Martha's Vineyard 20 Miler
| Vital Statistics | |
|---|---|
| When | Second Saturday in February, 11:00 AM |
| Town | Vineyard Haven |
| Where | Vineyard Haven Steamship Terminal |
| Distance | 20 miles |
| Status | Active |
| First Running | 1999 |
| Current Certification | None |
| Sanctioned | Yes |
| Typical Field | 400 |
| Contact Information | |
| Contact | Martha’s Vineyard Multisport Inc., (508) 696-6203 x300 |
| Website | http://www.mv20miler.com/ |
Special Notes
The Vineyard 20 Miler is a great long training or tempo run as you ready yourself for a spring marathon. The course covers over half of Martha’s Vineyard but avoids most of the downtown sections. Starting at the Steamship Authority ferry terminal in Vineyard Haven, the course follows the water out to a quick tour of the gingerbread cottages and the waterfront harbor where much of the Jaws movies were filmed in Oak Bluffs. After Oak Bluffs, it’s on to the bike path which you’ll follow up to Edgartown and then out to the airport on Air Road and all the way to the finish at the Oak Bluffs School. The original course included a dirt road leg through the Manuel F. Correllus State Forest but that section was abandoned due to road conditions and problems with the area in bad weather. Particularly bad weather may force the alteration of the course as it did in 2003 when freezing salt spray made the bike path along Edgartown - Oak Bluffs Road impassable, but race directors make every effort to have the race in some form or other regardless of conditions. Another race trapped in the pernicious clutches of mid-winter, the race logo is “No Weenies.” Rolling hills on the second half of the course make for a tough day on the legs after a relatively flat first half. Note that the accompanying map reflects a short course since many of the twists and turns of the bike path have been removed in this rendering.
Baggage is loaded on buses at the start and transported to the finish at the school for pickup and space permitting, spectators are invited to ride the baggage busses up to the finish line. After the race, buses take racers back to the ferry terminal approximately every 15 minutes. Post race refreshments include some of the best chowder on the island. Repeat attendees are invited to deduct $1 off the race entry fee for every year that they’ve run the race and race directors may take $10 off. A well supported and well maintained race, it is capped at 500 and typically fills by race day although not all registrants make the trip. The island is quiet and beautiful in the middle of winter so take the family and make a weekend of the race.
Course Records
- Open Men - Jeff Day: 1:49:58 (2002)
- Open Women - Sarah Nixon: 2:04:22 (2000)
The Course
Getting There
Take your best route to Woods Hole and hop on the ferry to Nantucket. With an 11:00AM start, you can take a boat that arrives at 10:45 but you’ll likely want a little extra time to get ready so check the ferry schedules before you leave. The ferry will drop you at the terminal in Vineyard Haven and the race starts directly on the other side of the terminal. You can wait in the terminal or head up to the church on Franklin Street and stay warm in the basement. After the race, buses will take you from the Oak Bluffs school back to Vineyard Haven for the ferry trip home. Better yet, book a weekend stay at one of the many inns or hotels on the island. Winter rates can’t be beat.
