Whether it’s with motivation and insights via social media or through in-person connection on a run or at a race, Twin Cities In Motion’s Ambassadors aim to make your running happier, healthier and more successful in 2025 and beyond.
Twenty-seven helpful, outgoing runners from a wide mix of backgrounds and identities make up the just-announced 2025 TCM Ambassador class. This year’s #TCMbassador cohort was selected from an impressive group of applicants.
“A #TCMbassador is someone who is not only passionate about running itself, but also everything that running can do for you such as building community and improving mental health,” Mallory Burns, the TCM staffer leading the program said. “I wanted our 2025 cohort to be welcoming, inspiring, and enthusiastic, and all of these runners are exactly that!”

Are you looking for a fellow dad-bod runner doing Get in Gear like you? There’s a #TCMbassador for that.
Are you balancing a big marathon weekend race and a young family? Yep, there’s an ambassador managing that, too.
New to the Twin Cities or the running scene? We’ve also got a #TCMbassadors who can guide you on that path.
“I hope runners see themselves reflected in our ambassadors,” Mallory continued, “whether that's through background, pace, or relationship to running. I hope they see this group as a resource for motivation and guidance, no matter where you are in your running journey!"
Encountering a #TCMbassador during the year shouldn’t be difficult. A group of ambassadors will attend each of the monthly Twin Cities Motion Center Open Houses as well as pledging to participate in TCM races throughout the year. And, all will be active on social media in support of TCM and its runners.
Carl Johnson, who took up running to take his health back from diabetes, became a #TCMbassador as another way to promote running for his community. A pastor and business owner, Carl is also the vice-captain of Black Men Run Twin Cities.
“I was looking for another avenue to influence running for People of Color in everyday running,” he shared with the Connection. “I like to play the active runner in their life, motivating them when they feel unable to run.”
Ambassador Mallory Bailey is new to the Twin Cities and new to the sport of running. A former CrossFit Coach and member of the USA Bobsled Team, she found running last year and was hooked.
“I’d love to be a role model for those who are new to the city to just go ahead and go for it,” she said. “Sign up for the race, join the run club, go to the event! Even if you are going alone, you will leave with friends.”
Ambassador Em Shank wants to support Twin Cities In Motion’s inclusivity efforts with their volunteer service as a #TCMbassador.
"I wanted to lend a hand to an organization that is doing the hard work and raising the bar for other running organizations."
“I wanted to lend a hand to an organization that is doing the hard work and raising the bar for other running organizations,” they said. “As someone who is trans/nb, I also wanted to show the rest of the running community that people like me are so much more than what you see in the headlines and algorithms. We are also joyful, resilient, and strong.”
Eric Pothen sees a role for himself on the #TCMbassador team and in the community as a runner and an eating disorder recovery coach.
“I'd love to bring my experience of living with an eating disorder and my road to recovery with runners this year,” he shared. “I would also like to help runners develop a healthy relationship with fitness and their bodies. I'm a big optimist, so I am always there to cheer other runners on and help them find their talent, no matter who they are.”
With more than two dozen #TCMbassadors to connect with, Twin Cities In Motion runners shouldn’t have difficulty finding a running mentor who shares their reality and speaks to their aspirations as a runner.
“I am here to have a good time and share the highs and lows and hopefully inspire others to find time for something they find joy and strength in,” Em noted, neatly summing up the #TCMbassador mission.
Meet the entire 2025 #TCMbassador crew here.
This article originally appeared in the The Connection, TCM's weekly e-newsletter. Subscribe here.