Get ready to tighten your laces and run the island way. The Gwynn’s Island way, that is.
Gwynn’s Island, a small hamlet in the Middle Peninsula county of Mathews, Virginia, will host their annual 5K/8K Kukini Run on Saturday, June 29, 2019.
This historical, and historically fun, run is an event any outdoor lover won’t want to miss.
This island classic kicks off at 8:30 a.m. on race day and begins in the heart of Gwynn’s Island itself.
This 5K and 8K takes participants on a scenic tour of the island.
Register for the run here, but do so fast because registration closes Friday, June 28, 2019.
Cost is $25 and all proceeds for this event will help the VTTR continue supporting local organizations and events. The co-organizers of this run, Mathews Family YMCA and Gwynn’s Island Civic League, will receive half of the day’s funds raised.
A FREE one-mile run/walk – great for young runners – will start at 8:40 a.m.
A Scenic Course, a Historic Island
The race course itself – fast and flat – takes runners along the historic roads of Gwynn’s Island, opening up the opportunity to see the beautiful Chesapeake Bay waters that surround it.
Sitting at the mouth of the Piankatank River on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay, Gwynn’s Island is roughly four miles long and home to 800 or so people live who live there year-round.
Thousands more flock to the island in the summer that, according to the Gwynn’s Island Museum, is steeped in history.
In the early 1600s, according to the Museum, “Hugh Gwynn was exploring the Chesapeake Bay and stopped at a small island at the mouth of the Piankatank River. Legend has it that he heard cries for help from an Indian girl who had fallen from her canoe. Seeing her about to sink, he dived in and pulled her to safety. When asked her name she replied ‘Pocahontas, daughter of Chief Powhatan,’ and in gratitude for saving her life she gave the island to Hugh Gwynn, hence the name Gwynn’s Island.”
Want to see a video of the run route and the island itself? Go here.
Come for the Run, Stay for the Festival
After finishing the run, be sure to stick around the island for the annual Gwynn’s Island Festival, which starts at 9 a.m. and runs until 4 p.m. celebrating the heritage of Gwynn’s Island with homemade crafts, local food and live music.
Photo courtesy of the Gwynn’s Island Museum.