Amber grew up in Northern California, a natural athlete who thrived in softball, basketball, and cross-country. She ran her first 5Ks in high school—right around the same time she took her first drink. Through college and into adulthood, her drinking escalated. While most people were slowing down, Amber was speeding up. A daily hangover became normal. Running was the one thing she never let go of, even as alcohol quietly took over more and more of her life.

By her mid-30s, with two kids under two, everything caught up with her. She hit a breaking point—financially, emotionally, spiritually. She felt lost, lonely, and exhausted from the cycle she couldn't escape. Something had to change… so she changed everything.

In 2021, Amber founded Recovery Road Runners with one mission: to recover out loud so others don’t have to suffer in silence. Running and sobriety rebuilt her life, and she became determined to help others experience the same transformation.

Today, Amber is not only a coach, mentor, and advocate—she’s also a competitive athlete again. She recently achieved a major lifelong milestone: qualifying for the Boston Marathon 2024.

Recovery Road Runners exists because Amber knows, firsthand, that running and recovery saves lives.

Doug Fingliss is an ordinary person with an extraordinary story. Currently living in Tiverton, Rhode Island, he has always been a creator and an athlete at heart—a husband, artist, musician, information technologist, entrepreneur, small business owner, skateboarder, runner, son, and friend. Doug wears many hats, and he proudly embraces all the imperfections, detours, and lessons that shaped him.

For years, Doug carried the weight of a challenging past and a complicated relationship with alcohol. His health declined, his energy faded, and his athletic pursuits took a back seat to survival. At his lowest point, he weighed over 100 pounds more than he does today and felt disconnected from the vibrant, creative, physically active person he once was.

Choosing sobriety became the turning point that changed everything. Through discipline, community, and a fierce commitment to rebuilding his life, Doug not only transformed his mindset—he transformed his body. He lost over 100 pounds, reconnected with movement, rediscovered his artistic passions, and stepped fully into a life of purpose and presence.

Today, Doug is living proof that transformation is possible at any stage of life. His story reflects resilience, reinvention, and the power of choosing yourself—one day at a time.

Vinny grew up in New York, where sports were a central part of his life. A competitive swimmer with a strong athletic background, he also started drinking as a teenager. He partied his way out of college, joined the Navy, and later built a highly successful career. But behind the achievements was a pattern of alcohol-fueled decisions that eventually forced him into early retirement.

Through it all, he remained an athlete—running marathons, racing triathlons, and competing in swimming and cycling events. He ran a 3:00 marathon in Tokyo in 2010 and even completed the Boston Marathon in 2012 with a hangover.

Then fitness faded and drinking took over. For nearly five years, he stopped training, gained weight, and settled into a daily cycle of exhaustion and hangovers.

Eventually, he hit a point where he was done—done being tired, done being unhealthy, done letting alcohol run his life. He adopted a plant-based vegan lifestyle, returned to running, quit drinking cold turkey, and committed to 90 meetings in 90 days. He built a life bigger than alcohol.

Vinny recently qualified for Boston 2024 and completed his first 100-mile ultramarathon. Today, he is still alcohol-free, plant-powered, and living proof that it’s never too late to rewrite your story.

Caren takes joy in her roles as a wife, mother, runner, and follower of Christ, and she is deeply passionate about sobriety, healing, and helping others. For most of her life, Caren has been drawn to service—volunteering in her community, serving on boards, supporting women’s ministries, and showing up for people in moments when they needed encouragement the most.

Caren’s journey through sober living has been marked by courage, resilience, and faith. She has faced the challenges of sobriety with grace and determination, and she strives to model that same strength for others. Her story is one of choosing a fuller, freer, more intentional life—and walking beside others as they choose the same.

Early in her sobriety, Caren turned to running as a healthy outlet and a source of empowerment. What began as a challenge quickly became a passion. Since then, she has completed numerous 5Ks, 10Ks, and half marathons, each finish line marking another step in her growth and transformation. Running has become both a spiritual practice and a celebration of the new life she is building.

Caren brings warmth, compassion, and unwavering faith to the RRR community, showing every day that recovery is not just about letting go of something—it’s about gaining so much more.

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