French Creek Racing Ambassador Program

Our ambassadors are athletes who inspire and encourage others and are active in their local communities. The participate and volunteer at events, and are active on social media. The French Creek Racing Ambassador team is open to anyone training and racing at any level, any distance. If you love endurance sports, are enthusiastic about training and racing and can encourage others to join you, we want you on our team!

French Creek Racing’s 2025 Ambassadors

Jennifer Gehret

When I turned 50 years old, I decided a triathlon was a goal. Having some experience with running, swimming and biking needed development. To help with swimming, I participated in the Open Water Series at FCR for the past three years. The vibe was so positive and encouraging. I also have enjoyed the French Creek Triathlon the last two years as a relay team member.

Racing Accomplishments:

  • Women’s Philly Triathlon
  • French Creek Relay Olympic
  • AC Olympic
  • Waterman’s Olympic
  • Penn Stare 70.3 Relay

Leslie LeDonne

As an avid cyclist and runner, I contacted FCR for assistance in Improving my swimming in order to start racing in Triathlon.

Racing Accomplishments:

  • 2022 Masters at the Keys 50 miler
  • Competed in AC Nationals 2024 Olympic distance Tri
  • Qualified for Team USA in the Olympic distance Tri for October 2025
  • Competed in IMNC 70.3 in 2024

Ivan Puskovitch

2024 Team USA Open Water Olympian
USA Open Water National Team Member

Racing Accomplishments:

  • Qualified for the 2024 Olympics by placing 14th at the 2024 Open Water World Championships
  • Finished 19th in the 10k Open Water Event at the 2024 Olympics
  • 6-time medalist at the U.S. Open Water National Championships

Christine Cuvo

I grew up in North Jersey and always loved swimming. I swam on my town’s summer rec league, was a very average club swimmer, and had a lot of fun on my high school team. In college I coached my childhood team, then stepped away from the water for the next 20 years. After having kids, I needed something to make me feel like me again. I found FCR, and when I came to a practice it felt like coming home. Since then, I’ve been to as many workouts and races as possible, and am always happy to be there.

Racing Accomplishments:

  • I swam my first 5k at Frozen Hare II after 2.5 months practicing with FCR. I’ve since raced it a few times and continue to drop time. Last summer I wanted to try open water and raced at DE State Championships and relayed the Charles Bender Memorial Swim. This year I did the Cedar Island 5k with a bunch of FCR friends.

Diane McManus

I enjoy swimming and writing poetry about swimming. In my ten years participating in FCR, I’ve learned so much about my possibilities. Encouraged to try new events, I’ve done the 200 butterfly, my first marathon swim, and several more besides. As a poet, I value not only the competitive but the aesthetic aspects of swimming, and this year I published my first chapbook of poems titled Writ in Water (Moonstone Pres). At 74, I hope to keep swimming and setting goals as long as possible and to encourage other senior swimmers to do the same.

Racing Accomplishments:

  • 9-time finisher Great South Bay Swim (5.5 miles): 2007, 2010, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2023
  • 2016: Bender Swim, 8 miles, first marathon swim
  • 2018: Spuyten Duyvil 10k, New York
  • 2019: Escorted 11 mile swim with John Kenny kayaking (not a race, but my longest swim to date)
  • 2020: Bender Swim, 8 miles
  • 2021: Kingdom Swim 10k; Bender Swim 6 miles; Swim the Suck 10.3 miles
  • 2022: 200 Fly, Phoenixville Y Winter Freeze meet; Memphremagog Winter Swim Festival 25 “hat swim,” 25 free, 25 fly
  • 2023: Great South Bay Swim (see above)
  • And a bunch of others!

Brooke Riester

I actually was introduced to FCR by someone in our Atlantic Cape Run Group. I went to the website and was really excited about all of the open water swim and triathlon events.

Racing Accomplishments:

  • Four time Ironman finisher
  • Two time Great Chesapeake Bay Bridge Swim finisher
  • Big Shoulders 5K Swim Chicago multiple times
  • 6 Marathons and several shorter run and triathlon races

Ryan Fleming

I got into triathlons about 5 years ago after ‘retiring’ from years of Spartan racing. I quickly realized my swim skills were a problem so I signed up for Lawrence Park sessions and Trooper open water swims. Practicing with the team has improved my swim skills dramatically and made me a better racer overall!

Racing Accomplishments:

  • I’ve been an age group podium finisher/winner in the past two French Creek triathlons. I typically finish in the top third of most races.

Aravind Immaneni

I have been participating in Triathlon and Multi Sport events for 15+ years and have take part in several FCR races over the years. I am also a certified triathlon coach and enjoy giving back to the sport and the triathlon community.

Racing Accomplishments:

  • 2x ironman ; 11x half-ironam. Qualified for Duathlon and Triathlon Worlds and National championships.

Michele Lorraine

Michele has been an endurance athlete since her early teens competing in high school cross country and commuting frequently by bike to summer jobs, sports and swim practices. By 2000 she was involved in the rising triathlon world. Michele has since trained and competed in innumerable sprint distance races. Near 2016 she found French Creek Racing and has enjoyed the spirit, support and inspiration this oddball-welcoming community offers. You’ll often find Michele at the river doing her ‘moving meditation’, kayaking or welcoming newcomers. Behind the scenes, Michele assists FCR with her design and organization skills.

Racing Accomplishments:

  • 2024 Marnaton 4.5k Mediterranean Swim, Cadaques, Spain
  • 2017 French Creek Open Water Series – First Overall Female
  • 2008 Recognized by the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action for promoting breastfeeding through the sport of triathlon (Go Team Milkmoms! Philadelphia Women’s Triathlon)

Bill Conn

As a lifelong swimmer and endurance athlete, I still learn something new every time I swim or compete with French Creek Racing. It puts me in touch with a community of athletes that helps me reach my goals. I’m a former D1 and current U.S. Masters swimmer still grinding it out in the pool, the Schuylkill River, and in oceans and lakes around the world. You might also catch me in the middle of the pack in a marathon or triathlon.

Racing Accomplishments:

  • Bermuda Round the Sound 10K Swim
  • Bender Memorial Swim, 2-time finisher
  • Philadelphia Marathon, 3-time finisher
  • Swam from the Golden Gate to Bay Bridge
  • Escape from Alcatraz Swim

Nick Sokolovich

I competed in my first French Creek racing event in 2023 swimming the 5k in the Frozen Hare 2. Since then I have competed in Delaware State Championships, Open Water Series, and Fall SwimFest. I enjoy the community surrounding French Creek Racing and the positive messages that come from endurance sport.

Racing Accomplishments:

  • Harrisburg Marathon (26.2 Miles)
  • Kingdom Swim (10 Miles)
  • Independence Triathlon (Olympic Distance)
  • Fresh Start Swim Series (5k)
  • Fallen Soldier SwimRun (0.75 Mile Swim/5k Run)
  • Kathy Mellor ‘Mum’orial SwimRun Classic (0.75 Mile Swim/10k Run)
  • Fall SwimFest (1 Mile Swim/5k Run)

Rob Bedford

Rob is from Philadelphia and has a competitive swimming background. He was an All-American and 1984 US Olympic Trials qualifier at the University of South Carolina where he was a grad asst. coach. More recently Rob is a top 10 US Masters swimmer and defending SCM sprint Nation Champion in Freestyle and Backstroke. Rob is a founding Board member of the iSwim4 Foundation which helps people recover from alcohol and substance abuse disorders via swimming and fellowship.

Racing Accomplishments:

  • Still racing in my 60’s is an achievement!
  • Top 10 US Masters in all four strokes.
  • Hold several Del Val Masters records.
  • Co-defending champion Harvest Hare 5k!
  • Swam on Maui Channel and Catalina Channel OW relay
  • Winner 2024 Harvest Hare 5k Swim with all time PR of 1:14.09

Lelané Rossouw-Bancroft

Lelané (Lanie), was born and raised on the east coast of South Africa. Although she did not grow up swimming competitively, Lanie decided to join a masters swim group in 2007 and since then hasn’t looked back! Having to swim in the cold Atlantic ocean, Lanie’s love for cold water swimming grew fast. Lanie has been living in the USA since 2009 & currently resides in Newark, DE with her hubby Jay. Lanie taught swim lessons and coached swim team at her local YMCA for 8 years. Lanie is currently pursuing her degree in Textile design & Printmaking. She is an avid member at the Newark Arts Alliance where she also teaches Linocut printmaking classes. When Lanie isn’t swimming, painting or baking, she likes to cheer on her fellow athletic friends and celebrate their achievements with them! She looks forward to being an ambassador for French Creek Racing in 2024 where she hopes to create a nurturing environment for all athletes. 

Racing Accomplishments:

  • 5 mile Robben Island Crossing, Cape Town, South Africa (Solo)
  • 2 mile Pennock Island Challenge, Ketchikan, Alaska, USA
  • Delaware Bay Crossing (Solo) Cape May, NJ to Rehoboth, DE, USA (First woman to cross the Delaware Bay)
  • 10 mile Kingdom Swim, Newport, Vermont, USA
  • 4 mile Great Chesapeake Bay Swim, Maryland, USA
  • International Ice Swimming Association Ice Mile, Avalon, NJ (Solo)
  • Memphremagog Winter Swim Festival, Newport, Vermont
  • 6 mile Bender swim, French Creek Racing

John Shoen

Life long swimmer who grew up swimming in the St. Lawrence River. I’ve been swimming with FCR for over 10 years.

Racing Accomplishments:

  • IM Atlantic City
  • Maggie Fischer Cross Bay 10k
  • Charles Bender 10K
  • Cedar Island 5k
  • Relay IM Western Mass, IM AC, IM Mussleman
  • Tri AC, Tri Wildwoods, Escape the Cape, Steelman 1,2 and 3 mile swims multiple times
  • Chicago River Swim
  • All of the FCR races.

Ron Ritter

Prior to entering triathlons I primarily cycled and dabbled in running completing a self supported half marathon. 2024 I entered my first 70.3, and 5k swim.

Racing Accomplishments:

  • Happy Valley 70.3, French Creek Trifest/ Swimfest, Steelman, USAT Nationals 2024

Rayna Kratchman

I grew up playing a variety of sports and fell in love with running in high school getting in shape for the basketball season. After some injuries running in college I found biking and later swimming thanks to a summer lifeguarding job which led to completing my first triathlon. Over the last decade it’s been incredible to reach new milestone’s in triathlon and find the French Creek community. During the pandemic I started swimming with French Creek at outdoor pool sessions and I’ve never loved swimming more thanks to this great group!

Racing Accomplishments:

  • In 2019 I competed at 70.3 Worlds in Nice, France.
  • 2020- learned how to swim butterfly!
  • 2021- competed in my first open water races and placed top 10 female overall at Islandman.
  • 2022- placed top 10 in my AH ay 70.3 Blue ridge and completed Cedar island swim- longest OW swim
  • 2023- placed 3rd overall at Medford lakes Tri
  • 2024- placed 2nd overall at Medford lakes Tri

Logan & Olivia Graybill

Logan & Olivia were introduced to French Creek Racing this past spring thru their winter swim coaches. They fell in love with the sport and the people involved in it.

Racing Accomplishments:

  • Logan and Olivia have competed in the Steelman series and various open water events hosted by French Creek Racing. My son enjoys the atmosphere and support from all of the people at the events.