I AM AN AMBASSADOR

Don’t worry…It’s not what you think.

In the past, I have seen clothing manufacturers such as InknBurn and Zensah asking for applications for Brand Ambassadors.  It seemed to involve wearing their products during races, and posting photos (along with the appropriate hashtags) on your social media accounts.  In return, you get some discounts, and maybe some SWAG.  In all my years of running, I never knew that Race Ambassadors were a “thing,” until I saw this post on the Mount Dora Half Marathon Instagram account:

  

“We are currently accepting Ambassador applications for the 2020 Mount Dora Half and 5K. ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Prospective Ambassadors Should:
1. Have a PUBLIC social media account on either Instagram and/or Facebook
2. Actively interact with their social media account and followers on a weekly basis.
3. Be able to compete and complete a 5 kilometer road race and/or half marathon distance (13.1 miles)
4. Participated in a MDH race in a previous year (some exceptions considered)
5. Be willing to download the Group Me app for communication with Ambassador Coordinator •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Ambassadors receive:
1. Head shot and profile listed on our website.
2. One complimentary entry into their choice of the 2020 MDH events.
3. An unique ambassador discount code to share with followers
4. MDH Ambassador shirt.
5. Discount offers from select partners of MDH and R4C.”

After reading this, I came to the following conclusions:

·      I have all of the qualifications.

·      I’ve participated in this race all eight years.

·      I was featured on their website this year.

·      I wore my Hanukkah shirt for the race this year, which not only got me into a lot of photos, but was good for diversity.

·      I know the race director.

Not that anything is guaranteed, but I felt pretty confident about being chosen.  On January 9th, my dreams came true.  I was selected, and would soon receive an email outlining my responsibilities.  I don’t think I’ve ever been chosen for anything (including the NYC or Marine Corps marathons), so this was truly exciting for me.  The email contained the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Ambassador Agreement 2020, which included some top secret and highly confidential information (sorry I can’t share with the general public).  We even have our private group chat!  The one thing I can tell you is that there are a shit-ton of hashtags I need to incorporate into every post. 

Now for the Benefit of Those with Flash Photography:

#mountdorahalf #mountdora #mountdora5k #mtdorahalf #doradouble #halfmarathon #halfmarathoner #halfmarathonrace #halfmarathonrunner #halfmarathontraining #floridarunner #floridahalf #floridarace #roadrace #floridarunning #runflorida #runwithus #runlife #runmountdora #instarunners #run4acause #almosttherephotography #sandhouserunningclub

It was very cool to see the post that announced all of the ambassadors for the race.  I’ve also been featured in several posts since, and I’m doing my part to promote the event.  I won’t go into great detail about how much I enjoy going to Mount Dora every December to run, as you can read my reviews for the past eight years.

 

I can only say that it is an honor to be selected, and I will do everything in my power make sure the folks who made the decision to select me won’t regret it.

2012

 

2013

 

2014

 

2015

 

2016

 

 

2017

 

2018

 

 

 

2019