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!

What do we look for?

Ambassadors are members of the swimming and multi-sport community who live an active lifestyle. They are coaches, bloggers, motivators, and athletes who love to train and race. They will enthusiastically promote French Creek Racing events as their preferred races and are active across social media to help us spread the word. Ambassadors are also athletes who are active in their swimming and multi-sport clubs/groups.

Requirements

  1. Promote French Creek Racing brand and races to athletes via social media, and word of mouth.
  2. Promote French Creek Racing to clubs or individuals.
  3. Participate in a minimum of 4 French Creek Racing events in 2023.
  4. Volunteer at a minimum of 4 French Creek Racing events in 2023.
  5. Encouraged to participate in course preview runs or rides.
  6. Able to recruit volunteers for events via social media, community contacts, and word of mouth.
  7. Make a reasonable effort to promote French Creek Racing brand by wearing FCR clothes at non-FCR races and training sessions.

Perks

  • Free entry into French Creek Racing events.
  • Discount code that can be shared with friends and family to increase participation at events.
  • Custom TEAM shirt and hat.
  • Option to purchase custom TEAM kits and other swag.
  • Announced as a member of the 2023 Ambassador Team via social media and website.

FCR’s 2023 Ambassadors

Diane McManus

Since 2014, through so many photo albums, blurred and bright, I swam with French Creek. You have put up with my quirks and are helping my swimming blossom. I’m a swimmer who writes poems or a poet who swims, and sometimes the two get mixed together. And I keep writing and swimming. If you can stand me, I’ll be glad to speak of you with love, sometimes in haiku.

Danielle Moore

Danielle Moore is a multi sport athlete living outside Philadelphia and training for her first marathon swim and run. She is excited to represent French Creek Racing because the welcoming environment is the default, and the training and events let her challenge herself and be her personal best on her own terms. Outside of sport, Danielle is the proud owner of a rescue cat and enjoys making art, meeting new people, and spending time outdoors.

Bill Conn

For Bill, French Creek Racing is about so much more than training and racing — it’s about connecting with a community of like-minded people who support each other in and out of the water. Bill is U.S. Masters and former Division I swimmer who is now focused on bringing the love of the sport to fellow swimmers of all ages and abilities. When not in the pool, you’ll find him swimming in rivers, lakes, and oceans, running the occasional marathon or ultra, or wrangling a bunch of bees as a backyard beekeeper.

Kari Andreasen

Marathon runner turned marathon swimmer, Kari is a lover of all things outdoors.  When she is not in the water or out adventuring, Kari can be found at home recovering with her 3 cats. Kari enjoys doing the bulk of her open water training in the mighty Schuylkill with French Creek Racing.  She is currently training to swim the length of Lake Tahoe in July 2023. Kari is excited to represent FCR!

Heather Hodges

Heather Hodges is excited to join the inaugural French Creek Racing Ambassador team and get the word out about how welcoming and diverse the FCR family is! With the encouragement of a triathlete friend, she ventured into the triathlon world in 2019 with a sprint aquabike and has over 35 swim and aquabike finishes since. Outside of training and racing, she enjoys exploring the countryside on her bike, hiking, baking, and being a science enthusiast.

Rayna Kratchman

I’m a lifetime Philadelphian and have been a part of French creek Triathlon group since fall of 2020 although John would always encourage me to join. I have a running background, but through this incredible community I learned to swim in the open water with confidence and even mix in some stroke. I’m looking forward to more races, group rides, and meeting new people in 2023 and beyond. When I’m not at the pool I’m usually running with my dog Bubbles or biking with my my husband, Jeff and other French creek friends!

Jeff Rake

A lifelong swimmer from California, Jeff was a competitive age group triathlete in his 20’s and has since evolved his focus exclusively to Open Water Marathon swimming. Jeff’s Open Water highlights include placing 2nd (Men’s 50+) in the 12k Traversee du Lac Tremblant in Quebec, a solo circumnavigation (12 miles) of Coronado Island and most recently, a successful crossing of the 21-mile Catalina Channel – one leg of the global Triple Crown of Open Water Marathon Swimming. Jeff is also a certified ASCA Level 1 Coach and founder of the iSwim4 Foundation, which focuses on Recovery advocacy through aquatic programs.

Phil Klara

Phil has been a long time cyclist filling a need for recreation, exercise, social connections and mindfulness. Running and swimming had been a distant 2/3rd but 15 years ago Phil finished an Olympic Triathlon and there have been many since including 1/2 Ironman distance. Goals for the 2023 season include swimming a mile in under 30 minutes and completing IRONMAN 70.3 PA.

Mack Henderson

Fortunate to be loving life and having fun. Embrace the challenge, you never know where it will take you. Never give up!

Madelaine Sayko