A dozen Amity Island Running Club members from Martha’s Vineyard conquered the 2025 BMW Berlin Marathon last Sunday with some standout performances, including a new personal record, and one runner obtaining an Abbott World Marathon Majors medal.
The 26.2-mile course that attracts runners from across the world was especially challenging this year due to an unexpected heat spike. But the tight-knit Island group all completed the course despite the sweltering 81°F weather that saw many other participants hauled off by ambulances.
“It was hard,” said Donna Creighton. “By mile 10, I was hot, and I was running with Nisa [Webster], who is a Tisbury paramedic, and from every water station she was throwing water on me, which probably saved me.”
Creighton, 61, a seasoned marathoner, had already completed the Tokyo, Boston, London, Chicago, and New York marathons. So this completion, marked by passing through the iconic Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, earned her a coveted Abbot World Marathon Majors Six Star Medal, a lifetime achievement.
“It was so fun,” said Creighton. “To run through the Brandenburg Gate and to have so many Vineyard runners there to celebrate was once-in-a-lifetime. It was so amazing.”
Creighton added that the race wasn’t complete without some turmoil. At the 23-mile mark, she lost her special bib that marked her completion of all six majors.
“I was standing on the course, basically crying,” Creighton recalled, after turning back to search for it. She continued the race without the bib, and luckily race organizers confirmed her completion, allowing her to receive her hard-earned medal. She later learned another racer had retrieved the bib.
Creighton also noted that she reunited with her mentor in marathon running, Kim O’Callaghan, an Island runner with more than 100 marathons under her belt.
“The very first time I ran a half-marathon, 15 years ago, [O’Callaghan] was the person who believed in me,” said Creighton. “I got to see her, and it was just so special to see your mentor there –– that was probably the highlight for me for sure.”
Other Amity Island Running Club members participating in Berlin included Chris Cajolet, Ben Williams, Eliska Surykova, Casey O’Connor, Webster, Laura Monies, Kayleigh Cole, Gerald Downes, Kim O’Callaghan, Chantal Desgagne, Corey Cole, and Elizabeth Conion.
Despite the heat and some baggage-claim issues, O’Connor set a new personal best in his 26.2-mile time, something he had been working toward. “I was ready, prepared, confident, and got the result I coveted and earned,” said O’Connor. “My head was in the game all day, and I never lost track of the goal.
“Despite my luggage never arriving, the most important marathon rule when traveling –– race-day sneakers go in carry-on. Mission accomplished in that regard,” he added.
For Island club members Williams and Monies, they were not only competing in the race, but were guiding visually impaired runners to the finish line as well. Monies guided Islander Kayleigh Cole, and Williams guided her brother, Corey Cole.
“That makes it even more special,” said Meghan McDonald, co-founder of the Amity Island Running Club. “It’s such a selfless act. You have to train, travel, and run, and you have to run at another person’s pace.
“Amity means friendship,” she added. “There’s nothing better that sums up that word than those two doing that.”
For McDonald, having so many runners complete the race was a big achievement for the club, and a special moment for the Island. “It’s absolutely amazing to watch. I never thought in so many years that so many people from the run club would be doing so many amazing things,” she said. “We like to celebrate every victory, whether it’s taking the time off your mile or whatever, but to see so many people doing these marathons and competing in world majors is so exciting.”
