Join the Tallahassee Marathon Ambassador Team
Your miles. Your story. One finish line.
Training for a marathon or half marathon is about much more than race day.
It’s the early alarms. The long runs. The good days. The rough ones. The people you meet along the way. And that moment when something that once seemed impossible starts to feel possible.
For the 2027 Bank of America Tallahassee Marathon and Half Marathon, we’re looking for 10–12 runners who want to share that journey with our community.
You don’t need to be the fastest runner.
You don’t need thousands of followers.
You don’t need perfectly edited videos or professional photos.
You just need a story worth sharing—and a willingness to bring people along for the ride.
Think that sounds like you?
What Is a Tallahassee Marathon Ambassador?
Our ambassadors are runners who will train for and participate in the 2027 Bank of America Tallahassee Marathon, Half Marathon, or Marathon Relay while sharing the experience with their friends, followers, and the Tallahassee running community.
From the first training runs to race morning on February 7, 2027, ambassadors will give people an authentic look at what it really takes to reach the starting line.
That includes the victories.
And the runs where absolutely nothing goes according to plan.
We want the real journey.
Because someone following yours may decide:
“Maybe I could do this, too.”
Who We're Looking For
There isn't one type of Tallahassee Marathon Ambassador.
In fact, we hope our team looks a lot like the runners who show up on race morning.
You might be:
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Training for your first half marathon
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Taking on 26.2 miles for the first time
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Chasing a new PR
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Returning to running after some time away
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Balancing training with work, kids, school, or a very full calendar
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A longtime member of the Tallahassee running community
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Someone who discovered running recently
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Training with friends, a club, or a running group
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Taking on the Marathon Relay
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The person who somehow convinces everyone else to sign up for races with you
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Someone with a story we haven't even thought of yet?
We're looking for unique perspectives.
You Might Be a Great Ambassador If...
You genuinely enjoy encouraging other people.
You're comfortable sharing your training journey on social media.
You don't mind showing people both the great runs and the difficult ones.
You're active in your community—online, offline, or both.
You can commit to participating throughout the training season.
You get excited when a friend says, “Fine. You convinced me. I'm signing up.”
And most importantly:
You love the idea of helping more people experience the Tallahassee Marathon and Half Marathon.
Do I Need a Big Social Media Following?
No.
We care much more about connection than follower count.
An engaged local runner with 600 followers may be a better ambassador than someone with 60,000 followers who has little connection to the running community.
We'll be looking for people who communicate authentically, interact with others, and have a story people will want to follow.
If people pay attention when you talk about your training, encourage you after a tough run, ask you questions about races, or occasionally say, “You're making me want to start running,” we want to hear from you.
What Ambassadors Will Do
We're asking ambassadors to help tell the story of training for Tallahassee—not turn their social feeds into advertisements.
During the program, ambassadors should plan to:
Share your journey
Post approximately two primary social posts or Reels per month during the main training season.
Your content might include:
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Why you signed up
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Training milestones
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Long-run adventures
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Your favorite Tallahassee running spots
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Training with friends
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The struggle of fitting runs into real life
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Your first double-digit run
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A difficult workout
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A breakthrough
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Race-day goals
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Pre-race nerves
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Race weekend
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Crossing the finish line
Share Stories
Post approximately two meaningful sets of Instagram/Facebook Stories per month during the training season.
These don't need to be polished.
Sometimes a sweaty selfie at mile 10 tells the story better than anything else.
Help spread the word
You'll receive a personal ambassador referral code that gives friends and followers:
$10 OFF THEIR RACE REGISTRATION
Your job isn't to constantly sell registrations.
Tell a great story first.
Then, when someone thinks, “I want to do this too,” give them an easy way to join you.
Your Personal Ambassador Code
Every ambassador will receive a unique referral code to share throughout the season.
For example:
SARAH10
Your friends and followers save $10 on their registration, and we'll be able to see how many runners joined the event through your referrals.
From time to time, ambassadors may also receive access to a special limited-time promotion when their code becomes even more valuable.
We call it a:
Golden Code
For a limited period, your followers may receive an enhanced registration discount.
You'll decide how you want to use that moment—perhaps after a huge training milestone, during a group run, or when you finally convince your best friend that running 13.1 miles together is, in fact, a great idea.
What's In It for Ambassadors?
First: a pretty great excuse to spend several months talking about running.
But you'll also receive an ambassador package designed to make you part of the event.
Ambassador benefits may include:
Complimentary race entry
Your entry into the 2027 Bank of America Tallahassee Marathon, Half Marathon, or eligible ambassador event is on us.
Official Tallahassee Marathon and Half Marathon Gear
Represent the Tallahassee Marathon throughout training with exclusive Tallahassee Marathon and Half Marathon gear.
Your Personal $10 Referral Code
Give friends, family, coworkers, training partners, and followers a reason to join you on race weekend.
Referral Rewards
Help more people reach the starting line and you'll have opportunities to earn additional ambassador perks.
Example milestones may include:
5 referrals
Tallahassee Marathon merchandise or ambassador reward
10 referrals
Premium race or sponsor gift
15 referrals
Special race-week perk or recognition
25 referrals
Complimentary entry for the following year's event
Additional surprises may appear throughout the season.
Featured Race Content
Ambassadors may be highlighted through Tallahassee Marathon social channels, email communications, website content, or race-week storytelling.
We're Not Looking for Perfect Content
Your feed does not need to look like a running shoe advertisement.
In fact, we'd prefer that it doesn't.
We want:
The 5:30 a.m. alarm.
The run that felt incredible.
The one that didn't.
The post-run breakfast.
The rainy long run.
The friend who talked you into another mile.
The moment you realize you just ran farther than you ever have before.
The nerves when race week finally arrives.
And eventually...
The finish line.
Those are the stories people connect with.
12 Runners. 12 Reasons. One Finish Line.
Throughout the season, we'll introduce our ambassador team and follow their progress toward February 7.
Maybe one ambassador is trying to break four hours.
Another is trying to run 26.2 miles for the first time.
Another simply wants to prove to herself that she can finish 13.1.
Another is squeezing training runs between work, school pickup, and everything else life throws at him.
Different runners.
Different goals.
Different journeys.
One finish line in Tallahassee.
The Ambassador Season
September
Meet the team. Set the goal. Start the journey.
October
Why are you doing this?
November
Training becomes part of life.
December
The miles get longer. The stories get better.
January
Peak training. Big milestones. Race-day dreams start feeling real.
February
Race week.
Packet pickup.
Starting line.
Finish line.
Celebration.
And probably a very slow walk the next morning.
What We're Looking for in Applications
We'll consider several things when choosing the ambassador team.
Your story
Why are you running this race?
Why would someone want to follow your journey?
Your enthusiasm
Do you genuinely want to connect with and encourage other runners?
Your reliability
Can we count on you to stay involved throughout the training season?
Your connection to the community
That could mean the Tallahassee community, running community, workplace, neighborhood, school, social network, or another group you're part of.
Your ability to share
Professional content skills aren't required.
We simply want ambassadors who are comfortable communicating authentically through photos, videos, posts, and stories.
Your audience
Follower count matters far less than whether people actually listen when you speak.
Application Questions
Be ready to tell us:
1. Which 2027 Tallahassee Marathon event are you planning to run?
Marathon, Half Marathon, or Marathon Relay.
2. Why do you want to be a Tallahassee Marathon Ambassador?
3. Why are you running this race?
Tell us the story.
4. Why would someone want to follow your journey to the finish line?
5. What role does running currently play in your life?
6. What's one thing about your training journey that might surprise people?
7. How are you connected to the Tallahassee or running community?
8. Which social platforms do you regularly use?
9. How often do you currently post or share Stories?
10. What's a piece of running-related content you've shared that felt especially "you"?
Include a link if you'd like.
11. If a friend told you, “I could never run a half marathon,” what would you say to them?
12. Anything else we should know about you?
Important Dates
Applications Open: August 24, 2026
Applications Close: September 5, 2026
Ambassador Team Announced: September 14–21, 2026
Ambassador Kickoff: Week of September 23
Training & Ambassador Season: October 2026–February 2027
Race Day: February 7, 2027
Before You Apply
Ambassadors should be prepared to commit to the program throughout the training season and participate actively in telling their story.
If selected, you'll receive complete program guidelines covering social content expectations, referral codes, ambassador benefits, race participation, content usage, and required disclosure when discussing complimentary entry, gifts, or other ambassador benefits.
Most importantly, we ask that you represent the Tallahassee Marathon community with enthusiasm, respect, encouragement, and good sportsmanship.
Think This Is You?
Maybe you've run ten marathons.
Maybe you've never run ten miles.
Maybe you've already mapped out every long run between now and February.
Maybe the idea of signing up still makes you a little nervous.
Good.
We want the journey.
If you're excited to train, share the experience, encourage other runners, and help more people discover what race day in Tallahassee can feel like, we'd love to hear your story.
