running together and living in a van together taught us about both the importance of achieving difficult goals and the value of community. From this ethos, Amity Island Running Club was born!
We hosted our first Thirsty Thursday fun run/walk in June 2015. Our group continues to grow and we have made friends from all corners of the world!
Amity Island Running Club is not just about distance running – our members come in all ages, shapes, sizes and fitness levels. Amity Island Running Club is about setting and achieving personal goals and joining a community that gives back.